10.0
really awful- Crashes / Fires:
- 2 / 4
- Injuries / Deaths:
- 0 / 0
- Average Mileage:
- 78,777 miles
About These NHTSA Complaints:
The NHTSA is the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints can be spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem. See the Back button — blue bar at the very top of the page — to explore more.
« Read the previous 20 complaints
Fuel pump cracked and fried. I saw this was a recall on 2009 Cobalt's in several states but Chevy said that my car didn't fall under this recall even though it was the same problem.
- Pittsburgh, PA, USA
The contact owns a 2009 Chevrolet Cobalt. While stationary, the fuel tank leaked fuel onto the ground. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 127,000.
- Vacherie, LA, USA
Began to smell strong fuel smell outside car. Can sometimes smell it inside car. Car is a little slow to start. This is apparently a problem with this model, and although there is a recall for some vins, my car is not included.
- Douglasville, GA, USA
When the vehicle sat for a period of time a strong smell of gas was smelt near the driver side back door. A small puddle of gasoline is visible while the car is running and after it is shut off. After doing some research and contacting multiple Chevrolet dealership it's was evident that the vehicle was not under the fuel recall administered by Chevrolet. However the leak is consistent with that of the vehicles under the recall.
- Rochester, NY, USA
The contact owns a 2009 Chevrolet Cobalt. While the vehicle was parked, there was a strong fuel odor coming from the vehicle. In addition, there was fuel leaking from the rear of the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed with a fractured fuel line that needed replacement. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the issue. The failure mileage was approximately 120,000.
- Woodstock, GA, USA
While stopped at a red light on a city street, the engine of my 2009 Chevrolet Cobalt stalled and despite several attempts, would not restart. There was no warning, no check engine light, and the car had been fully functioning the entire week leading up to the problem. It was towed to a mechanic, I was informed that not only had the fuel pump gone out, but it had also burned almost all the electrical wires surrounding the pump. The estimated costs for this repair are a real burden considering how much of the fuel system has to be replaced. I understand that at one point, prior to my ownership of the vehicle, this equipment was recalled and I am still researching whether or not the issue was addressed for this specific vehicle.
- Yorba Linda, CA, USA
Both fuel lines is rusted and corroded, location of the rusted lines is directly in front of the divers side rear tire, right before the lines run up to the fuel pump.
- Richlands, VA, USA
The contact owns a 2009 Chevrolet Cobalt. The contact received an extended warranty letter from Chevrolet regarding a leakage in the fuel module. The contact took the vehicle to the dealer for repairs according to the extended warranty notice. After the repairs, a strong fuel odor was noticed from the rear of the vehicle. The vehicle was taken back to the dealer were it was diagnosed that the leakage originated from the fuel line rather than the module. The vehicle was not repaired. The vehicle was then taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed that the issues on the fuel module were related to the warranty repairs. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The failure mileage was 89,000. The VIN was not provided.
- Chicago, IL, USA
The contact owns a 2009 Chevrolet Cobalt. The contact received recall information regarding a potential crack in the fuel pump module. The contact wanted to schedule an appointment for the repair; however, the VIN was not included. The NHTSA campaign number was unknown. The contact had not experienced a failure.
- Shawnee, KY, USA
The contact owns a 2009 Chevrolet Cobalt. While driving and accelerating, the vehicle would jerk. The vehicle was taken to the dealer twice where it was diagnosed that sensors failed and would need to be replaced. The failure recurred. The vehicle was taken back to the dealer where the fuel pump was changed, but the failure persisted. The VIN was not included in NHTSA campaign number: 12V459000 (fuel system, gasoline). The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was unknown.
- Trezevant, TN, USA
Vehicle took longer than normal to start. Smelled fuel found fuel leak coming from fuel line near drivers side rear wheel. Saw fuel leaking out on to the floor of garage while pulling the car inside.
- Pontiac, IL, USA
After finding her car hard to start in the morning accompanied by the smell of gasoline (the longer it sits, the worse the smell) my daughter took her car to a local garage. He found gasoline on top of the tank. He advised her to take the car to a dealership because of a previous issue on the Cobalt for a fuel pump module (see NHTSA campaign 12V459000). They pulled the tank down and found the fuel lines rusted through allowing the fuel to come out in an enclosed, inaccessible area. This is a serious risk because of the chance of a spark from the pump contacting these fuel vapors. It is also a very expensive repair (over $1000 charged) that will cause people to delay in having it fixed.
- Okeana, OH, USA
The car lights will flicker on and off while driving. Strong smell of gas after I put the car in park. Been going on for the flickering 2 months now. For the fuel 2 weeks now
- San Antonio, TX, USA
I'm smelling a loud gas smell coming from the back of car and light smell coming hrough the vents occasionally. I can smell it will driving and it's louder when it's still
- Thomson, GA, USA
I smelled a faint gasoline smell and my six year old daughter and I would get headaches during car trips. The smell got worse over a few days and then I noticed a gas dripping from under the rear driver's side area. There is a current recall, however Pennsylvania state is not included under the recall / expansion 09V-419 (GM campaign number 12190). My daughter sits right above this leak and I had the fuel pump replaced years ago due to faulty wiring which caused a melted mess inside gas tank where pump is located GM has yet to respond about that issue). The leak is now constant and the car is not safe.
- Kittanning, PA, USA
Car starts hard, smells like gas inside and out. Wet with gas near gas tank when running. After sitting a long while, no gas is apparent on gas tank.
- Laurel, MD, USA
The contact owns a 2009 Chevrolet Cobalt. While the vehicle was stationary, fuel leaked from the fuel tank onto the ground. The fuel leak came from under the driver's seat of the vehicle. It was diagnosed that the fuel line disintegrated and the vehicle needed new fuel lines and a new fuel tank. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The failure mileage was 88,000.
- St Petersburg, FL, USA
Fuel leakimg from the gas lines, leaving puddles of fuel underneith vehicle and a strong fuel odor while vehicle is running and turned off. Engine hesitant to start as well.
- Iowa City, IA, USA
I am experiencing a very strong gas smell and now it takes multiple times to start. I am seeing a puddle of gas just below the rear passenger seat on the ground when the car sits for a while. My mechanic says that he is also going to have to drop the fuel tank to fix this. I see that other states have this as a recall and am wondering why Ohio isn't included in the recall. It seems like the right thing to do since it is the same model and year as the recall in other states and it is obviously a related issue!
- West Milton, OH, USA
- Monroe, OH, USA