Chevrolet Cobalt Recalls & Complaints by Model Year
NHTSA lists 10 safety recalls and 7,681 owner complaints across 13 model years of the Chevrolet Cobalt (1996–2017). The most-complained-about year is 2006.
Pick your Chevrolet Cobalt model year
| Model year | Recalls | Complaints |
|---|---|---|
| 2017 Chevrolet Cobalt | 0 | 1 |
| 2016 Chevrolet Cobalt | 0 | 1 |
| 2012 Chevrolet Cobalt | 0 | 1 |
| 2011 Chevrolet Cobalt | 0 | 2 |
| 2010 Chevrolet Cobalt | 5 | 574 |
| 2009 Chevrolet Cobalt | 5 | 710 |
| 2008 Chevrolet Cobalt | 4 | 845 |
| 2007 Chevrolet Cobalt | 5 | 1,564 |
| 2006 Chevrolet Cobalt | 5 | 2,330 |
| 2005 Chevrolet Cobalt | 5 | 1,649 |
| 2002 Chevrolet Cobalt | 0 | 2 |
| 2000 Chevrolet Cobalt | 0 | 1 |
| 1996 Chevrolet Cobalt | 0 | 1 |
What Chevrolet Cobalt owners complain about
Across all model years, owners have filed 7,681 complaints with NHTSA. The 2006 model year has the most, with 2,330.
All Chevrolet Cobalt recalls (10)
Every NHTSA safety campaign that lists a Chevrolet Cobalt, most recent first, with the model years each one covers.
-
Air bags: side/window
General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2010 Chevrolet Cobalt vehicles manufactured January 4, 2010, to June 23, 2010. The affected vehicles may be equipped with an improperly routed Side-Impact Sensor (SIS) wiring harness in the driver side front door. The misrouted wiring harness could cause an electrical short that…
Remedy: GM will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the sensor's wiring in the driver's door and make repairs as necessary, free of charge. The recall began on September 8, 2015. Owners may contact Chevrolet customer…
Model years: 2010
-
Ignition (electrical system)
General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2005-2010 Chevrolet Cobalt, 2006-2011 Chevrolet HHR, 2007-2010 Pontiac G5, 2006-2010 Pontiac Solstice, 2003-2007 Saturn Ion, and 2007-2010 Saturn Sky vehicles. In the affected vehicles, the key can be removed from the ignition when the ignition is not in the "Off" position.
Remedy: General Motors will notify owners, and for vehicles that were built with the defective ignition cylinder and have not previously had the ignition cylinder replaced with the redesigned part, dealers will replace the…
-
Electric power assist system (steering)
General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2004-2006 and 2008-2009 Chevrolet Malibu, 2004-2006 Malibu Maxx, 2009-2010 HHR (non-turbo), 2010 Cobalt, 2008-2009 Saturn Aura and 2004-2007 Ion, and 2005-2009 Pontiac G6. In the affected vehicles, there may be a sudden loss of electric power steering (EPS) assist that could occur…
Remedy: GM will notify owners, and dealers will perform one of four bulletins. Parts are not currently available. GM expects to send an interim notification around May 28, 2014. When parts are available, owners will be mailed…
Model years: 2010
-
Air bags and switch (electrical system)
This defect can affect the safe operation of the airbag system. Until this recall is performed, customers should remove all items from their key rings, leaving only the ignition key. The key fob (if applicable), should also be removed from the key ring. General Motors LLC (GM) notified the agency on February 10, 2014 that they are…
Remedy: GM will notify owners, and dealers will replace the ignition switch, free of charge. An interim notification was issued to owners of 2007 and earlier models on March 10, 2014, informing them of the safety defect.…
-
Fuel pump (fuel system)
General Motors (GM) is recalling certain model year 2007 Chevrolet Equinox and Pontiac Torrent vehicles originally sold or currently registered in Arizona, California, Nevada, and Texas; model year 2007 Chevrolet Cobalt, Pontiac G5, and Saturn ION vehicles originally sold, or currently registered in, Arizona, California, Florida,…
Remedy: GM will notify owners, and dealers will replace the fuel pump module, free of charge. Notification to owners began on on November 21, 2012. Owners were instructed to not bring their vehicles in for repair until January…
-
Electric power assist system (steering)
General motors is recalling certain model year 2005-2010 chevrolet cobalt and model year 2007-2010 pontiac g5 vehicles equipped with electric power steering. The driver may experience a sudden loss of power steering assist that could occur at any time while driving.
Remedy: Dealers will replace the electric power steering motor free of charge. Owners are being notified on a rolling basis between march 29 through november 2010. A copy of the mailing schedule is located in the recall file.…
-
Fuel pump (fuel system)
General motors is recalling certain model year 2006 chevrolet cobalt and saturn ion vehicles originally sold in or currently registered in the states of arizona and nevada; and model year 2007 chevrolet cobalt, pontiac g5 and saturn ion vehicles originally sold in or currently registered in the states of arizona, california, florida,…
Remedy: Dealers will replace the fuel pump module free of charge. A special coverage will be implemented in the same time frame for model year 2006 vehicles registered in alabama, arkansas, california, florida, georgia,…
-
Column shift (power train)
General motors is recalling 276,729 my 2009 buick enclave, chevrolet cobalt, hhr, malibu, traverse, GMC acadia, pontiac g5, g6 and saturn aura and outlook passenger vehicles. These vehicles fail to comply with federal motor vehicles safety standard 102, "transmission shift position sequence, starter interlock, and transmission braking…
Remedy: Dealers will inspect and ensure that the shift cable adjustment clip is fully engaged. In the event that the clip does not engage, the shift cable will be replaced free of charge. The recall is expected to begin on or…
Model years: 2009
-
Structure
Certain passenger vehicles not equipped with optional roof-mounted side impact air bags fail to comply with the requirements of federal motor vehicle safety standard no. 201, 'occupant protection in interior impact.'
Remedy: Dealers will install energy absorbing plastic to the headliner trim to reduce the severity of head impacts in a crash. The recall began on march 21, 2007. Owners may contact chevrolet at 1-800-630-2438.
-
Headlights (exterior lighting)
Certain passenger vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of federal motor vehicle safety standard no. 108, "lamps, reflective devices, and associated equipment." the bulb shields inside of the headlamps can loosen due to vibration.
Remedy: Dealers will install two new headlamp assemblies. The recall began on november 17, 2004. Owners should contact chevrolet at 1-800-630-2438.
Model years: 2005
Other Chevrolet models
- Malibu19,364 complaints
- Silverado 150018,029 complaints
- Impala10,434 complaints
- Tahoe10,032 complaints
- Equinox9,161 complaints
- Silverado8,799 complaints
- Blazer8,192 complaints
- Suburban8,164 complaints
Source: NHTSA recall and complaint databases and EPA fuel economy data, October 2026. Complaint counts are owner reports to NHTSA, not verified defects. Recall counts are safety campaigns that list this model year; whether a particular car was already repaired depends on its VIN. How this data is compiled.