Chevrolet Cobalt
Owners filed 7,681 complaints across 13 model years of the Chevrolet Cobalt. The 2006 drew the most (2,330); the 2017 the fewest (1).
Model years13
Complaints7,681
Recalls35
Fires70
Deaths48
Every Chevrolet Cobalt model year compared
Complaints per year| Year | Complaints | Relative volume | Recalls | Fires | Crashes | Most reported | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | 1 | 0 | — | — | Steering | Routine | |
| 2016 | 1 | 0 | — | — | Fuel/Propulsion System | Routine | |
| 2012 | 1 | 0 | — | — | Unknown or Other | Routine | |
| 2011 | 2 | 0 | — | — | Steering | Routine | |
| 2010 | 574 | 6 | 7 | 46 | Steering | Fatalities reported | |
| 2009 | 710 | 6 | 7 | 59 | Fuel/Propulsion System | Fatalities reported | |
| 2008 | 845 | 5 | 14 | 76 | Steering | Fatalities reported | |
| 2007 | 1,564 | 6 | 16 | 116 | Steering | Fatalities reported | |
| 2006 | 2,330 | 6 | 14 | 164 | Steering | Fatalities reported | |
| 2005 | 1,649 | 6 | 12 | 97 | Steering | Fatalities reported | |
| 2002 | 2 | 0 | — | 1 | Steering | Routine | |
| 2000 | 1 | 0 | — | — | Fuel/Propulsion System | Routine | |
| 1996 | 1 | 0 | — | — | Air Bags › Frontal | Routine |
Which Chevrolet Cobalt years should you avoid?
On raw complaint volume the 2006 is the weakest year on record, with 2,330 complaints concentrated in the steering. It carries 6 recalls.
Read these numbers with sales volume in mind. A model year that sold in huge numbers naturally accumulates more reports than a rare one, and older cars have had more years to fail. The stronger signal is the severity columns and whether the same component keeps coming up year after year.
Data: NHTSA complaint and recall files, September 2026. Complaints are unverified owner reports.