2010 Chevrolet Cobalt Problems, Recalls & Reliability
809 owner complaints sit in the federal file for the 2010 Chevrolet Cobalt, alongside 6 recall campaigns and 1 defect investigation. It scores 27/100 on the trouble index — a middle-of-the-pack year for this model. Steering leads the reports, typically around 56,000 miles.
Typical
Where 2010 sits among all Cobalt years
What owners report
“My power steering just went out. Hated to turn etc. The car was gone then just went bad.”— owner report to NHTSA, 2010 Cobalt
“I have had my car in the shop multiple times for lights dimming within the vehicle, replacing the front head light and the radio not working. Have been told the headlights wires are melted, the car genuinely has an electrical problem but no recalls. This is incredibly unsafe to have electric wires…”— owner report to NHTSA, 2010 Cobalt
“There seems to be a fuel leak on the driver's side rear tire line. Was told that it was very common for my vehicle to have this and that there is no fix for it.”— owner report to NHTSA, 2010 Cobalt
“Air bag service light came on the fuel pump gasket leaks and the steering wheel plastic bearing is broken inside the steering wheel these are all recalls that these cars have but when i do a recall vin check nothing comes up but i know the issues it has has to do with recalls”— owner report to NHTSA, 2010 Cobalt
“As im driving, all of a sudden the power steering light flashes on my dash board and i lose power steering on the vehicle.”— owner report to NHTSA, 2010 Cobalt
“Traction, engine and wheels sensor light on. Hard shifting. Car shakes when braking. Engine runs rough and skips when idling. I've had brakes replaced and spark plugs. Have had all recalls repaired.”— owner report to NHTSA, 2010 Cobalt
Mileage when trouble shows up
Among the 626 reports that include an odometer reading, problems most often appear around 66,400 miles. Half of those reports fall between 44,000 and 98,000 miles — a useful range to weigh against the mileage of the exact car you're looking at.
Recalls (6)
General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2010 Chevrolet Cobalt vehicles manufactured January 4, 2010, to June 23, 2010. The affected vehicles may be equipped with an improperly routed Side-Impact Sensor (SIS) wiring harness in the driver side…
Fix: GM will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the sensor's wiring in the driver's door and make repairs as necessary, free of charge. The recall began on September 8, 2015. Owners may contact…
UCI-FRAM Group is recalling certain LS1328 ignition Switches sold as Wells LS1328, Duralast LS1328, Airtex 1S6097, and Carquest 53-27479, and LS1497 Ignition Switches sold as Wells LS1497, Duralast LS1497, Airtex 1S10961, and Carquest 53-27967, for use on…
Fix: UCI-FRAM Group has notified its purchasers to quarantine and return all inventory. Any switches already installed in vehicles will be replaced by GM dealers as part of NHTSA recall 14V-047, free of…
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…
Fix: 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…
General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2004-2006 and 2008-2009 Chevrolet Malibu, 2004-2006 Malibu Maxx, 2009-2010 HHR (non-turbo), 2010 Cobalt, 2008-2009 Saturn Aura and 2004-2007 Ion, and 2005-2009 Pontiac G6. In the affected vehicles,…
Fix: GM will notify owners, and dealers will perform one of four bulletins. Parts are not currently available. GM expects to send an interim notification around May 28, 2014. When parts are available,…
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.…
Fix: 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…
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…
Fix: 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…
Federal defect investigations
Technical service bulletins
1,143 manufacturer communications — service bulletins, the biggest share on electrical and engine — are on file for the 2010 Chevrolet Cobalt. A TSB is factory repair guidance, not a recall — the repair is not automatically free.
See the 2010 Cobalt TSB list →
Complaint history for this model year
When owners filed their reports — a long tail means problems kept surfacing for years.
Questions buyers ask
Is the 2010 Chevrolet Cobalt reliable?
The 2010 Chevrolet Cobalt drew 809 complaints in federal safety records — a middle-of-the-pack year for this model. Its trouble index is 27/100, scored against the model's worst year (2006).
What are the most common 2010 Chevrolet Cobalt problems?
The top reported problems for the 2010 Chevrolet Cobalt are steering (246 complaints), electrical (141), and fuel system (122).
At what mileage do 2010 Chevrolet Cobalt problems show up?
Owners most often report 2010 Chevrolet Cobalt problems around 66,400 miles. Half of all reports that include an odometer reading fall between 44,000 and 98,000 miles.
Does the 2010 Chevrolet Cobalt have recalls?
6 recall campaigns apply to the 2010 Chevrolet Cobalt. Recall repairs are free at any franchised dealer.
Every number on this page is a count of records in the federal complaint, recall, and investigation files published by NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation. Check any specific vehicle's open recalls by VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.