IllustrationGROOVING OR REAR ROTORS, AND PAD SQUEALING @ 12K MILES. *TR
2009 Chevrolet Cobalt Ss
Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations
Limited comparison data
There is not enough comparable history to draw a useful model-year comparison.
About this comparison →How this year compares
Owner complaints by model year
Compare all Cobalt Ss years →Counts vary with age, sales and reporting. They are not failure rates.
What owners reported most
All reported categories
Tap a category to read its complaints. One report may name several components.
When problems were reported
Mileage at the reported incident
1330–25K
2325–50K
950–75K
675–100K
2100–150K
1150K+
174 reports with mileage · 16 unknown
NHTSA’s mileage field refers to the reported incident, not necessarily the filing date. This shows report counts, not the likelihood of a failure.
What to inspect
Issues worth paying extra attention to based on owner reports.
- Service Brakes, Hydraulic. Review the 133 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Parking Brake. Review the 18 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Service Brakes. Review the 13 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.
8 crash reports2 fire reports3 injury reports
Service Brakes, Hydraulic complaints
133 reportsI HAVE A 09SS/TC AND I HAVE A PROBLEM WITH MY BACK ROTORS WITH LINES AND GROOVES IN THEM. I ONLY HAVE 4000 MILES ON MY CAR NOW. I TOOK IT TO THE DEALERSHIP AT 3500 AND THE SHOP MANAGER ARGUED WITH ME THAT IT IS NORMAL WEAR AND TEAR AND THAT THE BACK BRAKES ARE "AGGRESSIVE" STYLE PADS. AND HE ARGUED THAT THE BACK DO MORE STOPPING…
Read full complaint
I HAVE A 09SS/TC AND I HAVE A PROBLEM WITH MY BACK ROTORS WITH LINES AND GROOVES IN THEM. I ONLY HAVE 4000 MILES ON MY CAR NOW. I TOOK IT TO THE DEALERSHIP AT 3500 AND THE SHOP MANAGER ARGUED WITH ME THAT IT IS NORMAL WEAR AND TEAR AND THAT THE BACK BRAKES ARE "AGGRESSIVE" STYLE PADS. AND HE ARGUED THAT THE BACK DO MORE STOPPING POWER THAN THE FRONT. THEY HAVEN'T DONE ANYTHING ABOUT THIS PROBLEM YET AND I KNOW THAT MANY OTHER CARS OF THE SAME MODEL HAVE THIS PROBLEM. THE MAIN MECHANIC DID CONFIRM THAT IT ISN'T A NORMAL WEAR BUT SAID THAT THE CAR IS TOO NEW TO ANYTHING ABOUT IT. PLEASE HELP US OUT I REALLY DON'T WANT THIS TO CAUSE AN ACCIDENT OR FOR ME TO HAVE TO PAY FOR ALL NEW ROTORS AND PADS AT MY EXPENSE BECAUSE OF THEIR MESS UP. *TR
BOTH REAR ROTORS ARE HEAVILY SCORED ON THE INNER AND OUTER SIDES OF THE ROTOR. DEALER CALLS IT HANDBRAKE ABUSE. I NEVER KNEW THAT PULLING YOUR HANDBRAKE WHEN YOU PARK THE CAR WAS ABUSE. *TR
REAR BRAKES AND ROTORS SHOT AT 12K MILES ON A 09 COBALT SS. *TR
REAR BRAKES HAVE EXTREME GOUGING AFTER ONLY 7,000 MILES AND ARE STARTING TO SQUEAL AND YOU CAN TELL THEY ARE STICKING TO THE ROTORS AND NOT FULLY RELEASING WHICH CAN TURN INTO A BIG LIABILITY ISSUE. GM NEEDS TO REPLACE THE REAR ROTORS WITH A QUALITY PRODUCT THAT CAN WITHSTAND THE REAR PADS USED.... OR REALLY NEEDS TO CHANGE TO B…
Read full complaint
REAR BRAKES HAVE EXTREME GOUGING AFTER ONLY 7,000 MILES AND ARE STARTING TO SQUEAL AND YOU CAN TELL THEY ARE STICKING TO THE ROTORS AND NOT FULLY RELEASING WHICH CAN TURN INTO A BIG LIABILITY ISSUE. GM NEEDS TO REPLACE THE REAR ROTORS WITH A QUALITY PRODUCT THAT CAN WITHSTAND THE REAR PADS USED.... OR REALLY NEEDS TO CHANGE TO BREMBO ROTOR/CALIPER LIKE THE FRONT. *TR
PREMATURE REAR BRAKE WEAR. INNER ROTOR SURFACE HAS GROOVES AND UNEVEN PAD WEAR. NOTICED AT 4500 MILES. *TR
MY REAR BRAKES ON MY 2009 COBALT SS WITH JUST OVER 17000 MILES ON IT WERE COMPLETELY GONE WHEN I TOOK THE CAR TO THE DEALERSHIP ON TUESDAY JULY 28TH OF 2009. I FIRST NOTICED SOME UNUSUAL NOISE COMING FROM THE REAR OF THE VEHICLE AT AROUND 15000 MILES. AT FIRST THE NOISE WAS SPORADIC AND I WAS NOT CONCERNED WITH IT BUT IT SOON …
Read full complaint
MY REAR BRAKES ON MY 2009 COBALT SS WITH JUST OVER 17000 MILES ON IT WERE COMPLETELY GONE WHEN I TOOK THE CAR TO THE DEALERSHIP ON TUESDAY JULY 28TH OF 2009. I FIRST NOTICED SOME UNUSUAL NOISE COMING FROM THE REAR OF THE VEHICLE AT AROUND 15000 MILES. AT FIRST THE NOISE WAS SPORADIC AND I WAS NOT CONCERNED WITH IT BUT IT SOON DEVELOPED INTO A CONSTANT FRICTION TYPE NOISE THAT COULD NOT BE IGNORED. AFTER LEAVING THE VEHICLE WITH THE DEALERSHIP ALL DAY THEY FOUND THE CAUSE OF THE PROBLEM. MY REAR BRAKES WERE METAL TO METAL WITH THE ROTORS. THE SERVICE EMPLOYEE ASKED ME IF I E-BRAKE SLIDE THE CAR, SINCE I WAS NOT EXACTLY FAMILIAR WITH THE TERM HE HAD TO CLARIFY ITS MEANING. I TOLD HIM I AM NOT AN E-BRAKE SLIDING KIND OF GUY AND ASKED HIM TO CHECK THE WARE ON THE TIRES IF HE DID NOT BELIEVE ME BECAUSE IT SOUNDS LIKE PERFORMING A MANEUVER LIKE THAT WOULD CAUSE THE TIRES TO HAVE BALD SPOTS. WE THE SERVICE PEOPLE COULD NOT FIND ANY BALD SPOTS THEY RULED THE BRAKE AS A DEFECT AND COVERED THEM UNDER WARRANTY. I JUST FIND IT UNUSUAL THAT THE REAR BRAKES WOULD DO THIS SO EARLY IN THE LIFE OF THE VEHICLE WHEN THE FRONT BRAKES LOOK LIKE THEY HAVE BARELY BEEN TOUCHED. IF I HAD BEEN TAKING A TURN OR HAVING TO BRAKE IN AN EMERGENCY I DON'T KNOW WHAT ALL COULD HAVE HAPPENED WHEN I HAVE REAR METAL TO METAL INSTEAD OF THE OEM BRAKE PADS TO PROTECT ME. *TR
WEARING OF REAR BRAKES. THIS INCLUDES DEEP SCORING OF THE ROTOR AND BRAKE PAD AS WELL AS LOUD GRINDING WHEN STOPPING. THIS HAS BEEN ONGOING SINCE 100 MILES. I AM NOW AT 5K MILES AND HAVE SEEN A FEW CARS WITH THE SAME PROBLEM. PADS AND ROTORS NEED TO BE REPLACED AND AN ALIGNMENT DONE. *TR
I BOUGHT A USED COBALT SS FROM A DEALER IN MEMPHIS ON JULY 15, AND DROVE IT HOME TO KANSAS, ABOUT 900 MILES. IT HAD ABOUT 3300 MILES ON IT, AND HAD BEEN IN GM FLEET SERVICE. IT NOW HAS 4600 MILES. THE REAR BRAKE ROTORS ARE SCORED BADLY ON BOTH SIDES, AND MY LOCAL DEALER WILL NOT DO ANYTHING FOR ME, CALLING IT "WEAR". IN MY O…
Read full complaint
I BOUGHT A USED COBALT SS FROM A DEALER IN MEMPHIS ON JULY 15, AND DROVE IT HOME TO KANSAS, ABOUT 900 MILES. IT HAD ABOUT 3300 MILES ON IT, AND HAD BEEN IN GM FLEET SERVICE. IT NOW HAS 4600 MILES. THE REAR BRAKE ROTORS ARE SCORED BADLY ON BOTH SIDES, AND MY LOCAL DEALER WILL NOT DO ANYTHING FOR ME, CALLING IT "WEAR". IN MY OPINION, THIS IS AN UNACCEPTABLE WEAR RATE ON BRAKES, WHICH IS A SAFETY CONCERN. I HAVE BEEN IN TOUCH WITH A NUMBER OF OTHER COBALT SS OWNERS WITH SIMILAR PROBLEMS. *TR
BRAKE PAD FAILURE: AT ROUTINE SERVICE, 17,665 MILES, DEALER FOUND REAR, INNER BRAKE PADS EXCESSIVELY WORN. RIGHT PAD WAS GONE, ROTOR BEING SCORED. LEFT WAS LESS THAN 5% REMAINING. OTHER PADS WITHIN NORMAL LIMITS. REPLACEMENT PADS ARE NOT IN STOCK AT GM, BACK-ORDERED. *TR
Official recalls
0No recalls in this snapshot.
Model-level recall history does not show whether a particular VIN is affected or has received a repair. Check a VIN with NHTSA ↗
NHTSA investigations
2PE20011 · Fuel Line Leak
Opened Jul 5, 2020 · Closed Aug 17, 2023
Status: closed (inferred from source dates) · Fuel System, Gasoline; Fuel System, Other:delivery:hoses, Lines/piping, And Fittings; Fuel/propulsion System
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 shield. The AGE coating consists of an annealed zinc aluminum alloy metal coating with extended corrosion protection paint. Under certain conditions, water and corrosive road deicing agents may enter a crevice between the heat shield and the AGE coating. With extended environmental exposure in high corrosive environments, the AGE coating can degrade. If it degrades enough, the base metal lines may begin to corrode beneath the heat shield.Corrosion to the fuel lines may eventually cause a perforation to develop in the line, allowing fuel vapors to escape from between the line and the heat shield, emitting a fuel odor that will be detectable to the vehicle operator. If the corrosion progresses, fuel may begin to weep from the line. Further metal degradation due to corrosion could create a drip or a mist of fuel. If this occurs, vehicle owners may see drips, spots, or puddles on the ground near the rear portion of the vehicle, primarily along the driver's side rear wheel.The majority of allegations (85%) were reported for vehicles that are operated in the salt belt region of the United States. This area includes states in the Northeast, mid-Atlantic, and Midwest regions. Additionally, the average failure mileage in the subject vehicles is approximately 111,000 across all data sources.Considering the low manufacturer complaint/warranty rates of fuel line replacement, the fact that the majority of failures are concentrated in salt belt states, high failure mileages, as well as the field exposure time for the subject vehicles, and the highly detectable and progressive nature of this failure over time, the potential safety consequences of this issue are very low. To date, there have been no reported crashes, injuries, or fatalities related to this issue. There are two reported fires in ODI data and no reported fires in GM data. Both ODI reported fires were minor, occurred after the vehicle was parked, and were extinguished utilizing fire extinguishers.In view of the progressive failure occurring at high mileages, the age of the subject vehicles, the high detectability of the leak, and the majority of failures occurred in salt belt states, this Preliminary Evaluation is closed. The agency reserves the right to take additional action if warranted by new circumstances.Review the ODI reports cited above at nhtsa.gov under the attached identification numbers.
Additional source detail variants (3)
Fuel/propulsion System
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 shield. The AGE coating consists of an annealed zinc aluminum alloy metal coating with extended corrosion protection paint. Under certain conditions, water and corrosive road deicing agents may enter a crevice between the heat shield and the AGE coating. With extended environmental exposure in high corrosive environments, the AGE coating can degrade. If it degrades enough, the base metal lines may begin to corrode beneath the heat shield.Corrosion to the fuel lines may eventually cause a perforation to develop in the line, allowing fuel vapors to escape from between the line and the heat shield, emitting a fuel odor that will be detectable to the vehicle operator. If the corrosion progresses, fuel may begin to weep from the line. Further metal degradation due to corrosion could create a drip or a mist of fuel. If this occurs, vehicle owners may see drips, spots, or puddles on the ground near the rear portion of the vehicle, primarily along the driver's side rear wheel.The majority of allegations (85%) were reported for vehicles that are operated in the salt belt region of the United States. This area includes states in the Northeast, mid-Atlantic, and Midwest regions. Additionally, the average failure mileage in the subject vehicles is approximately 111,000 across all data sources.Considering the low manufacturer complaint/warranty rates of fuel line replacement, the fact that the majority of failures are concentrated in salt belt states, high failure mileages, as well as the field exposure time for the subject vehicles, and the highly detectable and progressive nature of this failure over time, the potential safety consequences of this issue are very low. To date, there have been no reported crashes, injuries, or fatalities related to this issue. There are two reported fires in ODI data and no reported fires in GM data. Both ODI reported fires were minor, occurred after the vehicle was parked, and were extinguished utilizing fire extinguishers.In view of the progressive failure occurring at high mileages, the age of the subject vehicles, the high detectability of the leak, and the majority of failures occurred in salt belt states, this Preliminary Evaluation is closed. The agency reserves the right to take additional action if warranted by new circumstances.Review the ODI reports cited above at nhtsa.gov under the attached identification numbers.
Fuel System, Gasoline
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 shield. The AGE coating consists of an annealed zinc aluminum alloy metal coating with extended corrosion protection paint. Under certain conditions, water and corrosive road deicing agents may enter a crevice between the heat shield and the AGE coating. With extended environmental exposure in high corrosive environments, the AGE coating can degrade. If it degrades enough, the base metal lines may begin to corrode beneath the heat shield.Corrosion to the fuel lines may eventually cause a perforation to develop in the line, allowing fuel vapors to escape from between the line and the heat shield, emitting a fuel odor that will be detectable to the vehicle operator. If the corrosion progresses, fuel may begin to weep from the line. Further metal degradation due to corrosion could create a drip or a mist of fuel. If this occurs, vehicle owners may see drips, spots, or puddles on the ground near the rear portion of the vehicle, primarily along the driver's side rear wheel.The majority of allegations (85%) were reported for vehicles that are operated in the salt belt region of the United States. This area includes states in the Northeast, mid-Atlantic, and Midwest regions. Additionally, the average failure mileage in the subject vehicles is approximately 111,000 across all data sources.Considering the low manufacturer complaint/warranty rates of fuel line replacement, the fact that the majority of failures are concentrated in salt belt states, high failure mileages, as well as the field exposure time for the subject vehicles, and the highly detectable and progressive nature of this failure over time, the potential safety consequences of this issue are very low. To date, there have been no reported crashes, injuries, or fatalities related to this issue. There are two reported fires in ODI data and no reported fires in GM data. Both ODI reported fires were minor, occurred after the vehicle was parked, and were extinguished utilizing fire extinguishers.In view of the progressive failure occurring at high mileages, the age of the subject vehicles, the high detectability of the leak, and the majority of failures occurred in salt belt states, this Preliminary Evaluation is closed. The agency reserves the right to take additional action if warranted by new circumstances.Review the ODI reports cited above at nhtsa.gov under the attached identification numbers.
Fuel System, Other:delivery:hoses, Lines/piping, And Fittings
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 shield. The AGE coating consists of an annealed zinc aluminum alloy metal coating with extended corrosion protection paint. Under certain conditions, water and corrosive road deicing agents may enter a crevice between the heat shield and the AGE coating. With extended environmental exposure in high corrosive environments, the AGE coating can degrade. If it degrades enough, the base metal lines may begin to corrode beneath the heat shield.Corrosion to the fuel lines may eventually cause a perforation to develop in the line, allowing fuel vapors to escape from between the line and the heat shield, emitting a fuel odor that will be detectable to the vehicle operator. If the corrosion progresses, fuel may begin to weep from the line. Further metal degradation due to corrosion could create a drip or a mist of fuel. If this occurs, vehicle owners may see drips, spots, or puddles on the ground near the rear portion of the vehicle, primarily along the driver's side rear wheel.The majority of allegations (85%) were reported for vehicles that are operated in the salt belt region of the United States. This area includes states in the Northeast, mid-Atlantic, and Midwest regions. Additionally, the average failure mileage in the subject vehicles is approximately 111,000 across all data sources.Considering the low manufacturer complaint/warranty rates of fuel line replacement, the fact that the majority of failures are concentrated in salt belt states, high failure mileages, as well as the field exposure time for the subject vehicles, and the highly detectable and progressive nature of this failure over time, the potential safety consequences of this issue are very low. To date, there have been no reported crashes, injuries, or fatalities related to this issue. There are two reported fires in ODI data and no reported fires in GM data. Both ODI reported fires were minor, occurred after the vehicle was parked, and were extinguished utilizing fire extinguishers.In view of the progressive failure occurring at high mileages, the age of the subject vehicles, the high detectability of the leak, and the majority of failures occurred in salt belt states, this Preliminary Evaluation is closed. The agency reserves the right to take additional action if warranted by new circumstances.Review the ODI reports cited above at nhtsa.gov under the attached identification numbers.
PE10005 · Electric Power Steering Failure
Opened Jan 27, 2010 · Closed Jul 19, 2010
Status: closed (inferred from source dates) · Steering:electric Power Assist System
In a March 1, 2010 letter, General Motors Corporation (GM) provided a defect information report to NHTSA regarding a problem that could result in sudden loss of power steering assist in certain model year (MY) 2005 through 2010 Chevrolet Cobalt and MY 2007 through 2010 Pontiac G5 vehicles equipped with electric power steering (EPS).The letter indicates that the loss of steering assist could occur at any time while driving and that, once assist is lost, a message is displayed on the Driver Information Center (DIC) and a chime sounds to inform the driver.The letter further states that steering control is maintained in manual mode, but would require greater driver effort at low vehicle speeds.In the next ignition cycle, power assist is typically regained and the DIC message is no longer displayed.GM's letter identifies the root cause of the EPS failure as the EPS motor and indicates that production of a new motor started in December 2009.GM's recall repair procedure instructs dealers to replace the EPS motor in all recalled vehicles. ODI's analysis of all information available related to sudden loss of EPS assist while driving in the MY 2005 through 2009 Chevrolet Cobalt vehicles shows current complaint and warranty rates of 323/100,000 vehicles and 0.4% respectively.In response to ODI's request for information, GM identified 81 complaints where a crash was claimed that may be related to loss of EPS assist.ODI's analysis of all crash claims was based on verifiable factors such as; whether a loss of EPS was indicated at the time of the crash by a chime or malfunction indicator lamp or if a EPS related component malfunction was identified after the crash occurred.With this method ODI identified 36 possible crashes related to EPS failure.GM assessed crash claims based on the available facts and excluded crash claims that indicated that the vehicle was travelling at speeds in the range of 30 mph or greater.GM said that it believes if power assist is lost while a vehicle is moving at speeds in the range of 30 mph or greater there is a small difference in steering efforts perceived in subjective evaluations at those speeds and it is unlikely to lead to loss of vehicle control. Based on GM's safety recall, this investigation is closed.