2007 Chevrolet Cobalt Problems, Complaints & Recalls

Source: NHTSA · Updated Jul 3, 2026 · 1,564 owner complaints analyzed

Compared with other Cobalt years
Far more complaints than other years 3rd of 13 for complaints
NHTSA crash rating
Not rated

Owners have filed 1,564 complaints with NHTSA about the 2007 Chevrolet Cobalt. That ranks 3rd out of 13 Cobalt model years for complaints. The most reported problem area is steering (689 complaints, 44%), typically at around 52,111 miles. Complaints mention 116 crashes, 16 fires, 109 injuries. There are 5 safety recalls covering this model year. NHTSA has opened 1 defect investigation involving it.

Chevrolet Cobalt
2005-2007 Chevrolet Cobalt photographed in USA.. Representative photo; appearance varies by model year. Photo: IFCAR, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.

Complaints are unverified owner reports and are not adjusted for sales volume.

Compare with another car

Most common 2007 Chevrolet Cobalt problems

Complaints grouped by the part of the car owners reported, with the median mileage when the problem happened.

Steering689 · ~52,111 mi
Fuel/propulsion System283 · ~95,500 mi
Electrical System281 · ~73,000 mi
Fuel System, Gasoline150 · ~70,000 mi
Air Bags144 · ~70,000 mi
Suspension75 · ~39,836 mi
Engine56 · ~100,100 mi
Power Train43 · ~51,581 mi
Service Brakes25 · ~83,800 mi
Engine and Engine Cooling24 · ~49,500 mi
Problem areaComplaintsShareMedian milesOwners mention mostTypical repair cost
Steering problems68944%52,111“steering failed” (9%)$1,500
Fuel/propulsion System problems28318%95,500“fuel pump” (42%)$960
Electrical System problems28118%73,000“ignition switch” (17%)$420
Fuel System, Gasoline problems15010%70,000“fuel pump” (51%)$1,350
Air Bags problems1449%70,000“air bags electrical” (18%)—
Suspension problems755%39,836“control arm” (40%)$710
Engine problems564%100,100“timing chain” (14%)—
Power Train433%51,581——
Service Brakes252%83,800——
Engine and Engine Cooling242%49,500——
Unknown or Other242%80,000——
Electronic Stability Control (esc)221%97,563——
Service Brakes, Hydraulic191%32,000——
Structure191%54,000——
Vehicle Speed Control191%78,000——
Exterior Lighting141%63,500——
Seat Belts141%57,500——
Tires141%15,000——
Equipment121%51,000——
Wheels121%11,900——
Latches/locks/linkages111%59,389——
Parking Brake81%55,750——
Visibility60%31,000——
Equipment Adaptive/mobility30%105,577——
Fuel System, Other30%62,000——
Traction Control System30%119,400——
Seats20%30,004——
Service Brakes, Air20%109,269——
Service Brakes, Electric20%17,830——

One complaint can list several problem areas, so shares can add up to more than 100%.

Complaints by year received

Peak: 2010, with 333 complaints
2006: 120062007: 192008: 2920082009: 1642010: 33320103332011: 902012: 15120122013: 962014: 25820142015: 1072016: 7320162017: 612018: 5420182019: 332020: 3420202021: 262022: 1420222023: 82024: 520242025: 42026: 42026

n = 1,564 complaints · Source: NHTSA

2007 Chevrolet Cobalt recalls (5)

Tap a recall to see the problem, the risk and the fix.

Electrical system:ignitionApr 10, 2014 · NHTSA campaign 14V171000 · 2,191,014 vehicles

Problem: General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2005-2010 Chevrolet Cobalt, 2006-2011 Chevrolet HHR, 2007-2010 Pontiac G5, 2006-2010 Pontiac Solstice, 2003-2007 Saturn Ion, and 2007-2010 Saturn Sky vehicles. In the affected vehicles, the key can be removed from the ignition when the ignition is not in the "Off" position.

Risk: If the key can be removed from the ignition when the ignition is not in the "off" position, the vehicle could roll away: (a) for an automatic transmission, if the transmission is not in the "Park" position; or (b) for a manual transmission, if the parking brake is not engaged and the transmission is not in the "Reverse" position. This potential for rollaway increases the risk for a crash and occupant or pedestrian injuries.

Fix: General Motors will notify owners, and for vehicles that were built with the defective ignition cylinder and have not previously had the ignition cylinder replaced with the redesigned part, dealers will replace the ignition cylinder and cut and, if necessary, re-learn two ignition/door keys for each vehicle. For vehicles that were built with the redesigned ignition cylinder or had the ignition cylinder replaced with the redesigned part, dealers will cut and, if necessary, re-learn two ignition/door keys for each vehicle. The recall began on April 18, 2014. Chevrolet owners may contact General Motors at 1-800-222-1020, Pontiac owners at 1-800-762-2737, and Saturn owners at 1-800-553-6000. General Motors' number for this recall is 14113 for the ignition lock cylinder and key replacement, and 14133 for only key replacements. Note: Until a vehicle has been remedied, owners and operators are advised that when exiting, to be sure that the vehicle is in "Park," or in the case of a manual transmission, that the vehicle is in the "Reverse" position and the parking brake is engaged.

Air bags; electrical system:ignition:switchFeb 10, 2014 · NHTSA campaign 14V047000 · 2,190,934 vehicles

Problem: This defect can affect the safe operation of the airbag system. Until this recall is performed, customers should remove all items from their key rings, leaving only the ignition key. The key fob (if applicable), should also be removed from the key ring. General Motors LLC (GM) notified the agency on February 10, 2014 that they are recalling 619,122 model year 2005-2007 Chevrolet Cobalt, and 2007 Pontiac G5 vehicles. On February 25, 2014, GM increased the recall to include an additional 748,024 model year 2006-2007 Chevrolet HHR and Pontiac Solstice vehicles and 2003-2007 Saturn Ion vehicles and 2007 Saturn Sky vehicles. In these models, the weight on the key ring and/or road conditions or some other jarring event may cause the ignition switch to move out of the run position, turning off the engine. On March 27, 2014, GM notified the agency that the defective ignition switches may have been used as service replacement parts on other vehicles, and as a result GM will be recalling certain model year 2008-2010 Chevrolet Cobalt, Saturn Sky, and Pontiac G5 and Solstice, and 2008-2011 Chevrolet HHR vehicles. The part numbers for the service parts are 10392423 (a/k/a ACDelco D1461F), 10392737, 15857948, 15854953, 15896640, and 25846762. This expansion represents an additional 823,788 vehicles.

Risk: If the key is not in the run position, the air bags may not deploy if the vehicle is involved in a crash, increasing the risk of injury.

Fix: GM will notify owners, and dealers will replace the ignition switch, free of charge. An interim notification was issued to owners of 2007 and earlier models on March 10, 2014, informing them of the safety defect. Owners of 2008 and later vehicles will be mailed an interim letter on April 21, 2014. All affected owners will receive another letter once parts are available. The recall began on April 18, 2014. Owners may contact Chevrolet at 1-800-222-1020, Pontiac at 1-800-762-2737 or Saturn at 1-800-553-6000. GM's number for the initial recall is 13454 and 14063 for the expansion. GM’s recall number for the vehicles that may have received the replacement parts is 14092. Note: Until the recall repairs have been performed, it is very important that customers remove all items from their key rings, leaving only the vehicle key. The key fob (if applicable), should also be removed from the key ring. Always wear your seatbelt.

Fuel system, gasoline:delivery:fuel pumpSep 19, 2012 · NHTSA campaign 12V459000 · 49,768 vehicles

Problem: General Motors (GM) is recalling certain model year 2007 Chevrolet Equinox and Pontiac Torrent vehicles originally sold or currently registered in Arizona, California, Nevada, and Texas; model year 2007 Chevrolet Cobalt, Pontiac G5, and Saturn ION vehicles originally sold, or currently registered in, Arizona, California, Florida, Nevada, or Texas; model year 2008 Chevrolet Cobalt and Pontiac G5 vehicles originally sold, or currently registered in, Arizona; and model year 2009 Chevrolet Cobalt and Pontiac G5 vehicles originally sold, or currently registered in, Arkansas, Arizona, California, Nevada, Oklahoma, or Texas. Some of these vehicles have a condition in which the plastic supply or return port on the fuel pump module may crack, which could cause a fuel leak.

Risk: Fuel leakage in the presence of an ignition source may result in a fire.

Fix: GM will notify owners, and dealers will replace the fuel pump module, free of charge. Notification to owners began on on November 21, 2012. Owners were instructed to not bring their vehicles in for repair until January 2013. Owners may contact General Motors at 1-800-521-7300.

Steering:electric power assist systemMar 3, 2010 · NHTSA campaign 10V073000 · 1,050,889 vehicles

Problem: General motors is recalling certain model year 2005-2010 chevrolet cobalt and model year 2007-2010 pontiac g5 vehicles equipped with electric power steering. The driver may experience a sudden loss of power steering assist that could occur at any time while driving.

Risk: If power steering assist is lost, it would require greater driver effort at low vehicle speeds, increasing the risk of a crash.

Fix: Dealers will replace the electric power steering motor free of charge. Owners are being notified on a rolling basis between march 29 through november 2010. A copy of the mailing schedule is located in the recall file. Owners may contact chevrolet at 1-800-630-2438 and pontiac at 1-800-620-7668 or at the owner center at www.gmownercenter.com.

Fuel system, gasoline:delivery:fuel pumpOct 29, 2009 · NHTSA campaign 09V419000 · 69,139 vehicles

Problem: General motors is recalling certain model year 2006 chevrolet cobalt and saturn ion vehicles originally sold in or currently registered in the states of arizona and nevada; and model year 2007 chevrolet cobalt, pontiac g5 and saturn ion vehicles originally sold in or currently registered in the states of arizona, california, florida, nevada and texas. The plastic supply or return port on the modular reservoir assembly may crack. If either of these ports develops a crack, fuel will leak from the area. If the crack becomes large enough, fuel may be observed dripping onto the ground and vehicle performance may be affected.

Risk: Fuel leakage, in the presence of an ignition source, could result in a fire.

Fix: Dealers will replace the fuel pump module free of charge. A special coverage will be implemented in the same time frame for model year 2006 vehicles registered in alabama, arkansas, california, florida, georgia, hawaii, louisiana, mississippi, north carolina, new mexico, oklahoma, south carolina, tennessee and texas and model year 2007 vehicles registered in: alabama, arkansas, georgia, hawaii, louisiana, mississippi, north carolina, new mexico, oklahoma, south carolina and tennessee. The safety recall is expected to begin on or before february 4, 2010. Owners may contact chevrolet at 1-800-630-2438, saturn at 1-800-972-8876 and pontiac at 1-800-620-7668 or at the owner center at www.gmownercenter.com.

To see whether a specific car still has an open recall, enter its VIN on NHTSA's official recall lookup. You can also decode a VIN here.

NHTSA defect investigations

  • Electric Power Steering Failure (PE10005) — opened Jan 27, 2010, closed Jul 19, 2010, led to recall 10V073000.

Recent owner reports

Short excerpts of the latest complaints filed with NHTSA, with personal details removed. Full reports can be searched on NHTSA.gov.

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

Fuel/propulsion System · received Jul 3, 2026 · NHTSA complaint 11748103

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…

Fuel/propulsion System · received Apr 15, 2026 · NHTSA complaint 11731276

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…

Air Bags · received Mar 17, 2026 · NHTSA complaint 11724877

The contact owns a 2007 Chevrolet Cobalt. The contact stated that while driving at 55 MPH, a 12-point buck jumped into the roadway, causing the contact to abruptly depress the brake pedal; however, the vehicle skidded and crashed into the buck. No air bags deployed. The vehicle was drivable…

Air Bags · received Jan 9, 2026 · NHTSA complaint 11709925

The contact owns a 2007 Chevrolet Cobalt. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the steering wheel seized. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact stated that the steering wheel became difficult to turn. The dealer was contacted; however, the vehicle was not…

Steering · received Dec 4, 2025 · NHTSA complaint 11702992

Other Chevrolet Cobalt years

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Frequently asked questions

What are the most common problems with the 2007 Chevrolet Cobalt?

Owners most often report steering, fuel/propulsion system, electrical system problems. The top one, steering, accounts for 689 complaints.

Was there a recall on the 2007 Chevrolet Cobalt?

Yes, 5 safety recalls. Enter your VIN at NHTSA.gov to check whether the repairs were done on your car.

Was the 2007 Chevrolet Cobalt a good year?

Complaint data can't fully answer that, because counts aren't adjusted for sales. Compared with other Cobalt model years, the 2007 has far more complaints than most years. Always get a pre-purchase inspection and check the VIN for open recalls.