615 of the 10,115 complaints filed about the Chevrolet Cobalt are about the airbag system — 6% of everything owners reported. The worst model year for it is 2006.
615
Complaints
6%
Share of all complaints
234
Crashes
5
Fires
AIR BAGS
Walked out to the car and the side air bags deployed and now it won't start. No power No accident. Drove it to the driveway and parked it. Now it won't start.
NHTSA complaint #11757142 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
AIR BAGS
No deployment during head on collision totaling vehicle of faulty air bag
NHTSA complaint #11752490 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
AIR BAGS
Head on collision, airbag did not deploy
NHTSA complaint #11751466 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
AIR BAGS
The contact owned a 2007 Chevrolet Cobalt. The contact stated that while the son was driving at approximately 52 MPH, the vehicle crashed head-on into a second vehicle. During the crash, no air bags had deployed, and the driver sustained fatal injuries. Also, during the crash, the ignition key broke off inside the ignition switch, and the vehicle was destroyed. A police report was taken at the scene, and the vehicle was towed to a police inbound lot and later towed to the home. The cause of the failure was not determined. The manufacturer and local dealer were not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was unknown.
NHTSA complaint #11724877 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
AIR BAGS
The contact owns a 2007 Chevrolet Cobalt. The contact stated that while driving at 55 MPH, a 12-point buck jumped into the roadway, causing the contact to abruptly depress the brake pedal; however, the vehicle skidded and crashed into the buck. No air bags deployed. The vehicle was drivable; however, the vehicle was towed to the residence due to the radiator being damaged. The contact stated that he sustained injuries to his left knee, and his fiancée, who was seated in the front passenger side, sustained injuries to her left knee. The contact stated this morning that he noticed his knee was swollen. No medical attention was sought as of yet. The contact stated that a police report was filed. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 16,265.
NHTSA complaint #11709925 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
AIR BAGS
I was in a crash on 9/19/25 and at the incident none of my airbags deployed. My daily driver for my children and I. I was lucky I was the only passenger at the time. I never expected my airbags not to deploy in a head on crash. The car still sits in my driveway and I have and identical one just like it that I drive! I’d like them evaluated.
NHTSA complaint #11689938 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
AIR BAGS
Air bag says it needs serviced Gas gadge is all over the place hard to tell how much gas I actually have in my tank.
NHTSA complaint #11687046 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
AIR BAGS
The contact owned a 2010 Chevrolet Cobalt. The contact stated that, while her daughter was driving at an undisclosed speed during an ice and rainstorm with poor visibility, a vehicle parked sideways in the middle of the roadway suddenly appeared. Unable to stop in time, the vehicle collided with the driver's side rear of the other vehicle, causing it to spin and veer onto the shoulder of the roadway before coming to a complete stop. The air bags deployed but failed to properly inflate, greatly reducing their effectiveness, which the contact held responsible for the various injuries sustained by the three occupants. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was towed to a storage facility and deemed a total loss by the contact's insurance provider. A police report was filed, and injuries were reported. All three occupants were transported to a local hospital by EMTs. The driver was treated for facial injuries sustained from striking the steering wheel. The minor occupant, who was seat-belted in the front passenger seat, was treated for injuries suffered to the right side of their forehead after hitting and breaking the front windshield, as well as a contusion across their chest caused by the seat belt. The contact was treated for a dislocated left shoulder and sustained multiple bruises. The manufacturer was notified of the incident, opened a case, and referred the contact to the NHTSA hotline for further assistance. The VIN was not available. The failure mileage was unknown.
NHTSA complaint #11684808 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
AIR BAGS
Our vehicle has had zero accidents the airbag light showed up on dashboard stating check airbags. Then as far as electrical the headlights seem to turn on there own at times. We feel this perhaps is a recall not known yet.
NHTSA complaint #11653303 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
AIR BAGS
The air bag never deployed I bought car in 2018 from original owner with car only having 33,000 miles on it and still under warranty til car had 100,000 miles and I hit a deer head on 2 months after getting car which bought in may of 2018 hit the deer in July 2018 . The deer was hit with the front passenger side it broke my headlight n messed my hood up and smashed in the grill little and my air bags never deployed I hit deer at 50 mph , after that had happened I took it in to Chevy dealership and had them look at car cause I told them I hit that deer and air bag never deployed and that my air bag light came on once in awhile and said service air bag . The dealership said they do that sometimes and did something to make light go off that was it my air vag light still comes on and says service air bag . Also ignition switch and fuel smell foul coming from car a lot and is as I speak . My reduce engine power light comes on a lot and have no power to gas pedal n car won’t stay running . I have try to get two recalls fixed back in 2-21 I was having problems with my car back then too special reach called me in Jan of 2021 and told me that there were two recalls on my car ignition switch and fuel module so I informed dealership when I took my car in That next month in feb 21 told them I was informed on 2 active recalls on my car . When they were done with my car later that day I asked them if they fixed the recalls they said no cause it was map sensor so I then made an appt to get recalls fixed when I got there for the recalls to be fixed one of the technicians told me it shows that they were done . I called Chevy and complained about the issue I just had and never had recalls fixed but they must of put it in computer they fixed them So I’ve been really upset that I been trying to get past recalls fixed that are on my car and I get run around and told there isn’t any I know about a past recall on shift selnoid low circuit too that was a past recal
NHTSA complaint #11631947 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
AIR BAGS
The contact owns a 2009 Chevrolet Cobalt. The contact stated that while driving 55 MPH, the contact struck a deer. The air bags did not deploy. Additionally, while driving at slow speeds, the vehicle lost motive power. The contact restarted the vehicle. There was an abnormal sulfur and fuel odor detected. The air bag warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer, where it was diagnosed that the MAP sensor needed to be reset. The mechanic reset the air bag light. The mechanic was unable to determine the cause of the air bag failure. The vehicle was repaired, but the failure recurred. The manufacturer was contacted, but no assistance was provided. The failure mileage was approximately 33,000.
NHTSA complaint #11628768 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
AIR BAGS
The contact owns a 2008 Chevrolet Cobalt. The contact stated that upon starting the vehicle, the air bag warning light illuminated. The contact stated that the failure was related to NHTSA Campaign Number: 14V047000 (Air Bags, Electrical System). The contact called the local dealer, but the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was unknown.
NHTSA complaint #11628474 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
AIR BAGS
When the driver's side window on my 2008 Chevy Cobalt is fully open/down, the "Service air bag" warning light comes on. This seems to be the exact same issue that resulted in a recall on the 2010 model (NHTSA Campaign Number: 15V500000). When I called Chevrolet corporate customer service regarding this, they explained the model years were manufactured the same, and the reason my year did not have a recall could be that there were not enough reported complaints on it. It is very concerning, since as my dealer indicated, the airbag system seems to be disabled when in this condition. I put today's date as the when the incident occurred, but it's been a condition for the last few years.
NHTSA complaint #11590366 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
AIR BAGS
The contact owns a 2007 Chevrolet Cobalt. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the check engine warning light illuminated, and the Service Air Bag message was intermittently displayed. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure but informed the contact that there was no recall associated with the VIN. The failure mileage was approximately 120,000.
NHTSA complaint #11551348 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
AIR BAGS
My speedometer jumps and shows a message of POWER STEERING. It makes my fuel line jump as well. I've recently gotten my starter fixed because my car wouldn't start. My tire warning stays on and my tires are new and set at the right PSI. My ABS comes and goes ALL THE TIME and nothing needs to be fixed. My car jerks really hard when all of this is going on.
NHTSA complaint #11536384 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
AIR BAGS
The contact owns a 2008 Chevrolet Cobalt. The contact stated that while starting the vehicle, the vehicle made an abnormal sound. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, who informed the contact that the air bag pump needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 68,000.
NHTSA complaint #11528886 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
AIR BAGS
Unknown
NHTSA complaint #11521094 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
AIR BAGS
The driver of the Cobalt lost control and swerved into the path of a tractor-trailer and collided head-on with the tractor-trailer. The airbag in the Cobalt did not deploy despite significant frontal damage to the Cobalt. A download of the ACU in the Cobalt revealed that the Cobalt's ignition switch was in the accessory position at the time of the crash. The ignition switch recall work had been performed on the Cobalt prior to the crash.
NHTSA complaint #11493937 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
AIR BAGS
Air bag light is on the dash and the passenger seat does not sense weight on the seat so all airbags are disabled I know many others with this problem and it is a serious issue that there should be a recall for
NHTSA complaint #11487876 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
AIR BAGS
The contact owned a 2010 Chevrolet Cobalt. The contact stated that while her husband was driving on the interstate, he had a heart attack and crashed into a tree where the vehicle came to a stop. None of the air bags deploy. The driver died at the scene due to a heart attack per an autopsy. The vehicle was towed to an independent lot. There was no reported fire. A police report was filed. The vehicle was totaled. The local dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The contact was concerned that the air bags did not deploy after the vehicle experienced extensive damage due to the crash. The failure mileage was unknown. The VIN was not available.
NHTSA complaint #11460858 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.