RoadVitals

2006 Chevrolet Cobalt

Recalls, owner-reported complaints, investigations and safety data

Data refreshed

Owner complaintsComplaints are reports submitted to NHTSA by owners and drivers. NHTSA does not verify most reports before publishing them, and a complaint does not establish that a defect exists. Volume is influenced by how many of a vehicle were sold, how long it has been on the road, and how much attention an issue has received.
2,330
Latest Sep 18, 2025
Safety recallsA safety recall is issued when a manufacturer or NHTSA determines that a vehicle has a safety-related defect or does not comply with a federal motor vehicle safety standard. Recall repairs are free. Whether a specific vehicle is covered depends on its VIN — a recall listed for a model year does not necessarily apply to every vehicle of that year.
6
Latest Apr 30, 2014
InvestigationsNHTSA opens an investigation to examine whether a safety defect may exist. An open investigation is not a determination that a defect exists, and many investigations close without a recall. Investigations can, however, lead to one.
1
Crash or fire reportedComplaints whose submitter recorded that a crash or a fire occurred. These are the reporter's own answers on the NHTSA form, not verified findings.
178
196 injuries, 8 deaths reported

Overview

Our database contains 2,330 NHTSA owner-reported complaints for the 2006 Chevrolet Cobalt, most frequently naming the steering, fuel system and electrical categories. 6 safety recalls have been issued covering this model year; 1 NHTSA investigation names it; and 795 manufacturer communications are on file.

Complaints are reports submitted by owners and drivers to NHTSA. They are not verified and do not establish that a defect exists.

What owners report

Complaints grouped by the component NHTSA recorded

Percentages are of component mentions. A single complaint can name more than one component, so these do not sum to the total complaint count.

Safety recalls

6 campaigns cover this model year

View all 6

Recalls apply to specific vehicles, not to every vehicle of a model year. Check your VIN with NHTSA or your manufacturer's dealer to confirm whether a recall affects your vehicle.

Check a VIN on NHTSA.gov
14E021000

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:IGNITION:SWITCH

Apr 30, 2014
14,529 units potentially affected
The 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.
The 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.
The 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 (Chevrolet), 1-800-762-2737 (Pontiac) or 1-800-553-6000 (Saturn).
UCI-FRAM GroupView on NHTSA.gov
14V171000

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:IGNITION

Apr 10, 2014
2,191,014 units potentially affected
The 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.
The 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 occupant or pedestrian injuries.
The 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 cylinder replaced with the redesigned part, dealers will cut and, if necessary, re-learn two ignition/door keys for each vehicle. The recall began on April 18, 2014. Chevrolet owners may contact General Motors at 1-800-222-1020, Pontiac owners at 1-800-762-2737, and Saturn owners at 1-800-553-6000. General Motors' number for this recall is 14113 for the ignition lock cylinder and key replacement, and 14133 for only key replacements. Note: Until a vehicle has been remedied, owners and operators are advised that when exiting, to be sure that the vehicle is in "Park," or in the case of a manual transmission, that the vehicle is in the "Reverse" position and the parking brake is engaged.
General Motors LLCManufacturer number 14113,14133View on NHTSA.gov
14V047000

AIR BAGS; ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:IGNITION:SWITCH

Feb 10, 2014
2,190,934 units potentially affected
The 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 vehicles and 2007 Saturn Sky vehicles. In these models, the weight on the key ring and/or road conditions or some other jarring event may cause the ignition switch to move out of the run position, turning off the engine. On March 27, 2014, GM notified the agency that the defective ignition switches may have been used as service replacement parts on other vehicles, and as a result GM will be recalling certain model year 2008-2010 Chevrolet Cobalt, Saturn Sky, and Pontiac G5 and Solstice, and 2008-2011 Chevrolet HHR vehicles. The part numbers for the service parts are 10392423 (a/k/a ACDelco D1461F), 10392737, 15857948, 15854953, 15896640, and 25846762. This expansion represents an additional 823,788 vehicles.
The 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.
The 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 April 18, 2014. Owners may contact Chevrolet at 1-800-222-1020, Pontiac at 1-800-762-2737 or Saturn at 1-800-553-6000. GM's number for the initial recall is 13454 and 14063 for the expansion. GM’s recall number for the vehicles that may have received the replacement parts is 14092. Note: Until the recall repairs have been performed, it is very important that customers remove all items from their key rings, leaving only the vehicle key. The key fob (if applicable), should also be removed from the key ring. Always wear your seatbelt.
General Motors LLCManufacturer number 13454/14063/14092View on NHTSA.gov

Safety investigations

NHTSA inquiries naming this vehicle. An investigation is not a finding of a defect.

PE10005ClosedPreliminary Evaluation

Electric Power Steering Failure

Opened Jan 27, 2010
Closed Jul 19, 2010

In a March 1, 2010 letter, General Motors Corporation (GM) provided a defect information report to NHTSA regarding a problem that could result in sudden loss of power steering assist in certain model year (MY) 2005 through 2010 Chevrolet Cobalt and MY 2007 through 2010 Pontiac G5 vehicles equipped with electric power steering (EPS).The letter indicates that the loss of steering assist could occur at any time while driving and that, once assist is lost, a message is displayed on the Driver Information Center (DIC) and a chime sounds to inform the driver.The letter further states that steering control is maintained in manual mode, but would require greater driver effort at low vehicle speeds.In the next ignition cycle, power assist is typically regained and the DIC message is no longer displayed.GM's letter identifies the root cause of the EPS failure as the EPS motor and indicates that production of a new motor started in December 2009.GM's recall repair procedure instructs dealers to replace the EPS motor in all recalled vehicles. ODI's analysis of all information available related to sudden loss of EPS assist while driving in the MY 2005 through 2009 Chevrolet Cobalt vehicles shows current complaint and warranty rates of 323/100,000 vehicles and 0.4% respectively.In response to ODI's request for information, GM identified 81 complaints where a crash was claimed that may be related to loss of EPS assist.ODI's analysis of all crash claims was based on verifiable factors such as; whether a loss of EPS was indicated at the time of the crash by a chime or malfunction indicator lamp or if a EPS related component malfunction was identified after the crash occurred.With this method ODI identified 36 possible crashes related to EPS failure.GM assessed crash claims based on the available facts and excluded crash claims that indicated that the vehicle was travelling at speeds in the range of 30 mph or greater.GM said that it believes if power assist is lost while a vehicle is moving at speeds in the range of 30 mph or greater there is a small difference in steering efforts perceived in subjective evaluations at those speeds and it is unlikely to lead to loss of vehicle control. Based on GM's safety recall, this investigation is closed.

STEERING:ELECTRIC POWER ASSIST SYSTEMLed to recall 10V073000

Recent owner complaints

Reports submitted to NHTSA, shown in the owner's own words

View all 2,330
ElectricalSteering
Filed Sep 18, 2025

All of these failed again after repair, the car hes been disabled for over 2 years with the same failures. < Dealer Recalls 14115 Dec 5, 2014 Product Safety - Electric Power Steering Assist 14113C Jul 17, 2014 Product Safety - Replace Ignition Lock Cylinder and Ignition Key 14113 Jul 17, 2014 Product Safety - Replace Ignition Lock Cylinder and Ignition Key

NHTSA ID
11688075
Incident
Sep 1, 2023
EngineFuel system
Filed Jul 25, 2025

The contact’s wife owns a 2006 Chevrolet Cobalt. The contact stated there was an abnormal fuel odor inside the cabin of the vehicle. While exiting the vehicle, the contact became aware that there was an oil leak underneath the rear end of the vehicle, and the fuel odor was more evident. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was jerking while accelerating and while driving from being stationary. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer to be diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was unknown.

NHTSA ID
11676098
Incident
Jul 23, 2025
ElectricalFuel system
Filed Jul 13, 2025

The fuel tank has an evap leak that somehow breaks on top the tank so it leaks the gas vapors and could potentially start a fire but the part that breaks is a non serviceable part so it can’t be fixed without purchasing a whole new gas tank that isn’t cheap. My other concern is the infamous grounding issue with the wires on the ground g105 I believe right next to oil filter that grounds the transmission and engine control modules well it shorts at times when driving and suddenly your car dies while driving how scary it could cause a wreak and kill somebody it’s a very scary issue that constantly comes back even after trying to re ground it needs to be recalled and fixed it’s going to kill somebody and it’s a well known issue for this make and model that should have already gotten attention to be resolved.

NHTSA ID
11673114
Incident
Jul 13, 2025
Steering
Filed Jun 19, 2025

I have been experiencing the loss of steering assist. This occurs at any time while driving and that, once assist is lost, a message is displayed on the Driver Information Center (DIC) and a chime sounds. Steering control is maintained in manual mode, but requires greater driver effort at low vehicle speeds. In the next ignition cycle, power assist is typically regained and the DIC message is no longer displayed. The occurs at speeds in excess of 60mph.

NHTSA ID
11667876
Incident
Jun 1, 2025
Driver assistanceSteering
Filed Sep 26, 2024

My Power Steering is going out and then coming back in to use. Today is the second time it has happened. It went out just now, I reversed down the road to my house, and turn it off once I crank it again the steering is back. I haven’t gotten any pictures of it as I’m more worried about making it back to my house so I’m not in the road but will be more than happy to get a picture if this happens again. I’m also not sure which ADAS this connects to so I put cruise control.

NHTSA ID
11616719
Incident
Sep 26, 2024
Steering
Filed Sep 7, 2024

Was driving home from work on i70 through the canyon when out of no where I wasn't able to steer my car...was able to stop the car, turned it off .waited a minute then started back up that is when power steering came across my dash .nothing was wrong with my car ,drove normal then out of nowhere going the speed limit 75mph. I'm not able to steer my car. This never happened before ,scared the crap out of me with no warning almost crashed cause I could not steer my car.

NHTSA ID
11613220
Incident
Sep 6, 2024
Engine
Filed Jul 24, 2024

The car idles very low when stopped and sputters/putters like it's going to die. It has now actually died on me twice while driving, luckily when you put it in park and turn the car off and back on it starts right back up but you can see how this is a severe safety hazard. The first time it died I was stopped in the turning lane waiting on traffic to go by so I could turn left (this is the busiest street in town) I go to start turning left the car just shuts off mid turn crossing the other lane of the street, luckily I didn't get hit by oncoming traffic and was able to coast onto the side street that I was turning on and pull over and turn the car off and back on and drive it home. I took it to the mechanic and he can't figure out what's wrong with it so he gives it a tune up and now the check engine light won't turn off...fast forward to today it dies again at a stop sign with my [XXX] in the car. It is ESPECIALLY bad if you have the AC on it seems like it effects the electrical like the car is going to shut off when I am stopped and the ac is running, so I turned off the ac and it was still sputtering when I would stop but didn't die again. There is an entire thread of people with the same issue as me: [XXX] this car needs recalled it is a death trap. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

NHTSA ID
11604344
Incident
Jul 24, 2024
Fuel systemSteering
Filed Feb 22, 2024

strong smell of fuel affraid to drive the igntion get stuck and locks so you cant turn the car on

NHTSA ID
11573304
Incident
Feb 22, 2024

Manufacturer communications

A bulletin sent by a manufacturer to its dealers. Not a recall, and repairs are not necessarily free.

PIP5601C

This PI communicates the requirement to provide a pico file to receive diagnostic assistance from TAC.

PIT5074R

This Preliminary Information communication provides information to the technician about the use of J-35616-64B and Mini 50 terminal test probe, replacement terminals, and terminated leads.

PIT5074R

This Preliminary Information communication provides information to the technician about the use of J-35616-64B and Mini 50 terminal test probe, replacement terminals, and terminated leads.

PIT5074R

This Preliminary Information communication provides information to the technician about the use of J-35616-64B and Mini 50 terminal test probe, replacement terminals, and terminated leads.

PIP5358D

This Preliminary Information communication provides information to the technician about vehicles that have an unusual noise and is difficult to identify, isolate or pinpoint. Technician should get record a sound clip or take a video of the noise for assessment by engineering. Technician will need to call General Motors Technical Assistance Center for further assistance.

PIT5074Q

This Preliminary Information communication provides information to the technician about the use of J-35616-64B terminal test probe, replacement terminals, and terminated leads. The J-35616-64B is the latest test probe released for checking tension or probing the .64 series terminals. The test probe terminal has been released in the terminal repair kit (J-38125-620H) located in Lear Tray 7 part number 963716-2. There are 5 terminated leads in a package part number is 13505346, which can be ordered through your normal General Motors Customer Care and Aftersales parts channel.

Manufacturers file copies of the bulletins they send to dealers with NHTSA. These often describe diagnostic or repair procedures for a known condition. They are not recalls: repairs described in a bulletin are usually only free if the vehicle is still under warranty or the manufacturer has extended coverage.

Compare model years

Complaint and recall counts across every year of this model

Chevrolet Cobalt by model year
YearComplaintsRecallsInvestigationsIssue Index
2017100—
2016100—
2015000—
2014000—
2013000—
2012100—
2011200—
20105736158.1
20097106361.4
20088455260.2
20071,5646157.9
2006Viewing2,3306157.1
20051,6496156.8
2002200—
2000100—
1996100—

Higher-selling and older vehicles accumulate more reports. Counts are not failure rates and are not directly comparable between vehicles that sold in very different numbers. Older model years have had longer for reports to accumulate.