2008 Chevrolet Cobalt Ss problems, complaints & recalls
Most-reported problem areas: Service Brakes, Hydraulic (64) · Service Brakes (6) · Fuel/Propulsion System (5)
🧭 Reliability snapshot
Compared against other Chevrolet Cobalt Ss model years — complaint volume vs the model's median year, recalls and severity. How we score →
🛣️ Complaints by mileage
85 NHTSA complaints that reported an odometer reading.
Safety recalls (0)
No recalls on record for this model year (campaigns announced since 2010).
Service bulletins (186)
Technical service bulletins are repair instructions manufacturers send dealers for known issues. Unlike recalls, the fix is not automatically free — but naming the bulletin at the service desk can save diagnosis time and support goodwill repairs.
Unknown Or Other 2025-09-09 · 13598 · Other
new vehicle monitoring programs section in ivh
Unknown Or Other 2025-08-07 · PIC5650M · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
this preliminary information communication provides information to the technician about vehicles that have an intermittent no crank, no start, or start stall concern with the security light coming on. technician may find diagnostic trouble codes b3055, b3060, b3935, c0750, c0755, c0760, c0765, and/o
Unknown Or Other 2025-07-18 · PIP5601C · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
this pi communicates the requirement to provide a pico file to receive diagnostic assistance from tac.
Unknown Or Other 2025-05-30 · PIT5074R · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
this preliminary information communication provides information to the technician about the use of j-35616-64b and mini 50 terminal test probe, replacement terminals, and terminated leads.
Unknown Or Other 2025-05-30 · PIT5074R · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
this preliminary information communication provides information to the technician about the use of j-35616-64b and mini 50 terminal test probe, replacement terminals, and terminated leads.
Unknown Or Other 2025-05-30 · PIT5074R · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
this preliminary information communication provides information to the technician about the use of j-35616-64b and mini 50 terminal test probe, replacement terminals, and terminated leads.
Showing the 6 most recent of 186 bulletins. Search all of them free at nhtsa.gov.
What owners report
2018-10-31 · Fuel/Propulsion System · 70,000 mi“as i was driving on a city street, the engine began to run rough and i noticed the odor of gasoline. i pulled over to check for the source of the odor and found fuel leaking from the bottom of the car and onto the road. this was an extremely dangerous condition, as i could not stop the fuel from continuing to leak. i found that the fuel supply line…”
2018-08-27 · Unknown Or Other · 130,000 mi“driver door stuck. will not open. if you are inside and that happens, you can not get out the door. the car had been parked outside overnight. morning it would not open. it will unlock, but not open.…”
2017-12-04 · Unknown Or Other · 179,000 mi“the key is stuck in the ignition and the car will not start. in addition, i can't get the gear to shift to park to move to neutral, i've lost all power to the car from the lights to being unable to open the trunk. i had to put the emergency break on for fear that the car would roll away because i couldn't move the gear shift. the car has been parke…”
2017-11-29 · Fuel/Propulsion System“took my car in because it is experiencing a long period of time cranking before starting each time, and i find out that i have a fuel line leak. after doing some research to see if there is a recall, i find that my year and model are not included, although many other 08 chevy cobalts are. this really concerns me that this model of vehicle has been …”
2017-06-08 · Service Brakes · 99,990 mi“while parked the parking brake lever release button jammed and i could not release the parking brakes. there is abnormal noise heard in the rear breaking system when reversing. abnormal premature wear to inside rear brake pads and rotor discs…”
2016-08-07 · Service Brakes · 67,700 mi“rear brakes wear the pads unevenly and scratch the rotors. common problem that most 2008+ cobalt ss owners experience. due to the faulty brakes, the hand brake will often not work, which is a large inconvenience in a car that is only available with a manual transmission. this is most noticeable when trying to park on a hill.…”
2015-07-23 · Structure:body · 70,386 mi“clear coat on the front bumper is coming off really bad. the paint seems to stay on the bumper but progressively flakes off more every day. it starts as a small spot then expands like a virus. the underside of the driver and passenger doors begin to rust and are spreading to the outer parts of the doors and body. the interior lighting for t…”
2015-06-16 · Air Bags · 94,000 mi“upon start of the vehicle the service airbag warning is illuminated. the airbag readiness light stays on. if i wiggle the wires underneath the warning goes away temporarily. also if a passenger sits in the passenger seat it would indicate an airbag sensor and the indicator would show it being off although a passenger is in the seat. i took it to t…”
2015-03-08 · Service Brakes · 68,800 mi“engine light came on.... had it checked by firestone... they told me the 2nd cylinder was misfiring per the diagnostic code.. should be 130 psi and only registering 90 psi....then while stopped longer than 30 seconds "service traction" light comes on.....asking $2300 to repair.... why would one of the four cylinders go bad.....complained to gm and …”
2014-08-05 · Fuel/Propulsion System · 45,000 mi“car began having a gasoline smell. as of today, the smell is much more extreme. *tr…”
Excerpts of consumer complaints filed with NHTSA, lightly truncated. They are owner statements, not verified findings.