RoadVitals

2011 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
Latest Feb 11, 2019
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.
0
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.
0
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.
0

Overview

Our database contains 2 NHTSA owner-reported complaints for the 2011 Chevrolet Cobalt, most frequently naming the steering category. 197 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

  • Steering2100.0%

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

No recalls in our database for this model year

That does not guarantee a specific vehicle is unaffected — recalls are issued against VINs, and new campaigns are announced regularly. Check a VIN on NHTSA.gov.

Recent owner complaints

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

Steering
Filed Feb 11, 2019

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2011 CHEVROLET COBALT. WHILE DRIVING 1 MPH, THE STEERING WHEEL BECAME DIFFICULT TO TURN. THERE WERE NO WARNING INDICATORS ILLUMINATED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC WHO REFERRED THE CONTACT TO COURTESY CHEVROLET (1233 E CAMELBACK RD, PHOENIX, AZ 85014, (602) 635-2559). THE DEALER STATED THAT THE VEHICLE WAS NOT INCLUDED IN NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 10V073000 (STEERING). THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT CONTACTED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 80,000. THE VIN WAS UNKNOWN.

NHTSA ID
11176359
Incident
Jan 1, 2019
Mileage
80,000 mi
Steering
Filed Mar 14, 2012

WE BOUGHT THE 2011 COBALT USED FROM SHELOR MOTOR MILE IN CHRISTENBURG, VIRGINIA. WE NOTICED ABOUT 1 DAY LATER THAT THERE WAS A POPPING IN THE STEERING WHEN YOU TURN THE STEERING WHEEL TO THE RIGHT AND EVEN TO THE LEFT. WE'VE ALREADY HAD IT CHECKED AT THE CHEVROLET DEALERSHIP HERE IN WYTHEVILLE, VIRGINIA AND WAS TOLD THE IT WAS THE INTERM SHAFT DEALING WITH THE STEERING, ($69.00), JUST TO HAVE IT CHECKED. WE'VE DONE ALOT OF CHECKING AND FOUND OUT THAT THERE'S A LOT OF COMPLANTS AND RECALLS FOR THE STEERING FOR THE COBALT. WHEN YOU'RE DRIVING AND START TO MAKE A TURN ABOUT 10 MILES AN HOUR, YOU CAN FEEL THE STEERING ACTS LIKE IT CATCHES. WE'VE ALSO CONTACTED GM ABOUT THIS AND WAS TOLD THAT THERE ISN'T ANY RECALLS FOR THE STEERING. WE FEEL THAT THIS DEFECT SHOULD BE REPAIRED BY GM AND OUR $69.00 THAT WE'VE ALREADY SPENT. WE HAVE JUST OVER 44500 MILES ON THE CAR. *TR

NHTSA ID
10451695
Incident
Feb 16, 2012
Mileage
42,500 mi

Manufacturer communications

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

PIT3271Q

This preliminary information communicates information about how to determine if a wheel and tires size change is available.

PIP6104

This Preliminary information communicates the steps on how to save a GDS2 Session Log and upload to a Technical Assistance Case in CX Connect.

PIP4902V

This preliminary information advises a dealer on how to email GDS2 session logs into Technical Assistance.

PIP4902U

This preliminary information advises a dealer on how to email GDS2 session logs into Technical Assistance.

PIT5214G

This Preliminary Information communication provides information to the technician about vehicles that have had multiple repair attempts that are being performed on customer’s vehicles that exhibit vibration conditions without utilizing the support of General Motors Technical Assistance Center. If valid vibration frequency or Road Force Variation data has been collected and a repair attempt does not correct the customer complaint, contact General Motors Technical Assistance Center for further support. For any vehicles that remains unrepaired after being at the dealer for three days or more and a related bulletin or PI is not found, contact General Motors Technical Assistance Center for further support.

13598

New Vehicle Monitoring Programs Section in IVH

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—
2011Viewing200—
20105736158.1
20097106361.4
20088455260.2
20071,5646157.9
20062,3306157.1
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.