FaultScore

Worst years for a Chevrolet Cobalt

Owners have filed 10,115 complaints about the Chevrolet Cobalt with NHTSA across model years 1996 to 2017. More of them are about the steering than anything else.

Avoid

2006 Chevrolet Cobalt

3,056 complaints — the highest FaultScore of any year, mostly steering.

Cleanest on record

2010 Chevrolet Cobalt

795 complaints — the lowest FaultScore of the graded years.

Every Chevrolet Cobalt year, graded

The grade compares each year against the rest of this model's own run — never against another car. Click any bar or row to open that year's report.

Complaints filed with NHTSA, by model year. Bar colour is the FaultScore grade: A B C D F ungraded
Year Grade Complaints Crashes Fires Median miles Most reported
2017 1 0 0 Steering
2016 1 0 0 Fuel & Propulsion
2012 1 0 0 Other & Unspecified
2011 2 0 0 Steering
2010 C 795 76 9 66,400 Steering
2009 C 916 103 9 74,000 Fuel & Propulsion
2008 C 1,104 110 20 75,374 Steering
2007 C 2,004 173 21 65,000 Steering
2006 D 3,056 272 25 68,000 Steering
2005 C 2,231 150 17 63,000 Steering
2002 2 1 0 Steering
2000 1 0 0 Fuel & Propulsion
1996 1 0 0 Airbags

What breaks on a Chevrolet Cobalt

Across every model year on file. Follow a row for that part's complaints and the year it was worst.

Steering 3,925 38.8%

Worst in 2006

Fuel & Propulsion 1,623 16.0%

Worst in 2006

Electrical System 1,491 14.7%

Worst in 2006

Airbags 615 6.1%

Worst in 2006

Engine & Cooling 476 4.7%

Worst in 2006

Worst in 2006

Brakes 243 2.4%

Worst in 2007

Suspension 222 2.2%

Worst in 2007

Worst in 2006

Body & Structure 159 1.6%

Worst in 2006

Worst in 2006

Worst in 2005

Lights 101 1.0%

Worst in 2005

Worst in 2006

Exactly what failed on a Chevrolet Cobalt

The named sub-assemblies behind those complaints, across every model year.

Electric Power Assist System 152 20.8%
Ignition 106 14.5%
Fuel Pump 101 13.8%
Body 81 11.1%
Automatic Transmission 74 10.1%
Front 59 8.1%
Switch 53 7.3%
Column 41 5.6%
Frontal 33 4.5%
Engine 30 4.1%

Complaints filed over time

Every complaint about every Chevrolet Cobalt, by the month it reached NHTSA.

Jan 2005 peak 797 Aug 2026

Chevrolet Cobalt problems by state

Where owners filed from. Heavier states are usually just bigger markets, but a part that fails in heat or salt shows up here first.

Compare the Chevrolet Cobalt

Side by side on complaint history. Remember that raw totals track how many were sold as much as how good they were.