2006 Chevrolet COBALT - Ratings, Complaints and Recalls

The 2006 Chevrolet Cobalt has received decent safety ratings with a mixture of scores in different crash test categories. While the front crash passenger side rating is a solid 5, the driver side rating is a 4. The side crash ratings are slightly lower, with the driver side rating at 3 and the passenger side rating at 4. Unfortunately, the car does not come equipped with stability control, collision warning, or lane departure warning systems. Additionally, the Cobalt has a high number of complaints, with 2322 reported, and has been subject to 6 recalls, making it important for owners to stay informed about any potential safety issues.

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Top stats at a glance

Complaint Count

2,322

Recall Count

6

Investigation Count

1

Safety Rating

Not Rated

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Safety Features

2006 Chevrolet Cobalt 4-DR Safety Features

Here are the safety features that come as standard on the 2006 Chevrolet Cobalt 4-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

2006 Chevrolet Cobalt 4-DR Safety Ratings

Here we have the crash and rollover ratings for the 2006 Chevrolet Cobalt 4-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 2006 Score 2010 Score
Overall Front Crash Rating Not Rated Not Rated Not Rated
Front Crash Driver Side Rating 4 4 4
Front Crash Passenger Side Rating 5 5 5

Side Crash Ratings

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

Test 2005 Score 2006 Score 2010 Score
Overall Side Crash Rating Not Rated Not Rated Not Rated
Side Crash Drivers Side Rating Not Rated 3 3
Side Crash Passenger Side Rating Not Rated 4 5
Combined Side Barrier Pole Rating - Front Not Rated Not Rated Not Rated
Combined Side Barrier Pole Rating - Rear Not Rated Not Rated Not Rated
Overall Side Barrier Rating Not Rated 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 2006 Score 2010 Score
Rollover Rating Not Rated Not Rated Not Rated
Rollover Possibility % 0% 0% 0%
Dynamic Tip Result
Side Pole Crash Rating Not Rated Not Rated Not Rated

Complaints for the 2006 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:
"it will say power steering on dashboard then doesn’t allow it to shift loses all power"
Components Involved: STEERING
Date of incident: 2024-08-04
Complaint:
"car drove fine during a routine trip for groceries. when about to leave the parking lot, my steering wheel was very hard to turn, almost impossible and i noticed a power steering warning on the dash. thankfully this didn't happen on a highway or something, i had my kid with me."
Components Involved: STEERING
Date of incident: 2023-05-09
Complaint:
"the car was driving completely fine on a routine trip for groceries. after shopping as i'm about to leave however, the steering wheel was very stiff and i noticed the power steering light was on. after some researching i found that this model does not use power steering fluid and is electric. thankfully this didn't happen to me while driving down a highway or something, i had my kid with me."
Components Involved: STEERING
Date of incident: 2023-05-09
Complaint:
"power steering failure while driving, yes it is available for inspection upon request. safety was put at risk by losing control of the car and almost hitting other cars while driving. a dealer or service center has not reproduced the problem. also not inspected by others. unknown if any warning messages appeared, i didnt notice while i was trying to stay alive."
Components Involved: STEERING
Date of incident: 2023-01-01
Complaint:
"the contact owns a 2006 chevrolet cobalt. the contact stated that after starting the vehicle and attempting to reverse, the steering wheel was very difficult to turn. the check engine warning light was illuminated. the vehicle was not taken to a dealer or independent mechanic to be diagnosed or repaired. the contact did not notify the manufacturer of the failure. the failure mileage was approximately 189,000."
Components Involved: STEERING
Date of incident: 2022-12-06
Complaint:
"the contact owns a 2006 chevrolet cobalt. the contact stated that while reversing out of a parking space, the vehicle lost power steering assist functionality. the contact stated that excessive force was needed to steer the vehicle. the contact was uncertain if any warning lights were illuminated. upon investigation, the contact discovered nhtsa campaign number: 10v073000 (steering) which he linked to the failure. neither the dealer nor the manufacturer was notified of the failure. the vehicle was not repaired. the failure mileage was approximately 89,000."
Components Involved: STEERING
Date of incident: 2022-12-02
Complaint:
"the contact owns a 2006 chevrolet cobalt. the contact stated that while driving at 35 mph, the power steering warning light illuminated on the instrument panel. the contact stated that excessive force was needed to steer the vehicle while making a right turn into a parking lot. the contact returned to the vehicle and the failure persisted. after making a second stop, the light disappeared and the steering wheel resumed normal operation. the dealer nor the manufacturer had yet to be notified of the failure. upon investigation, the contact discovered nhtsa campaign number: 10v073000 (steering) which she linked to the failure. the vehicle had yet to be repaired. the failure mileage was approximately 132,000."
Components Involved: STEERING
Date of incident: 2022-07-02
Complaint:
"hi. i was driving to go shopping like i normally do speed limit was 45 mph. all of a sudden i noticed i was getting very close to the medium the 8-inch cement medium. i tried to turn the wheel more to the right but it was very hesitant and hard to do i ended up hitting the medium and it damaged the rear rim on that wheel and the tire afterwards just made a loud thumping noise it was a very scary situation. it was then i noticed it said power steering lit up on the dashboard nitro it back home and then the light on off and the steering was okay again which was very scary and strange it happened one more time when i was turning the corner and i almost hit someone because i could not turn the wheel like it normally turned it took a lot of effort this is a very scary situation as this is the only vehicle i have for transportation it's not normal do you have the steering just instantly either stop or is very hard to turn. thank you"
Components Involved: STEERING
Date of incident: 2022-01-11
Complaint:
"the contact's daughter owns a 2006 chevrolet cobalt. the contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the power steering would intermittently fail as the power steering warning message would appear on the instrument panel. the contact stated that his daughter would reset the battery to correct the power steering; however, the failure would always return. the contact had taken the vehicle to several dealers to be repaired; however, the vehicle was not diagnosed. the contact then took the vehicle to mohawk chevrolet (639 ny-67, ballston spa, ny 12020) where it remained in their possession. the manufacturer had been notified of the failure but offered no assistance. the vehicle was not repaired. the failure mileage was approximately 48,000."
Components Involved: STEERING
Date of incident: 2020-04-12
Complaint:
"the contact owns a 2006 chevrolet cobalt. the contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the steering wheel inadvertently lost power. the power steering warning light illuminated. the contact veered to the side of the road and turned off the vehicle for a moment. then the contact restarted the vehicle and she was able to drive to her residence. the vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who advised the contact that they could not diagnose the vehicle as the obd reader was unable to read the codes. the contact notified the dealer of the failure and scheduled an appointment for the diagnostic test on the vehicle. the manufacturer was not notified of the failure. the vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired. the approximate failure mileage was 126,000."
Components Involved: STEERING
Date of incident: 2022-02-10

Recalls for the 2006 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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