Total Complaints
2 filings
CHEVROLET COBALT · model year
2 NHTSA complaints. A VIN lookup is required to determine whether a specific vehicle has an unrepaired recall.
NHTSA overall rating
Not crash-tested
New Car Assessment Program
The 2011CHEVROLETCOBALT carries 2 consumer safety complaints in NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation database for this specific model-year cohort. Within that volume, owners reported 0 crashes, 0 fires, 0 injuries, and 0 fatalities. No NCAP 5-star crash-test rating is available for this model year in the federal database.
The most frequently selected component label in reports for the 2011 COBALT is steering with 2 filings. Complaint categories reflect owner reports and intake categorization; they do not establish a defect pattern or cause.
NHTSA currently has 57 investigation files overlapping the 2011 COBALT, and 2 remain open. Owners comparing this cohort against neighboring years should read the complaint-by-year trend as report volume, not a causal diagnosis. Use the related-complaint feed and the official recall lookup when researching a specific vehicle.
Total Complaints
2 filings
Crashes Reported
0 reports
Source
NHTSA ODI
Federal complaints database
At or below the fleet median complaint volume.
| Component | Count |
|---|---|
| STEERING | 2 |
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2011 CHEVROLET COBALT. WHILE DRIVING 1 MPH, THE STEERING WHEEL BECAME DIFFICULT TO TURN. THERE WERE NO WARNING INDICATORS ILLUMINATED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC WHO REFERRED THE CONTACT TO COURTESY CHEVROLET (1233 E CAMELBACK RD, PHOENIX, AZ 85014, (602) 635-2559). THE DEALER STATED THAT THE VEHICLE WAS NOT INCLUDED IN NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 10V073000 (STEERING). THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT CONTACTED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 80,000. THE VIN WAS UNKNOWN.
Mileage: 80,000
WE BOUGHT THE 2011 COBALT USED FROM SHELOR MOTOR MILE IN CHRISTENBURG, VIRGINIA. WE NOTICED ABOUT 1 DAY LATER THAT THERE WAS A POPPING IN THE STEERING WHEN YOU TURN THE STEERING WHEEL TO THE RIGHT AND EVEN TO THE LEFT. WE'VE ALREADY HAD IT CHECKED AT THE CHEVROLET DEALERSHIP HERE IN WYTHEVILLE, VIRGINIA AND WAS TOLD THE IT WAS THE INTERM SHAFT DEALING WITH THE STEERING, ($69.00), JUST TO HAVE IT CHECKED. WE'VE DONE ALOT OF CHECKING AND FOUND OUT THAT THERE'S A LOT OF COMPLANTS AND RECALLS FOR THE STEERING FOR THE COBALT. WHEN YOU'RE DRIVING AND START TO MAKE A TURN ABOUT 10 MILES AN HOUR, YOU CAN FEEL THE STEERING ACTS LIKE IT CATCHES. WE'VE ALSO CONTACTED GM ABOUT THIS AND WAS TOLD THAT THERE ISN'T ANY RECALLS FOR THE STEERING. WE FEEL THAT THIS DEFECT SHOULD BE REPAIRED BY GM AND OUR $69.00 THAT WE'VE ALREADY SPENT. WE HAVE JUST OVER 44500 MILES ON THE CAR. *TR
Mileage: 42,500
Loss of motive power due to engine failure
Loss of Motive Power due to the Battery Energy Control Module
Electric Vehicle Battery Fires
Outboard Front Seat Belt Anchor Cable Failure
Fuel Line Leak
Data vintage: August 2026. Sources: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) complaints database, NHTSA recall campaign API, NHTSA NCAP crash-test ratings, and NHTSA FARS for fatality cross-reference.
Every figure on PlainCars is rendered directly from NHTSA complaint and safety data, no number is typed in by an editor. This year-specific record is rendered from NHTSA ODI, recall, and NCAP rows for the 2011 CHEVROLET COBALT; no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of August 2026.
Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.