Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (doors, hood, frame, rust, paint and trim).
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).
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. …
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. …
Tl* the contact owns a 2005 Chevrolet Cobalt. The contact stated that the vehicle's doors constantly locked independently. The contact had to crawl in and out of the vehicle through the window. While driving approximately 45 MPH, the vehicle lost power and the power steering and check engine indicators illuminated and remained lit. The vehicle was pulled over to the side of the road and powered off. The vehicle was later restarted and driven to the contact's residence. The contact called harry green Chevrolet at [phone] (1858 e pike st, clarksburg, wv 26301) and was informed that there was no recall. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and stated that there were no recalls for the failure. The manufacturer informed the contact about NHTSA campaign number: 07V014000 (structure). The contact had not received a recall notice. The vehicle was not repaired. …
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.
Tl* the contact owns a 2005 Chevrolet Cobalt. The contact attempted to change the headlamp bulb because the bulb shield fell off. The contact had not noticed the shield was missing until he noticed a glare in the bulb. The contact stated that there were two light bulbs affected due to the reflector failing without warning. The contact purchased a repair manual and noticed NHTSA campaign number: 04V560000 (exterior lighting). The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The contact was concerned that the glare could affect an oncoming motorist, resulting in a crash. The dealer and manufacturer were not contacted. The approximate failure mileage was 108,400.
My passenger door randomly does not open anymore from inside or out. It worked completely fine before a passenger got in, and when they tried to get out the handle was "loose" and neither handles will open the door. This is a safety hazard and it's scary that this could potentially happen to both doors. My passenger door currently doesn't open so if there was an accident they wouldn't even be able to get out.
When I unlock the driver door with the fob, the door would not open. I was driving one day and the relay electrical wiring started burning. When I took it back to the car dealer they told me there was nothing wrong. Myself and four other people smelled the burning. I gave the car back and nothing was done to satisfy the situation. I was told by an auto zone mechanic to park the car before it catches on fire.
The driver side door latch does not want to open the door from the outside. It feels like there is nothing connecting to open it. This has happened several times and I have had to crawl over passenger side to open it from the inside. I understand there are lots of people having this same issue with this vehicle, something needs to be done.
Tl* the contact owns a 2005 Chevrolet Cobalt. The contact stated the door locks would independently unlock and lock in a loop which causes the vehicle alarm to activate. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, but was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 65,000.
When driving rear and front doors open when hitting a bumpl they just fly open won't stay locked or closed. When closing them sometimes not able to reopen them. The door mechanisms are faultly and don't work. Real safety issue should be on recall list as many people on-line have the same problem.
Related recalls
Structure
Certain passenger vehicles not equipped with optional roof-mounted side impact air bags fail to comply with the requirements of federal motor vehicle safety standard no. 201, 'occupant protection in interior impact.'
Remedy: Dealers will install energy absorbing plastic to the headliner trim to reduce the severity of head impacts in a crash. The recall began on March 21, 2007. Owners May contact Chevrolet at 1-800-630-2438.
Body complaints in other Cobalt years
Frequently asked questions
How common are body problems on the 2005 Chevrolet Cobalt?
NHTSA has 46 complaints about the body & structure of the 2005 Chevrolet Cobalt, 3% of the model year's 1,649 complaints. The component named most often is body (23 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2005 Chevrolet Cobalt body problems?
Yes — NHTSA recall 07V-014 (structure, Jan 18, 2007). Recall repairs are free at authorized dealers.
At what mileage do 2005 Chevrolet Cobalt body problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 70,000 miles, and 27% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 10 crashes, 0 fires and 9 injuries and 1 death to body & structure 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.