KnownCarProblemsHome › Chevrolet › Cobalt › 2010
2010 Chevrolet Cobalt Problems and Recalls
Owners filed 574 complaints with NHTSA about the 2010 Chevrolet Cobalt, most often about the steering (42% of complaints, typically around 56,000 miles). It is 6th of 12 Cobalt model years by number of complaints and has 5 recalls.
Most common 2010 Chevrolet Cobalt problems
Steering
239 complaints · 42%Half of these problems showed up before 56,000 miles. Parts named most often: electric power assist system, hydraulic power assist system.
The contact owns a 2010 Chevrolet Cobalt. The contact stated that while driving 20 MPH, the power steering light illuminated on the instrument panel and the steering wheel seized. The contact stopped the vehicle and shut it off. Upon restart, the steering functioned as normal. The vehicle was taken to the dealer for a…
The contact owns a 2010 Chevrolet Cobalt tl. While driving approximately 70 MPH, the power steering warning indicator sounded and suddenly there was a loss of power steering capabilities. The contact continued driving with difficulty in turning the steering wheel. There was a recall associated with NHTSA campaign id…
Electrical
125 complaints · 22%Half of these problems showed up before 56,500 miles. Parts named most often: ignition, instrument cluster/panel, instrument panel.
The contact owns a 2010 Chevrolet Cobalt. The contact stated that her key became stuck in the ignition, in the on position. The vehicle was taken to the dealer for diagnosis who informed the contact that the failure was caused by normal wear and tear. The manufacturer was notified but offered no assistance. The…
Driving to work I noticed the steering became increasingly difficult to maneuver. I made it to work and called my local service center and was told it was an electrical issue. Online I looked up a few things and others with the same problem said it was approximately $1,200 to repair. I also saw where Chevrolet issued…
Fuel system
122 complaints · 21%Half of these problems showed up before 106,000 miles. Parts named most often: delivery, storage.
Takata inflators airbag service light came on there fuel leaking from the tank and lines the steering wheel colum has a defect inside the steering wheel that makes it vibrate while driving and makes steering loose also the tmc module has a defect
After smelling a strong smell of gasoline while driving on the interstate, I pulled my car over and noticed a huge puddle of gasoline on the ground and still steadily pouring out. I immediately drove it home and parked it and took photos and a video of the defect. I had lost over half a tank of gasoline in just 30…
Air bags
77 complaints · 13%Half of these problems showed up before 67,000 miles.
The contact owns a 2010 Chevrolet Cobalt. The contact stated another vehicle crashed into the rear passenger side of the vehicle. The contact stated the air bags failed to deploy. A police report was filed. The vehicle was destroyed. The passenger was hospitalized and sustained a concussion. The driver and the rear…
The contact owns a 2010 Chevrolet Cobalt. The contact stated that the passenger side service air bag light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer who diagnosed that the air bag system failed. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 67,000.
Engine
42 complaints · 7%Half of these problems showed up before 86,000 miles.
The contact owns a 2010 Chevrolet Cobalt. The contact stated that his son called and stated he detected an abnormal odor of fuel inside the vehicle. The driver looked around the vehicle and noticed liquid emerging near the driverâs side rear tire. The driver stated that the vehicle was hard to start. The contact…
On two occasions my Cobalt just shut off, once sitting in traffic the other while merging onto the interstate, I have also got service airbag lights blinking random during the same time frame. Dealer is telling me my car isn't included in recall, how can this be?
Transmission
31 complaints · 5%Half of these problems showed up before 94,000 miles. Parts named most often: automatic transmission, manual transmission.
The contact owns a 2010 Chevrolet Cobalt. While driving any speed, the check engine indicator illuminated. The vehicle shifted gears automatically, which caused the vehicle to jerk rapidly. The contact also stated that the starter fuse blew out when starting the engine. The contact would have to shake the fuse box…
The contact owns a 2010 Chevrolet Cobalt. While driving 55 MPH, the vehicle jerked, lunged forward, lost power, and the power train warning indicator illuminated. The contact also heard abnormal noises coming from the front end of the vehicle. The contact veered to the shoulder of the road to check for leaks; however…
Brakes
28 complaints · 5%Half of these problems showed up before 48,500 miles. Parts named most often: antilock/traction control/electronic limited slip.
I notice as I was driving that my brake lights would stay on when I am not pushing on the brake. It does not matter the speed that I am going. But when I do push on the brakes the lights go off, which I don't think should be happening since the driver behind me will not know that I am stopping. This is something that…
The contact owns a 2010 Chevrolet Cobalt. The contact stated that while driving 20 MPH, she attempted to engage the brakes but it failed to stop the vehicle. The contact mentioned that in order to stop the vehicle she had to shift into neutral. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer. The manufacturer was not made…
Other or unspecified
28 complaints · 5%Half of these problems showed up before 68,500 miles.
The driver's side door will not open! It appears that the handle is not "attached" to anything. Yet on looking into the incident online there are reports of this happening, and the "solution" is to band your hand on the outside of the door to release it. The first time this worked, however it is only after climbing…
I received a recall notice on my Chevrolet vehicle and made an appointment for the recall work at ted britt chevy in sterling, va. After two hours with the vehicle, the technician presented me with a list of repairs costing $1200+ that would need to be performed before the recall action could be taken. Not only were…
Complaints are owner reports to NHTSA, not verified defects. One complaint can name several components, so shares add up to more than 100%.
2010 Chevrolet Cobalt recalls
Air bags: side/window
Risk: A disabled driver side roof-rail air bag will not deploy in the event of a crash necessitating deployment of that air bag, increasing the risk of injury to the driver.
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 chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020. Gm's number for this recall is 15075.
Full defect summary
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 front door. The misrouted wiring harness could cause an electrical short that disables the driver side curtain air bag.
Electrical: ignition
Risk: 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.
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 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
Full defect summary
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.
Steering: electric power assist system
Risk: If power steering assist is lost, greater driver effort would be required to steer the vehicle at low speeds, increasing the risk of a crash.
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, owners will be mailed a second letter to come in to have the applicable bulletin applied. Bulletin 14115 covers model year 2004-2007 saturn ion, 2009-2010 chevrolet hhr and 2010 chevrolet cobalts. Dealers will replace the eps motor. Bulletin 14116 covers model year 2004-2006 chevrolet malibu and malibu maxx, 2005-2006 pontiac g6 and 2008-2009 chevrolet malibu, pontiac g6 and saturn aura built from mar
Full defect summary
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, there may be a sudden loss of electric power steering (eps) assist that could occur at any time while driving.
Air bags
Risk: 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.
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 safety defect. Owners of 2008 and later vehicles will be mailed an interim letter on april 21, 2014. All affected owners will receive another letter once parts are available. The recall began on april 18, 2014. Owners may contact chevrolet at 1-800-222-1020, pontiac at 1-800-762-2737 or saturn at 1-800-553-6000. Gm's number for the initial recall is 13454 and 14063 for the expansion. Gmâs recall nu
Full defect summary
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, 2014 that they are recalling 619,122 model year 2005-2007 chevrolet cobalt, and 2007 pontiac g5 vehicles. On february 25, 2014, gm increased the recall to include an additional 748,024 model year 2006-2007 chevrolet hhr and pontiac solstice vehicles and 2003-2007 saturn ion vehicles and 2007 saturn sky vehicles. In these models, the weight on the key ring and/or road conditions or some other jarring event may cause the ignition switch to move out of the run position, turning off the engine. On march 27, 2014, gm notified the agency that the defective ignition switches may have be
Steering: electric power assist system
Risk: If power steering assist is lost, it would require greater driver effort at low vehicle speeds, increasing the risk of a crash.
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 in the recall file. Owners may contact chevrolet at 1-800-630-2438 and pontiac at 1-800-620-7668 or at the owner center at www.gmownercenter.com.
Full defect summary
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.
Recall repairs are free at any franchised dealer. Enter your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls to see which recalls are still open on your car.
NHTSA defect investigations
Fuel line leak
Summary
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 fuel lines are corroding and leaking fuel in the area between the front and rear wheels on the driver's side of the vehicle before the muffler. Most consumers allege a fuel odor and/or an observable fuel leak that alerts them to the condition.the subject metal fuel lines have a protective age coating and, in the vicinity of the left rear wheel, are further wrapped in a foil heat
Questions about the 2010 Chevrolet Cobalt
- What are the most common problems with the 2010 Chevrolet Cobalt?
- By NHTSA owner complaints: steering (239 complaints, typically around 56,000 miles); electrical (125 complaints, typically around 56,500 miles); fuel system (122 complaints, typically around 106,000 miles).
- How many recalls does the 2010 Chevrolet Cobalt have?
- 5 recalls listed by NHTSA, the latest from August 10, 2015 (air bags). Check your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls to see which ones are still open on your car.
- Is the 2010 a bad year for the Chevrolet Cobalt?
- It is 6th of 12 Cobalt model years by number of complaints, with 574 complaints. Complaint counts are not adjusted for how many cars were sold, so popular years collect more of them, and the newest years have had less time to.