2008 Chevrolet Cobalt Air Bags Problems
Owners have filed 98 complaints with NHTSA about air bags problems on the 2008 Chevrolet Cobalt, 12% of all complaints for this model year. Half of the reports with a mileage happened before 60,000 miles. The words owners use most often: “air bag” (37% of reports).
- 98air bags complaints
- 60,000median miles at failure
- 36mention a crash
- 28mention an injury
- 1related recalls
- 43%of reports with a speed happened at 50+ mph
What owners describe
Phrases that appear unusually often in these complaints compared with complaints about other cars.
- Air bag: mentioned in 36 of 98 complaints (37%)
- Bags electrical: mentioned in 12 of 98 complaints (12%)
- Failed deploy: mentioned in 10 of 98 complaints (10%)
- Lost control: mentioned in 7 of 98 complaints (7%)
At what mileage do air bags problems happen?
Based on 66 complaints that reported the odometer reading.
How serious are the reports?
Of 98 complaints, 36 mention a crash, 2 a fire, 28 an injury.
Chevrolet Cobalt air bags complaints by model year
| Model year | Air Bags complaints | Share of that year | Median miles |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 Cobalt | 77 | 13% | 67,000 |
| 2009 Cobalt | 72 | 10% | 80,000 |
| 2008 Cobalt | 98 | 12% | 60,000 |
| 2007 Cobalt | 144 | 9% | 70,000 |
| 2006 Cobalt | 146 | 6% | 79,500 |
| 2005 Cobalt | 71 | 4% | 70,000 |
| 1996 Cobalt | 1 | 100% | 70,000 |
When owners reported it
Related recalls (1)
Air bags; electrical system:ignition:switch
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. GMÂs 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.
What owners report
Short excerpts of recent complaints, with personal details removed. Full reports are on NHTSA.gov.
No deployment during head on collision totaling vehicle of faulty air bag
Head on collision, airbag did not deploy
Our vehicle has had zero accidents the airbag light showed up on dashboard stating check airbags. Then as far as electrical the headlights seem to turn on there own at times. We feel this perhaps is a recall not known yet.
Frequently asked questions
Do all 2008 Chevrolet Cobalts have air bags problems?
No. NHTSA has 98 owner complaints about air bags for the 2008 Chevrolet Cobalt (12% of the 845 complaints for this model year). Complaint data shows that the problem is reported, not how many of all cars sold are affected.
Was there a recall on the 2008 Chevrolet Cobalt air bags?
Yes: 1 safety recall list air bags. Check your VIN on NHTSA.gov to see whether the fix was done on your car.
At what mileage do air bags problems start?
The median reported mileage is 60,000 miles: half of the reports with a mileage came before that.
What do owners say about air bags problems on the 2008 Chevrolet Cobalt?
The most frequent phrase is “air bag”, in 36 of 98 complaints, followed by “bags electrical” (12).
Other 2008 Chevrolet Cobalt problems
See all 2008 Chevrolet Cobalt problems or air bags problems across all Cobalt years.