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 2006 Chevrolet Cobalt owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
The contact owns a 2006 Chevrolet Cobalt. The contact stated that after turning off the vehicle, there was an abnormal fuel odor coming from the vehicle. Upon inspection, the contact discovered severe corrosion on the rear driver's side undercarriage of the vehicle. Due to the rust, the fuel lines started leaking. The local dealer was contacted and informed the contact that the Vin was not under recall. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 126,000.
My headlight an blinker quit working new bulbs an all new wiring it it still will not work My trunk button also just stopped working an the fuse is not blown. I even replaced it just to make sure still nothing. Door panel clips won't stay in bought new ones same thing so now my handle is coming apart an my door doesn't want to shut bc it thinks I'm still holding the handle.. Fuel everytime I get gas I have to crank my car a few times and press on the gas before I can get it to go otherwise it just dies on me I've had it looked at they said it was something about how my car does not know when to stop releasing air I think. My blinkers don't turn off unless I do it manually. The seals on my door is no good anytime it rains it's coming inside of my car an since the door panel won't stay on it's coming straight into my car
The driver's side door gets stuck closed - sometimes if I 'snap' the outside handle it will eventually open, but it feels like I'm going to break it doing this. By 'snap' I mean to pull on the handle and let it snap back into position. I've been stuck inside the car and had to have someone 'snap' the outside handle to get the door opened for me. I've had incidents where I've had to crawl across to the passenger side to get out. This is not easy because you have to lift the console up in order to get by... And the console doesn't latch and everything falls out... Not to mention I'm a little chubby and it's really hard for me to do in the first place. This problem is dangerous to potentially be locked in your car - what if I was in an accident?! What if I needed to get out of my car in a hurry for what ever reason!? …
This vehicle is not safe to drive and was not built right. The manufactures knew for many years that the Chevy Cobalt 2006 would have a leaking gasoline system, and they kept this faulty defect to themselves for many years before bring this issue to the customer. I was driving the vehicle leaking gas for a few years unit the crack was large enough for me to smell it, while not driving, the ignition switch; with the key in it while the car was in park has started the car engine without turning the key. The key wont come out of the ignition switch. The car has turned off on me on the freeway more than 9 times. The car turned off on me going in reverse, couldn't control the brake and steering power to move out of the pole . …
I was at a red light, the light turned green I started to go and the person in front of me in a pt cruiser stopped short and I hit him in the rear causing so much damage to my front end. How on earth can they give this car even 1 star for front end collisions, if I was going any faster I would have been killed! The entire bumper, hood, the structure that holds the bumper is ruined and my compressor to the air conditioning as well, this was all at the speed of approx 2 to 4 miles per hour! The airbags never deployed either, showing that this was not a heavy impact, however this car just crumpled and I am worried for my saftey driving in my car. I go to college and then to work and I am scared that if someone were to hit me I don't even have a chance in this car that claims to have good impact results. …
A vehicle in front of my 2006 Chevrolet Cobalt quickly applied their brakes which caused my daughter to quickly apply hers thus causing her to hit the rear of the vehicle in front of her. The air bags immediatly deployed. My son, who was in the passenger seat, noticed within seconds of the crash that the engine was on fire. He had to quickly unhook both his and my daughters seat belt so they could evacuate the vehicle before the cabin caught fire. Once my daughter was able to relax and gather herself and tell me what she had remembered about the accident, she told me that it was very difficult to apply the brakes and it didn't seem like it was stopping as quickly as usual. I ask her if she thought that the car had stalled prior to the accident and she stated that she didn't know what it would feel like to have a car stall while she was driving. …
Upon entering my vehicle, the drivers side door opened but would not latch when closed. After examining the door locks, lock buttons, handles both inside and out as well as the stricker and latch, I found that the door latch mechanism was stuck open. I functioned the locks and handles in order to release the latch. They would release but once pressed against the stricker they would again stick. I applied some lub and penetrating oil and this temporarily corrected issue. I had identical issue with passenger door and also issues when attempting to open both doors. One year after initial issue, the passenger door will not open. Had to remove door panel to gain access to the latch from inside the door. Latch has been replaced.
This is about the fourth time my 2006 Chevrolet Cobalt driver side door has been stuck shut. Previously, restarting the battery fixed the problem but now the issue appears to be mechanical. It's absolutely ridiculous that I have to climb out of my passenger side door with a fractured spine because Chevrolet and GMC cannot engineer a door properly.
Crash car ,steering became difficult to handle. Ran off road to right hit bank and flipped car several time. Car was going a little fast, but this car should have been able to handle the speed. One guy had a injury to his arm and the other was thrown from the car leading to his death.
Driver side door wont open, stuck shut. Handle feels like nothing is there . Cant open from inside or outside. This is very dangerous if was in a wreck or fire. Vehicle was in park as these are power locks and you can hear the unlocking sound however door doesnt open.
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 2006 Chevrolet Cobalt?
NHTSA has 51 complaints about the body & structure of the 2006 Chevrolet Cobalt, 2% of the model year's 2,330 complaints. The component named most often is body (23 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2006 Chevrolet Cobalt body problems?
Yes — NHTSA recall 07V-014 (structure, Jan 18, 2007). Recall repairs are free at authorized dealers.
At what mileage do 2006 Chevrolet Cobalt body problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 60,000 miles, and 20% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 6 crashes, 1 fire and 4 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.