Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (front, side and curtain air bags, sensors and inflators).
Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2005 Chevrolet Cobalt owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
Tl* the contact owned a 2005 Chevrolet Cobalt. While driving in inclement weather at 60 MPH, the contact struck a deer, drove into a ditch, and crashed into a concrete barrier. The air bags did not deploy. The failure occurred without warning. The vehicle was destroyed and towed from the scene. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. There was one injury that required medical attention. A police report was filed. The failure mileage was approximately 150,000. The VIN was not provided.
On the date listed, my wife was driving at app. 40mph. At which point she ran into the rear of another vehicle that was stopped. Upon impact the seat belt failed to keep her in the driver seat. There was also no airbag deployment. Upon impact she flew upwards and forward, hitting her face on the visor. She went to the hospital where they did scans and found no bleeding on the brain, however she was injured in the face to which she still has a bump on the bridge of her nose and still gets headaches. Also, shortly after the accident she had two black eyes and a concussion. The vehicle was repaired, but there was no indication that anything was done with the airbag system or the seat belt, by the auto body shop. We contacted GM a day or two after the accident. They sent an engineer out to gather readings from the car a few weeks later. …
This submission is an addendum to the report that I submitted on aug 15, 2011; reference number 10419491 with the attachments that include the police report, May statement and photos. I submitted my report two days after the accident. Now, after reading the news articles and the GM statements regarding the faulty ignition switch, it is apparent that what I thought was a steering malfunction (per the recalls I received and the statements made to me by GM representatives) was clearly the ignition switch. While driving down the freeway at 60 MPH my dash lights turned on, I immediately lost steering control (I could not turn my steering wheel) and swerved had to the left crashing into the guard rail. The accident report shows my skid marks across three traffic lanes that clearly indicate that my ABS system also was not working. …
I rented this brand new Cobalt 4 months after hurricane katrina from mobile alabama, so as to go back to my home town of san francisco, ca. By the time I made it through los angeles, at around 430 am. I lost control of car due to severe stiffness in the steering. Which LED to the vehicle running off of I-5 heading north bound at a speed of 60 miles per hour. Visibility was good, I veered off the freeway into the median portion of I-5, and I tried to slow down but no response which LED me to roll over few times, end to end and over and over, luckily I was wearing my seat belt and it held very well, suprisingly, no airbags, none of them deployed, and all the windows blew out, and not the reinforced kind including the front wind shield. The ambulance came, and so did the california highway patrol. …
My wife was involved in a crash in our 2005 Chevrolet Cobalt on 23 February 2018. Car lost power to power steering motor, ABS brakes, and air bags did not deploy after hitting a tree due to loss of steering and braking ability. I drove the car the morning before the crash and noticed the gauges and speedometer fluctuating moving all around, power steering light flashing on dash, I pulled over and turned the car ignition off and restarted car it then went away. My wife then drove the car going to her work and she called me about 5 minutes after leaving our house saying she has lost control of the car with no power steering or brakes, she was scared and hysterical and said she had crashed under a tree with in 1 mile of our house. The air bags did not deploy upon impacting the tree. …
Tl* the contact owns a 2005 Chevrolet Cobalt. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the driver's side frontal air bag deployed independently. The contact sustained burns on the forearm and temporary hearing loss due to the deployment of the air bag. Medical attention was sought. The vehicle was towed by the insurance to an independent mechanic to be diagnosed. The contact was informed that the clock spring wiring harness detached and needed to be replaced. Additionally, the contact was informed that the steering column needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The contact stated that the air bag warning light was illuminated and the mechanic disconnected the clock spring which caused the horn and several other electrical functions on the steering wheel to be inoperable. A local dealer was not contacted or informed of the failure. …
I was going to work early in the morning. A train was in the distance which scared a huge buck deer. The buck deer with huge antlers ran straight into my car head on. I was not able to steer away from the deer and my car seemed to shut down. The huge buck deer hit me head on. The lights were totally smashed. The hood of the car was completely damaged. The windshield was totally smashed. The roof was damaged and the car was lopsided. The buck deer antlers went thru the windshield just inches away from me.the air bags did not work even though it was a head on collision with great force. My car seemed to shut off and I could not steer away from the deer. I was cut with glass on my face, arms and hands. My neck and back was hurt. I had my seat belt on but my stomach hurt from the dramatic impact. …
I was stopped at a red signal for a few minutes. Suddenly, a university of buffalo student hit my car from the rear at full force. He was texting and when he got out of the car he was still texting. He admitted it was his fault because he was not looking at the road and was texting on his phone. I called the police and obtained a police report. The air bags did not work. My mom and I were jolted forward at full force with back and neck trauma. My car stalled on impact of the other car. Luckily my foot was on the brake and I did not hit the car in front of me. I had to restart my car and I pulled the car over to the side of the road in order to not block the busy street. I complained that my air bags did not work but I was ignored. Also, the ignition switch had turned off the car which I thought was strange.
I was on my way home from work when a kid failed to yield to oncoming traffic. I hit him on the passenger side with the front of my vehicle. I was traveling approximately 40 MPH. His airbags deployed, my air bags did not. I proceeded to file a complaint with GM. After several months going back and forth with the complaint process with GM: they said there was nothing wrong with the car. They also stated that with the type of front end impact, they would not expect the airbags to deploy. I argued that the other cars did with a side impact, mine should have with a frontal impact. I do have pictures that tell the story very clearly. I also went through 6 - 8 weeks of physical therapy to try and cope with the pain. I still have pain 3.5 years after the crash. Updated 04/07/14 updated 07/22/14
Tl* the contact owns a 2005 Chevrolet Cobalt. The contact stated while driving approximately 50 MPH, the check engine warning light illuminated as the vehicle stalled, causing the contact to crash into the rear of another vehicle. The air bags failed to deploy. There were no injuries however, a police report was filed. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic and ruled as destroyed. The contact referenced NHTSA campaign id number: 14V047000 (air bags , electrical system) and stated that the recall notification was not received until after the crash had occurred. The vehicle was not inspected to determine the cause of the stalling or air bag failure. The VIN was not available. The approximate failure mileage was 103,000.
Related recalls
Air bags
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.
Remedy: 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.
Airbag complaints in other Cobalt years
Frequently asked questions
How common are airbag problems on the 2005 Chevrolet Cobalt?
NHTSA has 71 complaints about the air bags of the 2005 Chevrolet Cobalt, 4% of the model year's 1,649 complaints. The component named most often is frontal (6 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2005 Chevrolet Cobalt airbag problems?
Yes — NHTSA recall 14V-047 (air bags, Feb 10, 2014). Recall repairs are free at authorized dealers.
At what mileage do 2005 Chevrolet Cobalt airbag problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 70,000 miles, and 23% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 39 crashes, 0 fires and 37 injuries and 3 deaths to air bags problems on this model year. If you notice symptoms, have the car checked before driving further.
Source: U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) — owner complaints through October 20, 2026, recalls and defect investigations; fuel economy from the EPA. Complaints are unverified reports and are not proof of a defect. How we rate model years.