Of the 3 Cobalt model years with enough complaints to compare, owners filed the most about the 2009 (1.75) and the fewest about the 2010 (0.82), per 1,000 sold in the first three years.
Median across these years: 1.01 per 1,000 sold in the first three years. A model year well above its own nameplate’s median is the signal worth acting on.
Each model year with a verified denominator. Follow a year for what owners reported about it.
| Model year | Per 1,000 | Complaints | Most-reported part |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | 1.75 | 256 | Fuel/Propulsion System 21% |
| 2008 | 1.01 | 190 | Steering 26% |
| 2010 | 0.82 | 83 | Steering 30% |
Safety complaints owners filed with NHTSA in each model year’s first three years on the road, divided by how many were sold, so a year that sold twice as many cars is not penalised for it.