2005 Chevrolet Cobalt: Reliability Data

Source: NHTSA — 2231 complaints
2231
Total Complaints
63,000mi
Median Mileage
STEERING
Top Issue
150
Crash Reports

When Do Complaints Happen?

Distribution of NHTSA complaints by vehicle mileage at time of report.

40,000 25th Percentile
63,000 Median Mileage
94,000 75th Percentile

What Fails?

Most reported component issues from NHTSA complaints.

STEERING
1063
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
265
ENGINE
69
AIR BAGS
65
POWER TRAIN
55
STEERING:ELECTRIC POWER ASSIST SYSTEM
52
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM
38
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL
34
LATCHES/LOCKS/LINKAGES
32
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
31

Severity Assessment

150
Crashes
17
Fires
115
Injuries
16
Deaths

Sample Complaint Reports

"I PURCHASED THE CAR LITERALLY OFF THE SHOWROOM FLOOR. ONE DAY AND 38 MILES LATER IT STALLED OUT ON MY WIFE ON THE WAY TO CHURCH. TWO WEEKS LATER I GOT IT BACK. IT TURNED OUT TO BE A PROBLEM IN THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL. THE DEALER HAD TO FINALLY TAKE ONE FROM ANOTHER CAR TO HELP SOLVE MY PROBLEM. TWO D..."
"CAR WOULD NOT START AND AND AFTER SEVERAL ATTEMPTS REVERSE LIGHTS CAME ON. PROBLEM WAS DETERMINED TO BE A BROKEN SHIFTER CABLE. SHIFTER CABLE CAME OFF SHIFT CONTROL, CAUISNG THE NEATRAL SWITCH TO TO BLOCK THE STARTING . *AK"
"AUTO PURCHASED NEW. CAR AND STEERING WHEEL PULLS/DRIFTS TO THE LEFT. STEERING WHEEL DOES NOT RETURN TO CENTER AFTER MAKING LEFT HAND TURN. AUTO WAS FULLY INSPECTED AND FOUND TO HAVE NO DAMAGED PARTS. DEALER HAS DECIDED TO REPLACE ELECTRIC STEERING COLUMN UNIT. REPLACEMENT PART WILL TAKE 1 TO 2 WEE..."

Source: NHTSA ODI Complaints Database. Names and identifying details omitted.

Data source: View this vehicle on NHTSA.gov | NHTSA ODI Complaints Database. Public domain.

Methodology: Complaint counts and mileage distributions are computed directly from consumer-reported NHTSA complaints. This data represents reported issues, not failure rates — vehicles without complaints are not represented. Full methodology.

Data through: 2026-03-28