Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (wheels, lug nuts, original-equipment tires, TPMS).
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. …
I began to smell gas after exiting the vehicle. I traced the smell to an apparent leak coming from the top of the tank where the lines from the fuel filter are routed over the top of the tank. I discovered the recall for fuel pump plastic part failures in warm weather states, also 2009 Cobalt, but, georgia is not listed (I'll tell you it is a warm weather state). Also, in regards to another individual's complaint NHTSA id number: 10668977, I discovered my TPMS were backwards about three years ago when I had an unexpected flat. The low pressure indicated by the TPMS directed me to the wrong tire. One of the TPMS stopped working within days of driving the car off the lot. …
I was on my way home and it was raining on the expressway but by the time I got to the city I live it had stop. I was exiting the expressway and was turning a left on the street I live on. I had made my turn at about 30 MPH and after I had made my turn the car was straight for awhile then all the sudden the car acted up and the steering wheel or the wheels or something happen that made my car make a sharp u-turn going in front of ongoing traffic. My car went straight in front of a car and she didn't have time to stop so she hit me and we both went onto the island. I have no idea what happened but luckily we were both going slow that none of us were hurt but our cars were in bad conditions. I'm looking at 3,000 damage on my car, and probably 4,000 damage to her car. I want to say it was bc of the rain, but the road wasn't wet and I just got new tires and just got a oil change. …
1.)my 2009 Chevrolet Cobalt lt ,became hard to steer, I was driving about 5 miles per hour and stop at a stop sign as I proceeded thru the stop sign the car kept pulling to the left I could not control the steering wheel, the car came to a stop and hit the tail end of a park truck, left side front tire wheel was completed damage , all type of parts was on the ground under the into the front. 2)this was the first time this failure occured.3) front bumper, front lamps, front fender, body components, front inner structure, wheel , front suspension, body components, front suspension, front drive axel, front steering linkage/gear/ cowl side & door post, front door, side body, towing estimate total $5,436.85 the car was purchased 5/29/10.
As I was driving down the street to turn into my parking lot I started turning the wheel left when I turned my steering wheel and brakes locked up and drove over the curb of my apartment complex causing my whole right side of my car $1300.00 worth of damage this is the second time this has happened to me first time no damage was done that was back in October.
When I drive the air bag warning goes on,and the tire stress goes on(which make me slow down worried ! ). I replaced the tires couple of times but I still get those warning(tires stress and air bag). Lately I also ran to problem with my engine. I took it to pep boys were they said I should replace it for 5700$.
Michelin pilot sport a/s plus tires are "chunking" and have dry rot/cracking on the tread. The tires are 3 years old with less than 20K miles. They have been properly rotated every 6K miles. Michelin will not accept a warranty claim, as the tires were installed by the vehicle's previous owner.
Wheel bearings on the left front went out in feb, 2012 then in July, 2015 the right one went out. In all of our other cars we have owned we never had to replace a wheel bearing let alone two so we assume there must be a defect.
I have had 3 incidents that I believe are directly related to the fuzion touring tires on my 2009 Chevy Cobalt. The first was a rear end collision in early July, approximately 5 days after I had the tires installed on my car. When I needed to make an emergency stop the front wheels locked up and the car skidded into the car in front of mine, that had managed to stop before hitting a car that had swerved in front of him. The second incident occurred on oct 14, 2011. I was going through an intersection during a rainstorm. The intersection has a slight left bend to it. I was traveling at 35-40 MPH when a van tried to make a left turn in front of me. He was way too close and I had to hit the brakes hard. The front wheels immediately locked up and my car rotated 90 degrees counterclockwise without slowing down at all. …
The morning after coming back from a trip I went down to get in my colbalt and found my left front tire flat. I got my manual out to read how to change the tire and changed it. We noticed the size difference in the tires right away, regular tire is p205/55r16 h, the spare is a t115/70d15 m. These are the original tires that Chevrolet put on the car. The manual said we could go normal speed. I drove a block to get the tire fixed and turned around and went back home. The car dipped horrible and dragged when I pulled back into my drive way. It also made rubbing sounds. It did not fill safe to drive. We took the tire in and had it fixed without the car, brought it home and put it back on car. I have been in contact with Chevrolet since then to see if it was an error on the spare. …
Wheel & Tire complaints in other Cobalt years
Frequently asked questions
How common are wheel & tire problems on the 2009 Chevrolet Cobalt?
NHTSA has 21 complaints about the wheels & tires of the 2009 Chevrolet Cobalt, 2% of the model year's 900 complaints. The component named most often is lugs/nuts/bolts/studs (1 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2009 Chevrolet Cobalt wheel & tire problems?
No. NHTSA lists no wheels & tires recall for the 2009 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 2009 Chevrolet Cobalt wheel & tire problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 47,000 miles, and 28% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 5 crashes, 0 fires and 0 injuries to wheels & tires 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.