2005 Chevrolet COBALT - Ratings, Complaints and Recalls

The 2005 Chevrolet Cobalt 2-DR has not been given an overall safety rating by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). However, it received a 4-star rating for the front crash driver side and a 5-star rating for the front crash passenger side. Unfortunately, no ratings are available for the side crash categories. The car does not come equipped with electronic stability control, forward collision warning, or lane departure warning systems according to the NHTSA data.

It is important to note that this particular model has had a high number of complaints, with 1645 reported, and has been subject to 6 recalls. Consumers should take these factors into consideration when assessing the safety and reliability of the 2005 Chevrolet Cobalt.

auto generated summary, may be inaccurate.

Top stats at a glance

Complaint Count

1,645

Recall Count

6

Investigation Count

1

Safety Rating

Not Rated

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Safety Features

2005 Chevrolet Cobalt 2-DR Safety Features

Here are the safety features that come as standard on the 2005 Chevrolet Cobalt 2-DR

Electronic Stability Control (ESC)

ESC is an advanced safety feature in vehicles designed to help drivers maintain control during challenging driving conditions. By continuously monitoring various factors such as steering angle, vehicle speed, and individual wheel speeds, ESC can detect and reduce the risk of skidding or loss of control. It achieves this by automatically applying brakes to specific wheels to stabilize the vehicle.

No
Forward Collision Warning (FCW)

Forward Collision Warning (FCW) is a safety feature in vehicles that helps prevent frontal collisions by alerting the driver of an imminent collision with a vehicle or obstacle ahead. Using sensors such as radar or cameras, FCW monitors the distance and speed of vehicles in front, and if it detects a potential collision, it provides visual and/or auditory warnings to prompt the driver to take evasive action.

No
Lane Departure Warning (LDW)

Lane Departure Warning (LDW) is a safety feature in vehicles that alerts drivers when their vehicle unintentionally drifts out of its lane without signaling. Utilizing cameras or sensors to monitor lane markings on the road, LDW detects when the vehicle crosses these lines and triggers visual, auditory, or haptic alerts to notify the driver of potential lane departure.

No

2005 Chevrolet Cobalt 2-DR Safety Ratings

Here we have the crash and rollover ratings for the 2005 Chevrolet Cobalt 2-DR Where possible we've included the ratings for the oldest and latest models of this car so you can compare how the safety ratings have changed over time.

Frontal Crash Ratings

Combines Driver and Passenger star ratings into a single frontal rating. The frontal barrier test simulates a head-on collision between two similar vehicles, each moving at 35 mph.

Test 2005 Score 2010 Score
Overall Front Crash Rating Not Rated Not Rated
Front Crash Driver Side Rating 4 4
Front Crash Passenger Side Rating 5 5

Side Crash Ratings

Combines Side Barrier and Side Pole Star Ratings into a single side rating.

Test 2005 Score 2010 Score
Overall Side Crash Rating Not Rated Not Rated
Side Crash Drivers Side Rating Not Rated 3
Side Crash Passenger Side Rating Not Rated 5
Combined Side Barrier Pole Rating - Front Not Rated Not Rated
Combined Side Barrier Pole Rating - Rear Not Rated Not Rated
Overall Side Barrier Rating Not Rated Not Rated

Rollover Ratings

The Rollover Resistance test measures the risk of rollover in a single-vehicle, loss-of-control scenario.

Test 2005 Score 2010 Score
Rollover Rating Not Rated Not Rated
Rollover Possibility % 0% 0%
Dynamic Tip Result
Side Pole Crash Rating Not Rated Not Rated

Complaints for the 2005 Chevrolet COBALT

This chart show the number of complaints for each car component. A Higher number of complaints could indicate that this car might have a common fault. Something to look out for when purchasing one.

Component Complaints

Choose a component to see what complaints people have made about them.

Complaint:
"power steering was lost while driving, speedometer stopped working and will not shift from low. other sources say there has been a recall."
Components Involved: STEERING
Date of incident: 2024-11-10
Complaint:
"my mother owned this 2005 chevrolet cobalt 4d (vin # stated above). the power steering seemed to have quit working, as it was very hard to turn the steering wheel. on dec.28, 2021 she (& my 2 daughters) were turning left & her car was hit by another car on the right front (passenger side), front 1/4 panel. the car was spun around several times. my mother was temporarily knocked unconscience & then came to. car was totalled out. (doctor ignored to perform a head scan instead he scanned her back). my mother bled on her brain for 3 months & died. it was very devastating"
Components Involved: STEERING
Date of incident: 2023-04-12
Complaint:
"tl* the contact owns a 2005 chevrolet cobalt. the contact stated that while operating the vehicle, the electronic power steering failed, causing the steering wheel to become very difficult to turn in either direction. the cause of the failure was not yet determined. the manufacturer and local dealer were not notified of the failure. the failure mileage was 160,000. invalid vin."
Components Involved: STEERING
Date of incident: 2022-09-04
Complaint:
"tl* the contact owns a 2005 chevrolet cobalt. the contact stated that while starting the vehicle there was an abnormal dinging sound present. the traction control and power steering warning lights were illuminated. additionally, the transmission made an abnormal clicking sound. the vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic several years prior and the independent mechanic grounded out the traction control module however, the failure recurred. the vehicle had not been repaired. neither the dealer nor the manufacturer were made aware of the failure. the failure mileage was 95,000."
Components Involved: STEERING
Date of incident: 2021-08-03
Complaint:
"tl* the contact owns a 2005 chevrolet cobalt. the contact stated while driving at various speeds, the steering wheel was difficult to turn. the power steering warning light was illuminated. the contact restarted the vehicle and the vehicle worked as designed. additionally, there was an abnormal beeping noise detected. the local dealer was not contacted. the vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired. the contact stated the failure was similar to nhtsa campaign number: 10v073000 (steering). the manufacturer was not notified of the failure. the failure mileage was 170,000."
Components Involved: STEERING
Date of incident: 2021-07-02
Complaint:
"tl* the contact owns a 2005 chevrolet cobalt. the contact stated while driving 35 mph, the steering wheel seized with the power steering assist warning light illuminated. the vehicle was not drivable. the vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic and the contact was informed that the power steering gear needed to be replaced. the vehicle was not yet repaired. upon investigation, the contact associated the failure with nhtsa campaign number: 10v073000 (steering) however, the vin was not included. the dealer was not called. the manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. the failure mileage was 124,087."
Components Involved: STEERING
Date of incident: 2020-01-07
Complaint:
"power steering locks in and out by itself causing the car to shift hard and doesnt want to idle but when steering is working correctly it runs like a new car please help"
Components Involved: STEERING
Date of incident: 2021-04-07
Complaint:
"tl* the contact owns a 2005 chevrolet cobalt. the contact stated that while driving at various speeds, and attempting to turn the steering wheel in either direction, the steering wheel ceased without warning. the contact was unable to steer the vehicle. the contact stated that the failure was intermittent. the cause of the failure was not determined. neither the local dealer nor the manufacturer were notified of the failure. the failure mileage was 134,000."
Components Involved: STEERING
Date of incident: 2020-01-05
Complaint:
"tl* the contact owns a 2005 chevrolet cobalt. the contact stated that upon reversing out of a parking lot at a slow speed, the power steering ceased to operate, with the power steering warning message displayed on the instrument panel. the contact drove the vehicle to an independent mechanic where they diagnosed the vehicle with power steering failure. the manufacturer was notified of the failure and informed her to make an appointment with her local chevrolet dealer. the contact had not yet taken the vehicle to an authorized dealer. the vehicle was not repaired. the failure mileage on was unknown."
Components Involved: STEERING
Date of incident: 2021-03-03
Complaint:
"tl* the contact owns a 2005 chevrolet cobalt. the contact stated that when coming off the intersection at about 10 mph, when the steering wheel failed without warning. the contact stated that they were only able to drive the vehicle straight forward. the contact had the vehicle towed. the contact, who was a certified mechanic, stated that after examining the vehicle they noticed the rack and pinon was completely rusted and needed to be replaced. the contact replaced the rack and pinon. the contact contacted an unknown dealer who informed the contact that their vehicle was not included in the recall. the manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. the approximate failure mileage was 77,000."
Components Involved: STEERING
Date of incident: 2020-11-01

Recalls for the 2005 Chevrolet COBALT

Component Recalls

Choose a component to see what recalls people have made about them.

Recall:
"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."
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 "Reverse" position. This potential for rollaway increases the risk for a crash and occupant or pedestrian injuries.
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.

Component(s) Involved: ELECTRICAL SYSTEM > IGNITION
Date of incident: 2014-04-10

CHEVROLET Overall Complaint Ranking

This table shows the ranking of car manufacturers when it comes to most complaints and recalls. The manufacturer with the most complaints is at the top. However this doesn't necassarily mean they should be avoided. Some manufacturers might just have more popular or affordable cars which a lot of people have bought. Which means there's more scope for a complaint to be made. Use the ranking table below as a part your wider research into buying a car.

CHEVROLET ranks 2 out of 44 in the complaints ranking table.

Manufacturer Complaint Count Recall Count Ranking
FORD 208,358 3,259 1
CHEVROLET 111,306 2,082 2
TOYOTA 81,019 1,852 3
HONDA 61,937 1,268 4
NISSAN 56,226 930 5
DODGE 45,756 827 6
HYUNDAI 44,150 649 7
GMC 34,441 1,410 8
KIA 29,832 501 9
CHRYSLER 27,698 254 10
TESLA 26,230 730 11
BMW 24,890 1,877 12
VOLKSWAGEN 23,125 829 13
MERCEDES-BENZ 19,066 2,925 14
SUBARU 18,513 703 15
MAZDA 10,599 364 16
PONTIAC 10,430 138 17
CADILLAC 9,434 444 18
AUDI 7,865 1,093 19
BUICK 7,851 279 20
SATURN 7,672 84 21
MERCURY 7,374 135 22
LEXUS 6,373 408 23
LINCOLN 5,897 423 24
ACURA 5,722 382 25
MINI 5,585 366 26
INFINITI 4,000 187 27
MITSUBISHI 3,912 397 28
VOLVO 3,875 727 29
PORSCHE 2,646 1,231 30
SUZUKI 2,272 123 31
FIAT 2,205 80 32
SAAB 1,536 76 33
JAGUAR 1,195 198 34
SMART 528 17 35
GENESIS 436 42 36
ISUZU 249 37 37
ALFA ROMEO 161 37 38
MASERATI 76 46 39
BENTLEY 46 159 40
POLESTAR 42 2 41
LUCID 14 6 42
CODA 4 2 43
MAYBACH 0 0 44

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