What breaks most · 1996 to 2017 model years
Chevrolet Cobalt problems by year
Owners have filed 6,976 safety complaints with NHTSA about the Chevrolet Cobalt across model years 1996 to 2017. Three years stand out: 2006 for steering complaints, 2005 for steering complaints and 2007 for steering complaints. The quietest years are 1996, 2000 and 2012.
- Years to check closely: 2006, 2005, 2007
- Fewest complaints: 1996, 2000, 2012
- Complaints on file
- 69761996 to 2017, all trims
- Worst year
- 20062228 complaints
- Crashes reported
- 53764 fires · 521 injuries · 43 deaths
- Typical failure mileage
- 64kMedian where owners gave mileage
- Recall campaigns
- 35Across the years shown
Complaints by model year
Raw filings with NHTSA, not adjusted for how many were sold.
| Model year | Complaints | Crashes | Recalls | Most-reported component |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 0 | 0 | Air bags (1) | |
| 1 | 0 | 0 | Fuel system (1) | |
| 2 | 1 | 0 | Steering (2) | |
| 1604 | 96 | 6 | Steering (1119) | |
| 2228 | 161 | 6 | Steering (1245) | |
| 1450 | 109 | 6 | Steering (641) | |
| 707 | 73 | 5 | Steering (274) | |
| 552 | 55 | 6 | Steering (170) | |
| 426 | 42 | 6 | Steering (214) | |
| 2 | 0 | 0 | Steering (2) | |
| 1 | 0 | 0 | Unknown or other (1) | |
| 1 | 0 | 0 | Fuel system (1) | |
| 1 | 0 | 0 | Steering (1) |
What fails on the 2006 Chevrolet Cobalt
| Component | Share of complaints | Filings | Crashes | Parts for this job |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SteeringPower steering pumps, racks and hoses | 56% |
1245 | 77 | Shop steering parts for the 2006 Chevrolet Cobalt |
| Electrical systemAlternators, starters and ignition | 17% |
388 | 35 | Shop electrical system parts for the 2006 Chevrolet Cobalt |
| Fuel systemFuel pumps and injectors | 10% |
224 | 1 | Shop fuel system parts for the 2006 Chevrolet Cobalt |
| Fuel systemFuel pumps and injectors | 9% |
206 | 4 | Shop fuel system parts for the 2006 Chevrolet Cobalt |
| Powertrain and transmissionTransmission parts | 6% |
135 | 11 | Shop powertrain and transmission parts for the 2006 Chevrolet Cobalt |
| Air bags | 6% |
135 | 57 | Check recalls for air bags on NHTSA.gov |
| EngineEngine gaskets and seals | 4% |
81 | 12 | Shop engine parts for the 2006 Chevrolet Cobalt |
| SuspensionStruts, springs and control arms | 2% |
48 | 5 | Shop suspension parts for the 2006 Chevrolet Cobalt |
One complaint can name more than one component, so shares add to more than 100%. "Unknown or other" is NHTSA's uncategorized bucket and is shown but never ranked.
In owners' words
Complaint narratives as filed with NHTSA, trimmed for length.
-
2006 cobalt has been showing the power steering display on the dash light and when it does the engine starts hesitating and rough idle i read a few minutes ago about a recall of maybe the same situation a few years back but didn't know that at the time and didn't think that my cobalt would have that problem
-
The other day while driving through an intersection the power steering abruptly stopped working almost causing an accident! There is a warning on the dash that goes out after shutting the car off and restarting it. The power steering works for a few minutes then abruptly stops working again without notice!
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Twice now i've lost all power to my car driving down the highway. I can not remove the key, there is no power to anything. I replaced the battery after the 1st time. Exact same thing happened again.
How to read this page
Every figure comes from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's public complaint database, which holds every safety-related defect complaint filed by owners since 1995. We refresh it monthly and count each complaint once per component it names. Data through September 30, 2026.
NHTSA only accepts safety-related complaints. Rattles, paint, infotainment bugs and other annoyances are under-reported here, so this page is a map of what fails in ways owners consider dangerous, not a full reliability score.
Counts are raw. Use the year-over-year shape and the component mix, not the absolute numbers. Where a component maps to parts we stock, the row links to that category filtered to the year you are viewing. Air bag and seat belt complaints link to the recall checker instead, because those repairs are almost always covered.
Common questions
Which Chevrolet Cobalt years have the most problems?
By NHTSA complaint volume, 2006, 2005, 2007 carry the most filings on the Chevrolet Cobalt. The 2006 alone has 2228 complaints, led by steering.
What is the most common Chevrolet Cobalt problem?
On the 2006 model year, the most-reported component is steering with 1245 complaints. The table above lists the top components for every year.
At what mileage do Chevrolet Cobalt problems start?
The median mileage at failure across all Chevrolet Cobalt complaints that include mileage is about 64,000 miles. Older model years skew higher; the per-year figure is in the "at a glance" card.
Are these complaints verified?
No. NHTSA publishes complaints as submitted and does not investigate individual filings. Patterns across hundreds of complaints are meaningful; a single one is not.