2008 Chevrolet Cobalt Ss: Reliability Data

Source: NHTSA — 117 complaints
117
Total Complaints
18,000mi
Median Mileage
SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC
Top Issue
0
Crash Reports

When Do Complaints Happen?

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

10,000 25th Percentile
18,000 Median Mileage
50,500 75th Percentile

What Fails?

Most reported component issues from NHTSA complaints.

SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC
64
SERVICE BRAKES
7
ENGINE
6
PARKING BRAKE
5
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM
5
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
5
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
4
AIR BAGS
4
EXTERIOR LIGHTING
2
EQUIPMENT
2

Severity Assessment

0
Crashes
3
Fires
0
Injuries
0
Deaths

Sample Complaint Reports

"PREMATURE REAR BRAKE WEAR ON INSIDE BRAKE PADS, ROTORS SCORED FROM PAD FAILURE. FAULTY EQUIPMENT. GM WOULD NOT COVER UNDER WARRANTY AT ONLY 16,000MILES. *TR"
"TERRIBLE PREMATURE WEAR OF REAR BRAKE PADS AND ROTORS ON 2008 CHEVROLET COBALT SS TURBOCHARGED WITH ROUGHLY 20,000 MILES... INSIDE PAD AND INWARD FACING SIDE OF ROTORS SHOW GREAT DAMAGE. VERY DEEP GAUGES TO INWARD SIDE OF BOTH REAR ROTORS. VERY COMMON PROBLEM ON ALL 2008-2009 COBALT SS TURBOCHARGED ..."
"REAR ROTORS FAILURE. MASSIVE SCORING ON REAR BRAKES DUE TO GM POOR QUALITY IN BRAKES. GRINDING NOISE WHEN STOPPING. *TR"

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