Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (automatic and manual transmissions, CVT, axles, driveshaft, 4WD/AWD).
Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2009 Chevrolet Cobalt owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
Chevy Cobalt 2009. Two incidents involving the same model but different cars. Both rented from enterprise. Don't know what category to put the complaint in. Steering? Braking? Or something else? This model handles terribly on wet pavement. Doesn't brake well on wet pavement, and tires spin when starting from a stopped position. Incident 1. Changing lanes on i270 md. Going about 50 MPH. And slowed down to move one lane to the right. Going from a less used wetter lane to lane to the right, which wasn't quite as wet. Car spun out twice and hit the jersey wall twice. Then I was able to stop the car. Fairly heavy traffic, and no other vehicles involved, thank god. State police were on the shoulder for traffic going in the other direction across from me but did not come to the car. Incident 2. Rented another of the same model. Whenever the street was wet, the car did not brake well. …
Tl* the contact owns a 2009 Chevrolet Cobalt. The contact stated that after parking the vehicle and removing the key from the ignition, a passenger haphazardly struck the automatic gear shifter into reverse. The vehicle rolled backward from the residential driveway and crashed into another vehicle. A police report was not filed and no injuries were reported. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure who advised that they would contact her at a later date to resolve the problem. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure and current mileage was 62,000. Updated 6/12/12
The vehicle anti theft light keeps coming on. When this occurs the vehicle jerks in drive, hard to stop, wheel will lose power steering in drive, and all needles will move. The RPM, MPH, and gas needle continues to fluctuate. The gas needle will indicate low fuel when fuel is present. I can never know what speed I'm doing. The vehicle flashes power steering digitally. The car will shut off in mid drive! Taken to many mechanics including dave gill Chevrolet and no one fully diagnosed the issue!
Tl* the contact owns a 2009 Chevrolet Cobalt. While attempting to drive, the gear shifter seized without warning. The contact stated that the air bag and check engine warning lights illuminated randomly. The vehicle was towed to a dealer where the vehicle was repaired. The contact also stated that the vehicle began to overheat randomly. The manufacturer was not notified of the failures. The failure mileage was approximately 77,000. Updated 01/11/2017
ECM problem. Lost steering and all dashboard information. Vechile does not start.dealer tells me it is a bad ECM and it is $841.00 to repair it. Including a $250.00 chargere to diagnose the problem than I find out there was a huge recall on these ecms but for some reason mine was not included. GM should make good on this and replavce it at no charge since they know they have had huge issuyes with this
Tl* the contact owns a 2009 Chevrolet Cobalt. While driving various speeds, the accelerator pedal was depressed; however, the vehicle moved very slowly. In addition, while the vehicle was in reverse, it accelerated forward independently. The vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired. The manufacturer was not notified. The approximate failure mileage was 64,000. The VIN was not provided.
My vehicle transmission was stuck in park, it wouldn't start and would still roll when in park. We have come to the conclusion it was a faulty transmission cable clip or installed improperly. I have contacted GM about a recall and said it was closed due to a dealers inspection in 2012. I have since taken it in to get fixed and it appears it is a problem with the recalled part. GM still refuses to cover it. I am enclosing below my email to GM below with attachments and links. Any help with this is appreciated [redacted] to:[email] cc:[redacted] mar 16 at 10:54 am thank you for the information. I had taken the car in on March 14th to have the problem diagnosed and offer the invoice of what they found and fixed for your review. They said the clip was fully engaged but the cable was still slipping. I asked that they give me the old part back for my inspection. …
Why isn't there a recall for the 2005 Cobalt? This happened shortly after I purchased the vehicle! Why do you have the recall only for 2009, it should be for 2005 and all models affected, regardless of the year! Just picking one year is not accurate for this type of issue. This need to be fixed asap! Please and thank you! "transmission shift position sequence, starter interlock, and transmission braking effect", and FMVSS 114, "theft protection and rollaway prevention". On some of these vehicles, the transmission shift cable adjustment clip May not be fully engaged. If the clip is not fully engaged, the shift lever and the actual position of the transmission gear May not match. With this condition, the drive could move the shifter to "park" and remove the ignition key, but the transmission gear May not be in "park".
Tl* the contact owns a 2009 Chevrolet Cobalt. The contact stated that while traveling at any speed, the vehicle would intermittently become hesitant and was not able to change gears into reverse. The vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer where the unknown repairs were made to the vehicle. The contact had also experienced the vehicle stalling intermittently on multiple occasions. The contact was not included in NHTSA campaign id numbers:14V047000 (electrical), 14V171000 (electrical) or 09V073000 (power train) but stated that he had experienced the failure described in each recall on multiple occasions. The vehicle was scheduled for diagnosis and possible repair. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 15000.
Tl contact owns a 2009 Chevrolet Cobalt. The contact states that the door handle broke. The muffler fell off of the vehicle while driving 35 MPH. Two months later, the gear shift was broke. The vehicle was taken to the dealer for diagnostic testing. The gear shift was repaired; however, the contact was unable to shift into fifth gear. The weather was not a factor. On February 17, 2010, the power steering failed and the steering wheel began pulling to the left which made it difficult for the driver to maneuver the steering wheel to the right. The dealer offered the contact $13,500 for the purchase of the vehicle. The contact stated that the vehicle was being repaired by the dealer for one month and one week. The current and failure mileages were 7000.
Related recalls
Power train › Automatic transmission › Lever and linkage › Column shift
General motors is recalling 276,729 my 2009 Buick enclave, Chevrolet cobalt, hhr, malibu, traverse, GMC acadia, Pontiac g5, g6 and Saturn aura and outlook passenger vehicles. These vehicles fail to comply with federal motor vehicles safety standard 102, "transmission shift position sequence, starter interlock, and transmission…
Remedy: Dealers will inspect and ensure that the shift cable adjustment clip is fully engaged. In the event that the clip does not engage, the shift cable will be replaced free of charge.
Transmission complaints in other Cobalt years
Frequently asked questions
How common are transmission problems on the 2009 Chevrolet Cobalt?
NHTSA has 32 complaints about the transmission & drivetrain of the 2009 Chevrolet Cobalt, 4% of the model year's 900 complaints. The component named most often is manual transmission (3 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2009 Chevrolet Cobalt transmission problems?
Yes — NHTSA recall 09V-073 (column shift, Mar 6, 2009). Recall repairs are free at authorized dealers.
At what mileage do 2009 Chevrolet Cobalt transmission problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 64,000 miles, and 25% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 3 crashes, 0 fires and 0 injuries to transmission & drivetrain 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.