The Lemon Index

All cars · Chevrolet Cobalt · 2008

2008 Chevrolet Cobalt. Advanced data.

The raw numbers: engines, recall campaign numbers, failure mileage and manufacturer communications.

Lemon Index134100 = average car
Complaints251NHTSA, first 3 years
Sold188,045U.S. model year
Per 100K sold133complaints
Complaint rank#1 of 6among the 6 scored Chevrolet Cobalt model years (2005–2010); #1 = fewest complaints per car sold, not the YouTube rank

Failure mileage by system

Half of owners who gave a mileage reported the problem between 13,209 and 46,500 miles. Median 25,692, from 221 complaints with a mileage.

Mileage owners typed into their NHTSA complaint, all complaints for this model year. People report some problems late, so read it as a range.

Complaints by system

SystemShare of complaints
Steering43%
Brakes29%
Electrical12%
Airbags6%
Fuel system, gasoline4%

One complaint can name more than one system, so shares can add to more than 100%.

Severity, all complaints

TotalCrashesFiresInjuriesDeathsTows
2513251850

As reported by owners to NHTSA. Not verified.

Recall campaigns 5

  • 14E021000 Apr 2014 Electrical System / Ignition / Switch

    Defect. UCI-FRAM Group is recalling certain LS1328 ignition Switches sold as Wells LS1328, Duralast LS1328, Airtex 1S6097, and Carquest 53-27479, and LS1497 Ignition Switches sold as Wells LS1497, Duralast LS1497, Airtex 1S10961, and Carquest 53-27967, for use on various General Motors model and model year vehicles during repair and replacement of the original ignition switch. The weight on the key ring and/or road conditions or some other jarring event may cause the affected ignition switches to move out of the run position, turning off the engine and disabling the air bags.

    Risk. If the ignition switch moves from the run position to accessory, the car would stall and the air bags will not deploy in the event of a crash, increasing the risk of personal injury to the occupants.

    Remedy. UCI-FRAM Group has notified its purchasers to quarantine and return all inventory. Any switches already installed in vehicles will be replaced by GM dealers as part of NHTSA recall 14V-047, free of charge. UCI-Fram's purchasers should contact UCI-FRAM Group at 1-800-890-2075. GM vehicle owners requiring additional information on that recall campaign should contact GM at 1-800-222-1020 (Chevrole

  • 14V171000 Apr 2014 Electrical System / Ignition

    Defect. General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2005-2010 Chevrolet Cobalt, 2006-2011 Chevrolet HHR, 2007-2010 Pontiac G5, 2006-2010 Pontiac Solstice, 2003-2007 Saturn Ion, and 2007-2010 Saturn Sky vehicles. In the affected vehicles, the key can be removed from the ignition when the ignition is not in the "Off" position.

    Risk. If the key can be removed from the ignition when the ignition is not in the "off" position, the vehicle could roll away: (a) for an automatic transmission, if the transmission is not in the "Park" position; or (b) for a manual transmission, if the parking brake is not engaged and the transmission is not in the "Reverse" position. This potential for rollaway increases the risk for a crash and occup

    Remedy. General Motors will notify owners, and for vehicles that were built with the defective ignition cylinder and have not previously had the ignition cylinder replaced with the redesigned part, dealers will replace the ignition cylinder and cut and, if necessary, re-learn two ignition/door keys for each vehicle. For vehicles that were built with the redesigned ignition cylinder or had the ignition c

  • 14V047000 Feb 2014 Air Bags

    Defect. This defect can affect the safe operation of the airbag system. Until this recall is performed, customers should remove all items from their key rings, leaving only the ignition key. The key fob (if applicable), should also be removed from the key ring. General Motors LLC (GM) notified the agency on February 10, 2014 that they are recalling 619,122 model year 2005-2007 Chevrolet Cobalt, and 2007 Pontiac G5 vehicles. On February 25, 2014, GM increased the recall to include an additional 748,024 model year 2006-2007 Chevrolet HHR and Pontiac Solstice vehicles and 2003-2007 Saturn Ion vehicle

    Risk. If the key is not in the run position, the air bags may not deploy if the vehicle is involved in a crash, increasing the risk of injury.

    Remedy. GM will notify owners, and dealers will replace the ignition switch, free of charge. An interim notification was issued to owners of 2007 and earlier models on March 10, 2014, informing them of the safety defect. Owners of 2008 and later vehicles will be mailed an interim letter on April 21, 2014. All affected owners will receive another letter once parts are available. The recall began on Apr

  • 12V459000 Sep 2012 Fuel System, Gasoline / Delivery / Fuel Pump

    Defect. General Motors (GM) is recalling certain model year 2007 Chevrolet Equinox and Pontiac Torrent vehicles originally sold or currently registered in Arizona, California, Nevada, and Texas; model year 2007 Chevrolet Cobalt, Pontiac G5, and Saturn ION vehicles originally sold, or currently registered in, Arizona, California, Florida, Nevada, or Texas; model year 2008 Chevrolet Cobalt and Pontiac G5 vehicles originally sold, or currently registered in, Arizona; and model year 2009 Chevrolet Cobalt and Pontiac G5 vehicles originally sold, or currently registered in, Arkansas, Arizona, California, Ne

    Risk. Fuel leakage in the presence of an ignition source may result in a fire.

    Remedy. GM will notify owners, and dealers will replace the fuel pump module, free of charge. Notification to owners began on on November 21, 2012. Owners were instructed to not bring their vehicles in for repair until January 2013. Owners may contact General Motors at 1-800-521-7300.

  • 10V073000 Mar 2010 Steering / Electric Power Assist System

    Defect. GENERAL MOTORS IS RECALLING CERTAIN MODEL YEAR 2005-2010 CHEVROLET COBALT AND MODEL YEAR 2007-2010 PONTIAC G5 VEHICLES EQUIPPED WITH ELECTRIC POWER STEERING. THE DRIVER MAY EXPERIENCE A SUDDEN LOSS OF POWER STEERING ASSIST THAT COULD OCCUR AT ANY TIME WHILE DRIVING.

    Risk. IF POWER STEERING ASSIST IS LOST, IT WOULD REQUIRE GREATER DRIVER EFFORT AT LOW VEHICLE SPEEDS, INCREASING THE RISK OF A CRASH.

    Remedy. DEALERS WILL REPLACE THE ELECTRIC POWER STEERING MOTOR FREE OF CHARGE. OWNERS ARE BEING NOTIFIED ON A ROLLING BASIS BETWEEN MARCH 29 THROUGH NOVEMBER 2010. A COPY OF THE MAILING SCHEDULE IS LOCATED IN THE RECALL FILE. OWNERS MAY CONTACT CHEVROLET AT 1-800-630-2438 AND PONTIAC AT 1-800-620-7668 OR AT THE OWNER CENTER AT WWW.GMOWNERCENTER.COM.

NHTSA investigations

StatusSubjectOpenedClosed
ClosedFuel line leak20202023
ClosedElectric power steering failure20102010

Manufacturer communications 957

Chevy filed 957 service communications for this car with NHTSA.

  • Daewoo/saturn/opel/pontiac/chevrolet: instrument panel cluster (ipc) air bag indicator…
  • There are multiple warning lights

Safety equipment

Electronic stabilityForward collision warningLane departure warning
OptionalNoNo

Engines and drivetrains 5

EngineTransmissionDriveCity / hwy / combinedFuelFuel cost/yr
2.0L 4-cyl turboManual 5-spdFWD22 / 30 / 25Premium$3,100
2.2L 4-cylManual 5-spdFWD24 / 33 / 27Regular$2,300
2.2L 4-cylAuto 4-spdFWD22 / 31 / 26Regular$2,400
2.4L 4-cylManual 5-spdFWD22 / 32 / 26Premium$3,000
2.4L 4-cylAuto 4-spdFWD22 / 31 / 25Premium$3,100

EPA test versions for this model year. Fuel cost is the EPA's current estimate, not the price in that year.

YouTube repair topics

200 videos about the 2005–2010 Chevrolet Cobalt, 13.4M views.

TopicVideosViews
Intake, EGR & engine sensors13832K
Infotainment, battery & electrical9607K
Oil changes & service6458K
Heat, A/C & blend door5361K
Transmission & shifter5341K
Fuel pump, filter & tank3258K
No-start: theft light, key & ignition5257K
Timing chain & engine3231K

Nearby model years

YearLemon IndexComplaintsSoldTop system
2005160236212,667Steering
2006428571211,451Steering
2007308546200,621Steering
2008134251188,045Steering
2009370312104,724Brakes
201014816697,376Steering

Sources: NHTSA complaints, recalls, investigations and manufacturer communications; EPA fuel economy data; YouTube video titles. Complaints are owner reports, not proof of a defect.

Updated · Free to use with credit: Source: The Lemon Index (lemonindex.com). Get the data

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