Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (battery, alternator, wiring, ignition, instrument cluster, infotainment).
Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2007 Chevrolet Cobalt owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
The contact owns a 2007 Chevrolet Cobalt. The contact's mother stated that while driving at various speeds, the vehicle would stall without warning. The contact stated no warning lights was illuminated. The vehicle was towed to a local dealer where it was diagnosed with needing the ignition switch replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. Upon investigation, the contact associated the failure with NHTSA Campaign Number: 14V047000 (Air Bags, Electrical System) however, the VIN was not included. The manufacturer was informed of the failure but offered no assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 107,000.
I was in a crash on 9/19/25 and at the incident none of my airbags deployed. My daily driver for my children and I. I was lucky I was the only passenger at the time. I never expected my airbags not to deploy in a head on crash. The car still sits in my driveway and I have and identical one just like it that I drive! I'd like them evaluated.
The contact owns a 2007 Chevrolet Cobalt. The contact stated that while driving approximately 35 MPH, the power steering warning light illuminated, and the contact had to manually steer the vehicle. The contact continued to drive the vehicle without power steering functionality. The contact stated that additional electrical failures had occurred. The contact also stated that the ABS activated and deactivated independently, and the traction control became inoperable. The instrument panel also became inoperable, and the contact was unable to see the speedometer and fuel gauge functions on the instrument panel. The dealer was contacted; however, the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was informed of the failure and referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline to report the failure. The failure mileage was unknown. The VIN was not available.
I was driving down the road and I used my blinker then my car shut off while driving, its turned back on in seconds then when I came to a complete stop the car shut off while on drive and it lost communication to the Tcm and it was displaying messages such as "low fuel" and the rpms was at zero
Fuel Leak it smells and leaks it seems to be coming from the gas tank and sometimes I get random electric failure when I'm driving I lose power steering and My brakes get stiff and hard to push down and my dash will go Off and then go crazy and show that i have no gas
Tl* the contact owns a 2007 Chevrolet Cobalt. The contact stated that the key was difficult to remove from the ignition. The failure recurred multiple times. The contact also stated that the vehicle failed to start. After several attempts, the vehicle was able to start. The vehicle was repaired under NHTSA campaign number: 14V047000 (air bags, electrical system) however, the failure recurred. While driving approximately 20 MPH and making a right turn, the vehicle stalled and the contact crashed into a curb. The air bags failed to deploy. A police report was not filed and there were no injuries. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 75,000.
Tl* the contact owns a 2007 Chevrolet Cobalt. While making a left turn, the vehicle suddenly shut off and the driver lost control of the steering causing the vehicle to crash into a parked vehicle. During the incident, the driver suffered a back injury. The front seat passenger suffered a neck and back injury and the rear passenger seat occupant sustained a head and right side injury. All occupants received medical attention. A police report was not filed. The vehicle was taken to the dealer who diagnosed that the failure was caused by a faulty ignition switch. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 105,000.
Takata recall. My car was turned on for about 5 minutes and I was driving to my inlaws 2 miles away to pick my children up when I started smelling smoke about 1/2 mile into my ride. My car quickly filled up with smoke and I pulled into a random driveway. Flames started in the trunk. I had the A/C on and used my turn signals. Put my driver side window down.
Tl* the contact owns a 2007 Chevrolet Cobalt. While the vehicle was parked, it burst into flames. The contact was alerted by the sound of an explosion that came from the vehicle. The fire was extinguished by the fire department. A police report was not filed. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The approximate failure mileage was 100,000.
Power steering not fixed on open recall in 2010 power steering rack failure caused an accident in motion 3rd party dealership diagnosed the problem with the power steering rack failure, but was unable to fix.
Related recalls
Electrical system › Ignition
General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2005-2010 Chevrolet Cobalt, 2006-2011 Chevrolet HHR, 2007-2010 Pontiac G5, 2006-2010 Pontiac Solstice, 2003-2007 Saturn Ion, and 2007-2010 Saturn Sky vehicles. In the affected vehicles, the key can be removed from the ignition when the ignition is not in the "Off" position.
Remedy: General Motors will notify owners, and for vehicles that were built with the defective ignition cylinder and have not previously had the ignition cylinder replaced with the redesigned part, dealers will replace the…
Electrical complaints in other Cobalt years
Frequently asked questions
How common are electrical problems on the 2007 Chevrolet Cobalt?
NHTSA has 281 complaints about the electrical system of the 2007 Chevrolet Cobalt, 18% of the model year's 1,564 complaints. The component named most often is ignition (12 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2007 Chevrolet Cobalt electrical problems?
Yes — NHTSA recall 14V-171 (ignition, Apr 10, 2014). Recall repairs are free at authorized dealers.
At what mileage do 2007 Chevrolet Cobalt electrical problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 73,000 miles, and 10% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 18 crashes, 6 fires and 18 injuries and 3 deaths to electrical system 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.