Reliability & cost of ownership
Chevrolet Cobalt Reliability & Common Problems
How reliable is the Chevrolet Cobalt? Compare every model year side by side — NHTSA recalls, owner complaints, and crash-test stars where on file — then open the year you're shopping for its AI reliability outlook where NHTSA has enough data.
Chevrolet Cobalt problems by model year
35 recall entries across 6 model years and 7,681 owner complaints across 14 model years on file, sourced from the federal NHTSA database. We couldn't confirm the NHTSA recall list for the remaining 8 model years — check the VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.
Most-complained-about components
Owner complaints filed with NHTSA against the Chevrolet Cobalt, grouped by the component each complaint names — the fastest read on where this model gives trouble.
- steering3,890 complaints
- electrical system1,458 complaints
- fuel/propulsion system1,107 complaints
- air bags609 complaints
- fuel system, gasoline478 complaints
- power train368 complaints
- engine331 complaints
- suspension218 complaints