Problems · by component
2010 Chevrolet Cobalt engine problems
39 owner complaints to NHTSA about the 2010 Chevrolet Cobalt cite engine, 7% of all 583 complaints for this model year.
Complaints
39
7% of all complaints
Crashes
1
Reported by owners
Fires
1
Reported by owners
Injuries
1
Reported by owners
What owners say about the engine
Verbatim from NHTSA complaints, newest first
“My car had a fuel pump go, then within MONTHS, another. We then dealt with the SAME problem symptomatically, and was told it was the fuel pump sensor. Within the last few weeks, I am having all the same issues-including the car intermittently not starting, gasoline leaking from the vehicle, both noticably missing from the gauge (i.e 1/8 tank less than night prior), odor of gas in the car, stalling out while driving and trying to start it, but also now dripping gas from the car. A new issue popped up, which is the dash light coming up saying "check gas cap". This past Thursday, my car wouldn't start again, and has not started since. It's concerning that the Chevy Cobalt has had recalls for the same exact problems, literally thousands of complaints that mirror mine- for every model year EXCEPT the 2010. It's also interesting that they also stopped producing the Cobalt entirely in 2010 too, but considering the amount of faults and issues I've seen documented in every year model it's not a shock. I'm concerned that despite the amount of complaints that include 2010 models, they were excluded from the recall and seeing that my situation is another one that won't be…”
“The contact owns a 2010 Chevrolet Cobalt. The contact stated that fuel was leaking from the fuel lines near the rear wheel well. There was an abnormal odor of fuel detected. There was no warning light illuminated. The local dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure however, no further assistance was provided. The contact mentioned NHTSA Action Number: PE20011 (FUEL SYSTEM, OTHER). The failure mileage was approximately 166,000.”
“The contact owns a 2010 Chevrolet Cobalt. The contact stated that his son called and stated he detected an abnormal odor of fuel inside the vehicle. The driver looked around the vehicle and noticed liquid emerging near the driver’s side rear tire. The driver stated that the vehicle was hard to start. The contact inspected the vehicle and noticed the fuel lines were rusted. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where two sections of rusted fuel lines were replaced. The contact called the local dealer however, the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 85,933.”
“TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2010 CHEVROLET COBALT. THE CONTACT STATED THAT AFTER REFUELING, THE VEHICLE FAILED TO START-UP ON SEVERAL OCCASIONS. AFTER SEVERAL ATTEMPTS THE VEHICLE STARTED BUT FAILED TO ENGAGE WHEN SHIFTED TO DRIVE WITH THE CHECK ENGINE WARNING LIGHT ILLUMINATED. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THERE WAS A FUEL ODOR PRESENT AFTER THE VEHICLE WAS REFUELED. A DEALER WAS NOT CONTACTED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE AND REFERRED THE CONTACT TO NHTSA. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 36,000.”
“I PURCHASED A 2010 CHEVROLET COBALT FROM A USED CAR DEALERSHIP IN JULY OF 2019. 3 MONTHS INTO HAVING THE CAR, AS I , MY MOTHER AND 6YO DAUGHTER WERE DRIVING ON THE HIGHWAY AT APPROXIMATELY 60MPH , THE CAR STARTED TO JERK AND SLOW DOWN. THE 'ENGINE REDUCED POWER ' MESSAGE CAME ACROSS MY DASH . WE WE'RE ALMOST SIDE SWIPED AND REAR ENDED. ONLY FOR THE FACT THAT A FELLOW MOTORIST STOPPED BEHIND ME TO HELP MERGE TRAFFIC TO KEEP US FROM GETTING HIT , IS WHAT KEPT US FROM BEING IN AN ACCIDENT AND PULLING OVER TO THE SHOULDER. THIS IS SO DANGEROUS AND I CAN'T IMAGINE AS A MOTHER HOW LOSING HER LIFE, OR THE LIFE OF HER CHILD WOULD HAVE BEEN DEVISTATING BECAUSE OF A MANUFACTURER'S ERROR!”
“TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2010 CHEVROLET COBALT. THE CONTACT STATED THAT AFTER STARTING THE VEHICLE, THE CHECK ENGINE, POWER STEERING OFF, AND CHANGE OIL WARNING LIGHTS ILLUMINATED. ADDITIONALLY, THE INSTRUMENT GAUGES FLUCTUATED. THE OWNER CONNECTED A DIAGNOSTIC READER TO THE VEHICLE WHICH INDICATED THAT THE CONTROL MODULE WAS DEFECTIVE. THE CAUSE OF THE FAILURE WAS NOT DETERMINED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE LOCAL DEALER AND MANUFACTURER WERE NOT NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 187,701.”
Showing 6 of 39 reports. Read every report on NHTSA.gov.
Data from NHTSA Complaints API (owner reports, unverified) · synced Nov 9, 2026NHTSA vehicle page
Complaints are unverified owner reports to NHTSA and are not normalized for sales volume. One complaint can cite several components.