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2010 Chevrolet Cobalt

For every car sold, owners filed somewhat fewer complaints about the 2010 Cobalt than about the typical Cobalt year. Among the 3 Cobalt years with enough complaints to compare, owners filed the fewest about this one, the 2010 (0.82 per 1,000 sold) and the most about the 2009 (1.75).

Safety complaints filed by owners in the first three years, per 1,000 sold.

0.82 per 1,000

0.8 times this nameplate’s own median

Counted from 83 complaints filed in the first three years, of 583 ever. 95% lower bound 0.64.

Every Cobalt model yearComplaints per 1,000 sold, first three years
This yearOther yearsTypical year, 1.01

Against its own model years

The model year carries far more information than the badge, so this is the comparison that matters. The bar is how many complaints each rate rests on.

Model yearPer 1,000Complaints
20081.01190
20091.75256
20100.8283

Issues owners of the 2010 Cobalt report

Phrases over-represented in these complaints compared with the same component on every other vehicle. Counts are complaints containing the phrase.

Steering 242 complaints

steering warning5221%
light illuminated3816%
motor3213%
chevy3012%
repaired approximate2611%
included campaign229%

Electrical System 128 complaints

power steering2721%
ignition switch2520%
air bags1814%
bags1814%
bags electrical1310%
campaign air129%

Fuel/Propulsion System 101 complaints

rear tire1818%
left rear1717%
side rear1717%
rear wheel1313%

When it breaks

14% of reported failures happened before 30,000 miles (median 63,797 miles, from 463 complaints that recorded one).

Failures arrive late and spread out, which looks like wear. Service history matters more than model year here.

What NHTSA did

1 investigation covering this model year, 0 of which list a recall campaign. Owners had filed 356 complaints about this component over roughly 95 months before an investigation opened.

Fuel Line Leak

Questions buyers ask about the 2010 Chevrolet Cobalt

Is 2010 a good year or a bad year for the Cobalt?

For every car sold, owners filed somewhat fewer complaints about the 2010 Cobalt than about the typical Cobalt year. Among the 3 Cobalt years with enough complaints to compare, owners filed the fewest about this one, the 2010 (0.82 per 1,000 sold) and the most about the 2009 (1.75). The typical year is the median across its model years.

What problems does the 2010 Cobalt have?

The parts owners named most often in complaints filed to date: Steering (242), Electrical System (128), Fuel/Propulsion System (101). The phrases they used are listed above.

Is the 2010 Cobalt reliable?

Complaint records cannot settle that on their own. They count safety problems owners chose to report to the federal government, not every repair. What they do show is how this year compares with the other Cobalt years: for every car sold, owners filed somewhat fewer complaints about the 2010 Cobalt than about the typical Cobalt year.

Which Cobalt year has the fewest complaints?

Among years with enough complaints to compare, the 2010, at 0.82 per 1,000 sold. Every Cobalt year, ranked.

What the used-car guides say

No guide we read covers the Cobalt.

Check this yourself

Example records behind this page, each on NHTSA’s own site:

Limits of this figure. It counts safety complaints filed with the federal government, which is a floor on failures and not a census: problems that only cost money are under-reported. Complaint rates also reflect how likely a brand’s owners are to file, which cannot be separated from how often the car fails. Sales are calendar-year and the denominator for this nameplate is taken year by year from published US sales figures, each one quoted from a named source.