The 2008 Chevrolet Cobalt has 4 NHTSA recall campaigns affecting an estimated 5,482,605 vehicles. Recall repairs are always free at any authorized dealer. Owners have filed 1,102 complaints with NHTSA, most often about the steering. Last updated July 5, 2026.
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…
Consequence
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…
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…
AIR BAGS14V0470002014-02-102,190,934 affected
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,…
Consequence
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…
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,…
Consequence
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.
STEERING10V0730002010-03-031,050,889 affected
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.
Consequence
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…
Complaints by component
STEERING
296
35crashes4fires23injuries5deaths
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM
202
4fires
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
152
6crashes4fires3injuries2deaths
AIR BAGS
89
29crashes2fires53injuries6deaths
ENGINE
36
3crashes2fires2injuries1deaths
FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE
33
1crashes1injuries
SUSPENSION
22
1crashes2injuries
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL
21
4crashes1injuries
POWER TRAIN
20
2crashes
SEAT BELTS
18
1crashes1injuries
Total complaints1,102
What owners report
Verbatim reports filed with NHTSA, lightly edited for readability and with personal
information removed.
“The fuel line is leaking fuel on the drivers side near the passenger door. The leak is to the point where it is pooling under the door on the ground.”
“The contact owns a 2008 chevrolet cobalt. The contact stated that the power steering suddenly failed to operate as needed. The vehicle was turned off for a while and restarted for the power steering functionality to return. The failure was persistent. The contact stated that the power steering…”
“The ignition doest work right n want release the key the car dies n stalls while driving we was almost hit by a trooper n he called we spoke to 2 people n they had a gm call us n they said that this has been a big concern of these cars n we tried n tried to get it fixed n they say sorry can't can…”
“The ignition doest work right n want release the key the car dies n stalls while driving we was almost hit by a trooper n he called we spoke to 2 people n they had a gm call us n they said that this has been a big concern of these cars n we tried n tried to get it fixed n they say sorry can't can…”
“The ignition doest work right n want release the key the car dies n stalls while driving we was almost hit by a trooper n he called we spoke to 2 people n they had a gm call us n they said that this has been a big concern of these cars n we tried n tried to get it fixed n they say sorry can't can…”
“The contact owns a 2008 chevrolet cobalt. The contact stated that upon starting the vehicle, the air bag warning light illuminated. The contact stated that the failure was related to nhtsa campaign number: 14v047000 (air bags, electrical system). The contact called the local dealer, but the…”
“The contact owns a 2008 chevrolet cobalt. The contact stated that upon starting the vehicle, the air bag warning light illuminated. The contact stated that the failure was related to nhtsa campaign number: 14v047000 (air bags, electrical system). The contact called the local dealer, but the…”
“I have 2 recalls with the ignition and switch. I went to regal chevrolet in lakeland florida and was told essentially there's nothing they could do and if they did look at it I'd be charged $200 to have it looked at plus $219 a hour based on what needed to be done. I then called stingray chevrolet…”
Defect investigations
InvestigationPE10005 Opened 2010-01-27 · closed 2010-07-19
Electric Power Steering Failure
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…
InvestigationPE20011 Opened 2020-07-05 · closed 2023-08-17
Fuel Line Leak
On July 5, 2020, the Office of Defects Investigations (ODI) opened PE20-011 to investigate instances of metal fuel lines under the vehicle corroding and leaking fuel in model year (MY) 2008 through 2010 Chevrolet Cobalt and 2008 through 2009 Chevrolet HHR passenger cars manufactured by General Motors (GM). The metal…
InvestigationPE20011 Opened 2020-07-05 · closed 2023-08-17
Fuel Line Leak
On July 5, 2020, the Office of Defects Investigations (ODI) opened PE20-011 to investigate instances of metal fuel lines under the vehicle corroding and leaking fuel in model year (MY) 2008 through 2010 Chevrolet Cobalt and 2008 through 2009 Chevrolet HHR passenger cars manufactured by General Motors (GM). The metal…
InvestigationPE20011 Opened 2020-07-05 · closed 2023-08-17
Fuel Line Leak
On July 5, 2020, the Office of Defects Investigations (ODI) opened PE20-011 to investigate instances of metal fuel lines under the vehicle corroding and leaking fuel in model year (MY) 2008 through 2010 Chevrolet Cobalt and 2008 through 2009 Chevrolet HHR passenger cars manufactured by General Motors (GM). The metal…
Recall, complaint, and investigation records from official NHTSA datasets (FLAT_RCL,
FLAT_CMPL, FLAT_INV), synced weekly. Counts reflect NHTSA records for the 2008 Chevrolet Cobalt as of
July 5, 2026. Complaint narratives are consumer-submitted and unverified. This page
contains ads and affiliate links. Full methodology.