AI Damage2009 Chevrolet Cobalt SS: common problems
Owners of the 2009 Chevrolet Cobalt SS filed 190 complaints with NHTSA, most often about service brakes and parking brake. Details by component below, with sources.
Key figures
- Owner complaints
- 190
- involving a crash
- 8
What fails most often
- 1 Service brakes 82% of all complaints
- 2 Parking brake 9% of all complaints
- 3 Air bags 4% of all complaints
- 4 Electrical system 4% of all complaints
- 5 Fuel/propulsion system 3% of all complaints
- 6 Steering 2% of all complaints
- 7 Engine 2% of all complaints
- 8 Powertrain 2% of all complaints
- Service brakes: 155 complaints (82% of all), 5 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
- Parking brake: 18 complaints (9% of all).
- Air bags: 8 complaints (4% of all), 3 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
- Electrical system: 7 complaints (4% of all), 1 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
- Fuel/propulsion system: 6 complaints (3% of all).
Symptoms owners describe
How many of the 190 NHTSA complaints mention each symptom (automatic count from complaint text; one complaint can mention several).
Components owners complain about
| Component | Owner complaints | involving a crash | Technical service bulletins (TSB) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Service brakes | 155 | 5 | 0 |
| Parking brake | 18 | 0 | 0 |
| Air bags | 8 | 3 | 0 |
| Electrical system | 7 | 1 | 0 |
| Fuel/propulsion system | 6 | 0 | 0 |
| Steering | 4 | 2 | 0 |
| Engine | 3 | 1 | 0 |
| Powertrain | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| Tires | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| Wheels | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| Seat belts | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Electronic stability control | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Engine and cooling | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Fuel system | 1 | 0 | 0 |
What owners report
Short excerpts of NHTSA complaints in the original wording. These are owner statements not verified by NHTSA; personal data removed.
I was in an accident, rear ended lady going 50 mph and air bags did not deploy.
December 29, 2011, I was driving home one evening in the cobalt when my car's engine shut off and I lost control on a semi-residential a few blocks from home. Driving at about 35-45 mp, downhill, I hit a parked car on the left side of the road (narrow road, cars parked on both sides, 2-way street).
Vehicle's automatic door locks began to engage and disengage on their own, possibly locking the steering column as vehicle entered into a curve. Caused driver to loose control go into ditch, bounce out of ditch and log roll the vehicle. Air bags did not deploy.
The emergency brake failed while on a hill and I walk outside to find my car under my girlfriends truck! (e-brake engaged and in reverse) this was fixed with the calipers being replaced, I still need to have my rotors worked as they are already to this point.
Brakes failed, slid in the snow and hit the passenger rear rim against the curb. This even lead to the rim being replaced, along with the axle. After the car was fixed, I took the car back to the dealer where it was looked over too see if there were any manufacturer's defaults.
Fuel line rusts through causing fuel to leak out next to exhaust pipe. Happens to evap line as well. Poor design in the heat shielding traps moisture which rusts through the line. Fuel leaks out when the car is running, parked, moving or not.
The lines were rusted through and fuel leaked past the exhaust system where a potential car fire could have happened if not noticed right away. The vehicle was parked in the garage and off when I noticed the strong scent of gas and saw a small puddle of fuel under the car.
Connector feeding power to the a/c-heater blower melted; caused a crackling sound, a smell, and the fan to stop working. The connector melted together. To get a picture of the pin that failed required me to break the connector.
When owners complained
NHTSA complaints by filing year. The peak shows at what age the problems show up most.
Comparison
By complaint count this model year ranks 2,139 of 36,656 model years in the NHTSA data (top 6% most complained about).
On average one model year of the Cobalt SS has 98 complaints (3 years in the data). This year has 190, above average.
What to check before buying
- Service brakes. Pedal feel, ABS operation, leaks, discs and hoses.
- Parking brake. Electric parking brake, codes, calipers.
- Air bags. Check the SRS light, stored codes and airbag/curtain status after any impact.
- Electrical system. Scan all modules, test the battery and alternator, inspect connectors near the impact zone.
Other years of this model
Questions and answers
What are the most common problems with the 2009 Chevrolet Cobalt SS?
Owner complaints to NHTSA most often mention: service brakes, parking brake, air bags. Total complaints: 190. The most frequent symptoms in complaint texts: knocking, grinding or other noise (22%), brake failure (6%), rollaway, parking brake (5%).
How many service bulletins (TSB) were issued for the 2009 Chevrolet Cobalt SS?
NHTSA lists 0 manufacturer service bulletins for this year. A bulletin tells dealers how to diagnose or fix a known issue; it is not a recall.
Should I buy a 2009 Chevrolet Cobalt SS from a US auction?
Owner complaints describe defects, not crash damage. Before bidding, check the components listed above and review the lot photos: VinWind builds a report of visible and hidden damage by VIN.
Other 2009 models
Read also
Sources: public NHTSA data (USA): service bulletins and owner complaints; YouTube: links to videos credited to their authors. Complaints are owner statements not verified by NHTSA, and describe defects rather than crash damage. Data updated 2026-11-05.