2007 Chevrolet Cobalt problems & reliability
1,564 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for the 2007 Chevrolet Cobalt, alongside 5 safety recall campaigns. Last verified Aug 7, 2026. Complaints are unverified reports submitted by owners to the federal Office of Defects Investigation.
Each complaint is counted once (by NHTSA case number), even when it names several vehicles.
72 complaints report injuries (109 injured, 7 deaths reported).
Federal crash records (FARS 2020–2023): 2007 Chevrolet Cobalt vehicles were involved in 118 fatal crashes with 95 occupant deaths. Involvement counts are not adjusted for how many are on the road and do not imply fault or a vehicle defect.
Most reported problems
| Component | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Steering | 689 | 44% |
| Fuel/propulsion System | 283 | 18% |
| Electrical System | 281 | 18% |
| Fuel System, Gasoline | 150 | 10% |
| Air Bags | 144 | 9% |
| Suspension | 75 | 5% |
| Engine | 56 | 4% |
| Power Train | 43 | 3% |
| Service Brakes | 25 | 2% |
| Engine and Engine Cooling | 24 | 2% |
Component groups as classified by NHTSA. A complaint can name more than one component, so shares may sum to more than 100%.
Common symptoms owners describe
Keyword analysis of complaint narratives; one complaint can describe several symptoms.
Mileage when problems occurred
Half of the failures with a reported odometer reading occurred by 65,000 miles (middle 50% between 43,000 and 100,000 miles), based on 1,252 complaints that included mileage.
Complaints by incident year
What owners report
“Fuel Leak it smells and leaks it seems to be coming from the gas tank and sometimes I get random electric failure when I'm driving I lose power steering and My brakes get stiff and hard to push down and my dash will go Off and then go crazy and show that i have no gas”
Electrical System · filed Jul 3, 2026
“I observed my mother’s 2007 Chevy Cobalt was leaking fuel near the rear tire by the fuel tank. I inspected the tank with engine off and it does not leak. Only with engine running. I lowered the tank and observed a small crack on the plastic return line on the fuel pump module. I started looking online and could not…”
Fuel/propulsion System · filed Apr 15, 2026
“The contact owned a 2007 Chevrolet Cobalt. The contact stated that while the son was driving at approximately 52 MPH, the vehicle crashed head-on into a second vehicle. During the crash, no air bags had deployed, and the driver sustained fatal injuries. Also, during the crash, the ignition key broke off inside the…”
Air Bags · filed Mar 17, 2026
Verbatim excerpts from complaints filed with NHTSA. Reports are not independently verified.
Federal defect investigations
- Electric Power Steering Failure
Preliminary Evaluation PE10005 · opened Jan 27, 2010 · closed Jul 19, 2010 · led to recall 10V073000
Technical service bulletins
884 manufacturer communications (TSBs, service campaigns, warranty extensions) are on file with NHTSA for the 2007 Chevrolet Cobalt. The 10 most recent:
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…
PIC5650M · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Aug 7, 2025
This PI communicates the requirement to provide a pico file to receive diagnostic assistance from TAC.
PIP5601C · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jul 18, 2025
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.
PIT5074R · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued May 30, 2025
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.
PIT5074R · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued May 30, 2025
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.
PIT5074R · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued May 30, 2025
This Preliminary Information communication provides information to the technician about vehicles that have an unusual noise and is difficult to identify, isolate or pinpoint. Technician should get record a sound clip or…
PIP5358D · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Feb 20, 2025
This Preliminary Information communication provides information to the technician about the use of J-35616-64B terminal test probe, replacement terminals, and terminated leads. The J-35616-64B is the latest test probe…
PIT5074Q · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Dec 7, 2024
This Preliminary Information communicates to the dealer the process for downloading or updating operating software for the Tire Pressure Monitor, Active Fuel Injector tester, multi media tester, PICO Scope, GR8…
PIP4723J · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Oct 25, 2024
This service bulletin provides information for maintenance cleaning of the fuel injectors and gasoline detergent additive.
04-06-04-051J · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Sep 27, 2024
This service bulletin provides information on some vehicles that may rock or move slightly forward or rearward while in Park at start up after cold soak. This condition may be accompanied by a clunk noise. This is a…
08-07-30-026I · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Sep 16, 2024
TSBs are repair guidance manufacturers send to dealers — they are not recalls and repairs are not automatically free. Full documents are available on NHTSA’s site.
Safety recalls
The 2007 Chevrolet Cobalt has 5 NHTSA recall campaigns — recall repairs are free at franchised dealers regardless of the vehicle’s age.
Check whether your specific vehicle is affected
Recall campaigns often cover only certain VIN ranges. Enter your VIN on the official NHTSA site to confirm whether your vehicle is included and whether the repair is still open.
Check VIN on NHTSA →Buying a used 2007 Chevrolet Cobalt?
- · Decode the seller’s VIN with our free VIN decoder to confirm the exact year, engine and trim.
- · Check for unrepaired recalls by VIN on NHTSA’s official lookup — recall repairs are free.
- · Owners most often reported problems around 65,000 miles — budget accordingly if the car is approaching that mileage.