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U.S. public vehicle records

2009 Chevrolet COBALT SS: complaints, problems and recalls

Explore the records behind recurring owner reports.

Key facts

190 owner complaints analyzed

0 distinct recall campaigns

11,900 mi median reported failure mileage

Scope: 2009 model year. Data snapshot: . 174 complaints include usable failure mileage.

Owner-reported patterns

Most common problems

Service Brakes, Hydraulic is the most frequently named component, appearing in 133 of 190 complaints (70.0%). A complaint can name multiple components.

Recurring terms in complaint narratives
TopicMatching reportsShare of complaints
Braking behavior15682.1%
Transmission and shifting42.1%
Fuel system concerns42.1%
Electrical and battery issues21.1%
Steering behavior21.1%

Topic matches use published keyword rules. They describe mentions, including negations or comparisons, and do not confirm a diagnosis. Read the matching rules.

Component breakdown

Number of unique complaints naming each component. Top eight shown.

Service Brakes, Hydraulic
133
Parking Brake
18
Service Brakes
13
Air Bags
8
Electrical System
7
Fuel/Propulsion System
6
Service Brakes, Electric
6
Steering
4
Component breakdown data
CategoryCount
Service Brakes, Hydraulic133
Parking Brake18
Service Brakes13
Air Bags8
Electrical System7
Fuel/Propulsion System6
Service Brakes, Electric6
Steering4

Service Brakes, Hydraulic: 133; Parking Brake: 18; Service Brakes: 13; Air Bags: 8; Electrical System: 7; Fuel/Propulsion System: 6; Service Brakes, Electric: 6; Steering: 4

Reported problems by failure mileage

Complaint counts in mileage bands. These are not failure rates per vehicle or mile.

Under 25,000
133
25,000 to 49,999
23
50,000 to 74,999
9
75,000 to 99,999
6
100,000 to 149,999
2
150,000 and above
1
Reported problems by failure mileage data
CategoryCount
Under 25,000133
25,000 to 49,99923
50,000 to 74,9999
75,000 to 99,9996
100,000 to 149,9992
150,000 and above1

Under 25,000: 133; 25,000 to 49,999: 23; 50,000 to 74,999: 9; 75,000 to 99,999: 6; 100,000 to 149,999: 2; 150,000 and above: 1

Under 25,000 miles has the most reports with usable mileage (133). 16 complaints have missing, zero or invalid mileage.

Complaints over time

Year the complaint was filed, not the vehicle model year or incident year. The snapshot year is partial.

2009
58
2010
76
2011
20
2012
10
2013
2
2014
8
2015
6
2016
2
2017
2
2018
5
2019
1
Complaints over time data
CategoryCount
200958
201076
201120
201210
20132
20148
20156
20162
20172
20185
20191

2009: 58; 2010: 76; 2011: 20; 2012: 10; 2013: 2; 2014: 8; 2015: 6; 2016: 2; 2017: 2; 2018: 5; 2019: 1

Pattern summary

Service Brakes, Hydraulic leads the component reports. Braking behavior appears in 156 complaint narratives. Transmission and shifting appears in 4 complaint narratives. Fuel system concerns appears in 4 complaint narratives. Use these patterns to inspect individual reports and prepare questions for a mechanic.

Calculated from recorded counts. An AI narrative has not been published for this selection.

Examples from the source records

Examples provide context, not a representative sample or a verified diagnosis.

Owner report 10263782 · 2009-03-31 (March 31, 2009)

ON MY 09 CHEVY COBALT SS THE REAR BRAKES GOT VERY LOUD. THE FAILURE WAS THE INNER REAR BRAKE PADS WENT METAL TO METAL BY 8000 MILES FROM NEW. THE OUTER PADS WERE LIKE NEW. DEALERSHIP RESURFACED THE ROTORS AND REPLACED THE PADS. THEY HAD THE CAR 5 DAYS AND GAVE ME A RENTAL. 2000 MILES LATER AND THE BRAKES ARE GETTING LOUD AGAIN. *TR

Owner-reported narrative. 8,104 miles reported. Look up ODI 10263782 at NHTSA ↗

Owner report 10266359 · 2009-04-22 (April 22, 2009)

MY ORIGINAL COMPLAINT IS 10263782. I NOW HAVE TO HAVE THE REAR BRAKE PADS REPLACED AGAIN. WENT FROM NEW TO 3/32 IN LESS THAN 4000 MILES. IN LESS THAN 12,000 MILES THE REAR INNER PADS HAVE BEEN REPLACED TWICE AND THE ROTORS RESURFACED ONCE. *TR

Owner-reported narrative. 11,700 miles reported. Look up ODI 10266359 at NHTSA ↗

Owner report 10272343 · 2009-05-29 (May 29, 2009)

MY 2009 COBALT SS HAS 10,800 MILES AND AT 7K MILES, THE REAR BRAKES BEGAN TO SQUEAK. YOU CAN FEEL THAT THE ROTORS IN THE REAR ARE GROOVED TERRIBLY, AND THE INSIDE OF THE REAR PADS ARE EVEN WORSE. THE CAR IS AT THE DEALER NOW GETTING THIS FIXED AFTER I HAD ALREADY TAKEN IT TO ANOTHER DEALERSHIP AND THEY WROTE IT OFF AS "WEAR AND TEAR". REAR ROTORS DO NOT GET WORN OUT IN 10K MILES. *TR

Owner-reported narrative. 6,000 miles reported. Look up ODI 10272343 at NHTSA ↗

Owner report 10276834 · 2009-07-15 (July 15, 2009)

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

Owner-reported narrative. 17,665 miles reported. Look up ODI 10276834 at NHTSA ↗

Owner report 10278491 · 2009-07-27 (July 27, 2009)

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

Owner-reported narrative. 4,000 miles reported. Look up ODI 10278491 at NHTSA ↗

Owner report 10278840 · 2009-07-30 (July 30, 2009)

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

Owner-reported narrative. 5,000 miles reported. Look up ODI 10278840 at NHTSA ↗

Owner report 10278853 · 2009-07-31 (July 31, 2009)

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. T…

Owner-reported narrative. 15,000 miles reported. Look up ODI 10278853 at NHTSA ↗

Owner report 10279034 · 2009-08-01 (August 1, 2009)

PREMATURE REAR BRAKE WEAR. INNER ROTOR SURFACE HAS GROOVES AND UNEVEN PAD WEAR. NOTICED AT 4500 MILES. *TR

Owner-reported narrative. 4,500 miles reported. Look up ODI 10279034 at NHTSA ↗

Recall history

0 distinct campaigns affect this selection. Announcement dates below are different from vehicle model years. A campaign may cover multiple years.

No recall campaigns are recorded in this snapshot.