Chevrolet Cobalt Complaints (2008)

940 consumer complaints on file.

#11510818March 8, 2023
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM
Vehicle has a fuel leak from rear of vehicle. Smells of fuel in cabin. Found shields wet with fuel. Seems there should be some recall on this. This is the 2nd cobalt I've owned with the same issue.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11505155February 2, 2023
STEERING
The contact owns a 2008 Chevrolet Cobalt. The contact stated while driving out of a parking space, the steering wheel became firm, and the power steering warning light illuminated. The contact was able to drive home. The vehicle was not diagnosed. The dealer was contacted and stated that there was no recall for the failure. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was 125,000.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11501738January 14, 2023
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM
I have a major fuel leak in a fuel line close to the drivers side rear wheel . It's so bad that it was leaving a line of gas on the road as I drove. It smelled of gas a few days prior but I was unable to tell where it originated from.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11497109December 12, 2022
FUEL SYSTEM, OTHER
The contact's son owns a 2008 Chevrolet Cobalt. The contact's son stated while driving at approximately 30 MPH, he could smell gasoline inside the cabin of the vehicle. The contact’s son stated that once he had parked the vehicle, he saw fuel leaking from underneath the rear driver’s side wheel well. The contact stated no warning light was illuminated. The contact had the vehicle towed to a local dealer, where it was diagnosed and determined that the fuel line was corroded and needed to be replaced. The contact researched online and related the failure to NHTSA Action Number: PE20011 (Fuel System, Other). The vehicle had not been repaired. The manufacturer had been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 70,000.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11493511November 14, 2022
STEERING
My Power Steering failed. I was trying to turn into my drive way and I couldn’t turn my steering wheel. Mine and my children's safety were at risk because It could have caused an accident. There are other Chevy cobalts that are recalled for the same problem as mine but for some reason my VIN is showing that my cobalt isn’t recalled for it. There were no warnings other than the dash saying “POWER STEERING” as my steering wheel stopped turning.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11482002August 30, 2022
FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE
The contact owns a 2008 Chevrolet Cobalt. The contact stated that the vehicle was leaking fuel on the passenger’s side in front of the rear tire. The contact stated that the fuel odor was also inside the cabin of the vehicle while driving. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The contact had taken the vehicle to an independent mechanic and was informed that the fuel line had failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle had not been repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 170,000.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11481486August 27, 2022
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM
On July 17,2018 I saw my 2008 Chevy Cobalt was leaking fuel in my driveway around the driver's side rear tire. I had it towed to my in-town mechanic, as I have Triple A. Paid $613.37 to replace the fuel line. On August 15th, 2022 same exact problem on my 2010 Cobalt. Another $553 to replace the fuel line. Chevrolet sent out a very confusing POSSIBLE recall letter in March 2013. But never officially told owners they would fix the problem with a recall letter. There have been many complaints on this problem on 2005-2010 Cobalts.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11480440August 21, 2022
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, STEERING, BACK OVER PREVENTION: WARNINGS
I was drivein on high way in my car got hard to trun so i stoped and let my uncle drive cause he is more stronger then from that point it got harder to trun it amost locked up on me who know what would have happen but i was almost to my house so we were ablue to get it here then i called my car lot and i hade to drive it there it was so impossible to do but with the help of my uncle he got it there and im in school and stuck with out a car intell its fixed and i have to pay laber wait on part to come in thay say etc its just alot and thank god i was not alone
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11477030August 1, 2022
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM
The fuel lines on this 2008 cobalt have rusted out and leaving a visible fuel leak puddle after parking. The leak occurs in front of the driver side rear wheel. This area has a heat shield over the fuel line underneath which traps moisture and road salt. This leak has caused me to park my vehicle outside as a safety precaution and not drive it. The leak is near the exhaust which is a large safety risk in my opinion. I am taking to the dealer to have them confirm and quote out repair cost.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11475495July 23, 2022
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM
I have to replace my fuel lines due to them rusting out over the left rear wheel well. I noticed a distinct smell of gas for a couple of rides to or from work. After a couple of rides, the smell was very strong and I happened to notice the gas dripping down under the car upon inspection. It was taken to a auto repair shop where I was told that this was a serious hazard and the gas lines would have to be replaced costing me $650. The mechanic said that the lines has rusted causing the leak. He also mentioned that this was a common problem with the 2008 chevy cobalt.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11472698July 7, 2022
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, STEERING, WHEELS
Power steering is locking up while driving. Windows won’t go down.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11468052June 7, 2022
STEERING
The contact owns a 2008 Chevrolet Cobalt. The contact stated that upon starting the vehicle the vehicle experienced power steering failure. The contact drove the vehicle to her destination at approximately 30 MPH without a power steering assist. The contact stated that when she returned and started the vehicle the power steering had regained functionality. The contact stated that the failure had recurred twice in the past three months. The contact stated no warning light was illuminated. The contact had not taken the vehicle to an independent mechanic or dealer. The vehicle had not been diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer had not been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 91,000.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11467808June 6, 2022
STEERING
Power steering assist goes out randomly. Looked up VIN and said does not affect this vehicle, however, it is malfunctioning.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11462858April 30, 2022
SERVICE BRAKES, ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
i own a 5-speed manual transmission which should roll freely while in neutral. after starting engine while on a slight incline in a parking lot, the vehicle would not roll in neutral, as if all brakes were being applied. i thought that by driving the vehicle on the road the brakes would free up, but they did not. i shut the engine off and on a few times but that did not make a difference. i could only move forward at 5-10 mph in first gear to get the vehicle home, which fortunately was just 5 blocks away. something smelled terrible like burning wires or brake pads. even after letting the vehicle sit in my driveway for a few hours it would not free up the brakes which were being applied. then i read a tip on an internet users forum: remove a fuse labeled "ABS2" and voila! it freed up the brakes! i can drive the vehicle normally but obviously without ABS capability. now my 19 yr old grandson, who turned the vehicle over to me because of this issue, states this happened to him on two different occasions *while driving on the road!* imagine having your brakes applied while at full speed: THIS IS A SERIOUS SAFETY ISSUE WHICH COULD RESULT IN INJURY OR DEATH
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11459945April 7, 2022
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
The accelerator pedal constantly fails to activate immediately after turning it on. it used to happen on cold or rainy days. It now fails to activate all the time. Took it to an independent service center and they said it could be the wiring due to water getting in the car. My car did have a leak and it was fixed but many months after these issues started occurring. I get a check engine light with a service traction control, service esc, and code p2138 is shown.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11455751March 8, 2022
FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE
The contact's sister owns a 2008 Chevrolet Cobalt. The contact stated that while the vehicle was parked or being driven, there was a fuel odor detected. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic and diagnosed with Code: P2270. Additionally, there was a leak in the fuel pump. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 187,000.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11444221December 18, 2021
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM
I can smell a gas leak inside and outside of car just bought car for girlfriend don't want it to catch fire and kill her and daughter baby in car
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11439429November 4, 2021
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM
The fuel line rusted through and were leaking gas right next to the exhaust pipe! This should not happen!!! I’ve never had to replace fuel lines due to rust on any vehicle I’ve ever owned!!! Inferior metal and or poor design had to contribute to this! Thank God the car didn’t start on fire or blow up. My friend has a 2009 Cobalt and had the same problem!!! It cost me $1478.79 to repair this defect!! No warning other than the terrible gasoline odor!!! Please do something about this before someone is killed!!!
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11438751October 30, 2021
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
The receptacle that holds the brake light gets so hot that it melts and has melted the plastic around it as well. The bulb won’t stay lit because of this therefore the brake and turn signal lights constantly burn out and it could cause an accident due to lack of signaling and could also very easily start a fire. It started about 2-3 years after we bought the car new with just having to just replace the bulbs much too often, yearly, then a couple of times a year, and now the bulbs are not even lasting a month and the components are actually melting.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11437150October 18, 2021
FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE
The contact owns a 2008 Chevrolet Cobalt. The contact stated while the vehicle was parked, he noticed gasoline was leaking from underneath the vehicle. There were no warning lights illuminated. The contact was able to drive the vehicle to his residence. The vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. The dealer and the manufacturer were not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 200,000. The VIN was not available.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0

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