2008 Chevrolet COBALT - Ratings, Complaints and Recalls

The 2008 Chevrolet Cobalt receives mixed safety ratings according to the available data. The front crash ratings are decent with the driver side receiving a 4 out of 5 and the passenger side receiving a 5 out of 5. However, the side crash ratings are not as strong, with the driver's side receiving a 3 out of 5 and the passenger side a 5 out of 5. The rollover rating is also moderate at 4 out of 5. It is worth noting that electronic stability control is listed as optional for this model, which can enhance the vehicle's safety by helping to prevent skidding and loss of control.

While the Cobalt does not come equipped with forward collision warning or lane departure warning systems, it has an average number of recalls, with a total of 5 reported for this model. Additionally, there have been a significant number of complaints filed, totaling 929. Overall, potential buyers should consider the available safety features and the reported issues when evaluating the safety of the 2008 Chevrolet Cobalt.

auto generated summary, may be inaccurate.

Top stats at a glance

Complaint Count

929

Recall Count

5

Investigation Count

2

Safety Rating

Not Rated

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Safety Features

2008 Chevrolet Cobalt 4-DR w/SAB Safety Features

Here are the safety features that come as standard on the 2008 Chevrolet Cobalt 4-DR w/SAB

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.

Optional
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

2008 Chevrolet Cobalt 4-DR w/SAB Safety Ratings

Here we have the crash and rollover ratings for the 2008 Chevrolet Cobalt 4-DR w/SAB 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 2008 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 2008 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 5 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 2008 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 2008 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:
"the contact owns a 2008 chevrolet cobalt. the contact stated while starting the vehicle, the message "steering locked" was displayed. the contact stated that the steering wheel was significantly difficult to turn; however, he drove the vehicle to the residence. the contact stated that upon starting the vehicle the following day, the steering wheel operated as needed. the vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed that the steering column needed to be taken apart to install an unknown switch. the vehicle was not repaired. the contact related the failure to nhtsa campaign number: 10v073000 (steering); however, the vin was not included. the manufacturer was not notified of the failure. the failure mileage was approximately 171,117."
Components Involved: STEERING
Date of incident: 2023-05-09
Complaint:
"the contact owns a 2008 chevrolet cobalt. the contact stated while driving out of a parking space, the steering wheel became firm, and the power steering warning light illuminated. the contact was able to drive home. the vehicle was not diagnosed. the dealer was contacted and stated that there was no recall for the failure. the manufacturer was not contacted. the failure mileage was 125,000."
Components Involved: STEERING
Date of incident: 2023-01-02
Complaint:
"my power steering failed. i was trying to turn into my drive way and i couldn’t turn my steering wheel. mine and my children's safety were at risk because it could have caused an accident. there are other chevy cobalts that are recalled for the same problem as mine but for some reason my vin is showing that my cobalt isn’t recalled for it. there were no warnings other than the dash saying “power steering” as my steering wheel stopped turning."
Components Involved: STEERING
Date of incident: 2024-06-10
Complaint:
"the contact owns a 2008 chevrolet cobalt. the contact stated that upon starting the vehicle the vehicle experienced power steering failure. the contact drove the vehicle to her destination at approximately 30 mph without a power steering assist. the contact stated that when she returned and started the vehicle the power steering had regained functionality. the contact stated that the failure had recurred twice in the past three months. the contact stated no warning light was illuminated. the contact had not taken the vehicle to an independent mechanic or dealer. the vehicle had not been diagnosed or repaired. the manufacturer had not been informed of the failure. the failure mileage was approximately 91,000."
Components Involved: STEERING
Date of incident: 2022-05-06
Complaint:
"power steering assist goes out randomly. looked up vin and said does not affect this vehicle, however, it is malfunctioning."
Components Involved: STEERING
Date of incident: 2023-04-05
Complaint:
"the contact owns a 2008 chevrolet cobalt. the contact stated while driving approximately 35 mph, the power steering suddenly malfunctioned and the steering wheel became difficult to turn in either direction. the cause of the failure was not determined. the local dealer and manufacturer were notified of the failure. the contact was informed that the vehicle was not included in nhtsa campaign number: 10v073000 (steering). the contact indicated that the vehicle had experienced the failure listed in the recall. the failure mileage was 76,000."
Components Involved: STEERING
Date of incident: 2021-03-09
Complaint:
"steering was good and had no problems turning either direction and now it is hard steering and turn either direction and sometimes it feels like it's turning free when turning a corner or turning around"
Components Involved: STEERING
Date of incident: 2021-01-04
Complaint:
"tl*the contact owns a 2008 chevrolet cobalt. the contact stated while driving approximately 60 mph, the power steering suddenly malfunctioned, causing the steering wheel to become very difficult to turn in either direction. the cause of the failure was not yet determined. the local dealer and the manufacturer were not yet made aware of the failure. the approximate failure mileage was 170,000."
Components Involved: STEERING
Date of incident: 2023-02-04
Complaint:
"power steering keeps going out and i have never received a recall on this car. it was sitting still when i crank it and i could barely turn steering wheel. i could be killed if it goes out while driving. it's a manufacturing default and need to be recalled"
Components Involved: STEERING
Date of incident: 2021-02-03
Complaint:
"steering gets stiff on and off afraid it's going to lock up and get into accident just purchased from local used car dealer in town mid december 2020 for a christmas gift for granddaughters 1st car within first 50 miles tcm failed couldnt shift past second gear power steering light came on grounded wire and helped with transmission now power steering problem hard steering on and off trying learn how to parallel park for her drivers test"
Components Involved: STEERING
Date of incident: 2023-01-01

Recalls for the 2008 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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