Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (service brakes, ABS, rotors and pads, parking brake).
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).
While driving the car, it will suddenly stall w the engine running but won't react the use of the brakes, steering or gear shifter. It'll suddenly jerk and the following lights will appear on dash :ABS, Power steering, no brake fluid warning, low fuel warning and check engine. All of the areas have been check and have all their fluids so this doesn't make sense. We bought this car for our 16 year old daughter and the first time she drive it, a truck almost wrecked into her
Tl contact owns a 2006 Chevrolet Cobalt. The contact stated that the vehicle had issues with the engine surging. She took the vehicle to the dealer and they stated that there was a dirty injector, in which they replaced. In January of 2007, the vehicle was taken to the dealer and they reprogrammed the computer for the surging issue. In March of 2008, the vehicle was returned to the dealer for a recall on the injectors. In addition to the surging, the vehicle would also shake violently when coming to a stop. The brakes and steering would not function correctly. The vehicle was taken to the dealer in October of 2008 and the powertrain control module was replaced. In November of 2008, the contact took the vehicle to the dealer again in regards to the violent shaking. …
I have a 2006 Chevy Cobalt ls. It has been giving me several problems. I have been fixing one thing after another on my car. My car only have 46,000 miles. That is good for it being a 2006. I have problems with my brakes. I have replaced the master cylinder and now I have to replace the brake booster. But the worst problem that I am having now is the power steering. When im driving out of nowhere the dash light up saying power steering. When this happens it is extremely hard to turn. Especially if you are going at a slow speed. I have even been in an accident because of this. The only way to get my power steering to work normally is to turn the car off and turn it back on. At first it would work fine for awhile. But now it happens right when I start to drive. The dealership said it could cost over $1500 to fix the problem. …
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. …
Ever since I purchased car it'seems been nothing but problems. First it was both control arm bushing after 1 month of purchasing my 06 Chevy colbalt. I've since had to replace the entire front end all except for the steering column.which makes a loud unsettling rattling noise when I go over the slightest bump or when I turn my wheel left to right while in the park position. But now even more scary my car has been stalling out randomly and I've seen other complaint's about this issue. I've had oil changes and tunes up and a diagnostic test and I've been told the car is okay.it's not okay! Today it stalled out while accelerating at a green turn arrow and I got hit from the back by the car behind me turning as well. No huge damage but I'm afraid and would like to know what is the real issue.
Dt*: the contact stated while traveling 30 MPH, the brake pedal was depressed and the brakes did not respond. The vehicle stopped when hitting another vehicle. The dealership was unable to determine a problem. Two months later, while traveling 30 MPH, the same problem occurred. This time the vehicle struck another vehicle causing minor damage and injury. There was a police report taken at the scene and the vehicle was taken to the dealership. The manufacturer sent a representative to read the black box. According to the black box, the vehicle was traveling 42 MPH with the accelerator pedal slightly depressed, four seconds later the vehicle made impact at 30 MPH. The dealership is unable to determine the problem.
It was a single car crash which happened at night during a rain shower. Their were no witnesses, but the car crossed the opposite lane of traffic and ran into the back end of a lowboy trailer ( a trailer used to transport heavy equipment ) the two 19 year old girls in the car were killed. Nothing about this accident made sense until I heard about the ignition issue with the Cobalt. Their are many reasons that the ignition could be the root of this accident, and if it can be determined that this is in fact true I would like to be part of the process that sees that those responsible for the decision to put profit over safety are punished.
Driving south on the right lane of I-270, about 3/4 mile south of intersection with md 85 with speed of 6-65mph. Pavement was wet. When noticed that cars ahead oh me in the distance of 100 yards were slowing down, I stepped moderately on the brakes. The brakes and steering instantly locked up and car was violently pooling to the left and hit the concrete guardrail in the median, after passing through the left lane. With a heavy morning traffic I was lucky not to colide with any other vehicle and to come out of this accident with the few minor muscle aches.
Tl* the contact owns a 2006 Chevrolet Cobalt. The contact stated that while driving 65 MPH, with the cruise control activated, the brakes seized when depressed and did not deactivate the cruise control function. The contact crashed into a median strip and upon impact, the air bags failed to deploy. The contact sustained bruising, whiplash, and shoulder and neck injuries. The vehicle was neither repaired nor diagnosed. A police report was not filed. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure was approximately 29,000..
Tl* the contact owns a 2006 Chevrolet Cobalt. The contact stated that while traveling various speeds, the vehicle failed to respond to deceleration attempts and the contact crashed into the preceding vehicle. Upon impact, the air bags failed to deploy. The driver was thrown forward and hit their face on the dashboard and sustained injuries to the face and back. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was contacted about the failure. The failure and current mileage was 90,000.
Brake complaints in other Cobalt years
Frequently asked questions
How common are brake problems on the 2006 Chevrolet Cobalt?
NHTSA has 51 complaints about the brakes of the 2006 Chevrolet Cobalt, 2% of the model year's 2,330 complaints. The component named most often is foundation components › disc › rotor (5 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2006 Chevrolet Cobalt brake problems?
No. NHTSA lists no brakes recall for the 2006 Chevrolet Cobalt, though it has 5 recalls for other components. If the problem is widespread, a repair may still be covered by an extended warranty or a manufacturer service bulletin — ask a dealer.
At what mileage do 2006 Chevrolet Cobalt brake problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 41,000 miles, and 27% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 18 crashes, 2 fires and 9 injuries and 3 deaths to brakes 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.