There are 50 owner-reported brakes complaints for the 2008 Chevrolet Cobaltin NHTSA's database. These are unverified consumer reports and may not reflect confirmed defects.
I WAS AT WORK AND PARKED MY CAR LIKE NORMAL, SOMEONE CAME AND ASKED ME IF THAT WAS MY CAR THAT WAS PARKED CRAZY. I LOOKED OUT AND IT WAS. MY CAR ROLLED OUT OF THE PARKING SPOT WITH THE E-BRAKE ON. ANOTHER TIME I STARTED IT TO WARM IT UP IN THE MORNING, I CAME BACK OUT, IT ROLLED OUT OF MY SPOT AND HIT THE CURB. I LOOKED TO SEE IF THERE WAS A RECALL, BUT THERE IS NOT. I DID FIND MANY OTHER PEOPLE WITH THE SAME ISSUES!!!
WHILE PARKED THE PARKING BRAKE LEVER RELEASE BUTTON JAMMED AND I COULD NOT RELEASE THE PARKING BRAKES. THERE IS ABNORMAL NOISE HEARD IN THE REAR BREAKING SYSTEM WHEN REVERSING. ABNORMAL PREMATURE WEAR TO INSIDE REAR BRAKE PADS AND ROTOR DISCS
REAR BRAKES WEAR THE PADS UNEVENLY AND SCRATCH THE ROTORS. COMMON PROBLEM THAT MOST 2008+ COBALT SS OWNERS EXPERIENCE. DUE TO THE FAULTY BRAKES, THE HAND BRAKE WILL OFTEN NOT WORK, WHICH IS A LARGE INCONVENIENCE IN A CAR THAT IS ONLY AVAILABLE WITH A MANUAL TRANSMISSION. THIS IS MOST NOTICEABLE WHEN TRYING TO PARK ON A HILL.
2008 CHEVROLET COBALT. CONSUMER WRITES IN REGARDS TO CORROSION OF THE HYDRAULIC BRAKE LINES CAUSING FLUID LOSS AND IMPAIRMENT OF FULL SYSTEM BRAKING. *SMD THE CONSUMER STATED AN INVESTIGATION SHOWED THE PROBLEM WAS DUE TO A MANUFACTURING DEFECT. *JB
ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON.... HAD IT CHECKED BY FIRESTONE... THEY TOLD ME THE 2ND CYLINDER WAS MISFIRING PER THE DIAGNOSTIC CODE.. SHOULD BE 130 PSI AND ONLY REGISTERING 90 PSI....THEN WHILE STOPPED LONGER THAN 30 SECONDS "SERVICE TRACTION" LIGHT COMES ON.....ASKING $2300 TO REPAIR.... WHY WOULD ONE OF THE FOUR CYLINDERS GO BAD.....COMPLAINED TO GM AND THEY TOLD ME I NEEDED A CERTIFIED GM DEALER TO LOOK AT IT SO I TOOK IT TO GM ALSO FOR DIAGNOSTIC AND THEY ARE SAYING MISFIRE IN 2ND CYLINDER WHICH IS WHAT THE DIAGNOSTIC CODE SAYS- PER THE PAPERWORK GIVEN ME THEY ARE NOT SURE WHAT THE REPAIR IS GOING TO ENTAIL OR HOW TO FIX THE PROBLEM..... PER INTERNET COMPLAINTS THIS S A PROBLEM THAT HAS OCCURRED MANY TIMES IN COBALTS.... IS IT BECAUSE NO ONE GOT HURT OR DIED THAT THEY DON'T WANT TO CONSIDER THIS A RECALL? THE CAR IS ONLY 9 YEARS OLD AND HAS 68800 MILES ON IT.....AND BELIEVE IT OR NOT THE WARRANTY EXPIRED 1000 MILES AGO... VERY FRUSTRATING AND UNBELIEVABLE! PLEASE HELP ME UNDERSTAND. *TR
I WAS JUST GOING THROUGH A GREEN LIGHT AND JUST AS I STARTED TO HIT THE BRAKE'S I N MY CAR I DID NOT STOP AT ALL AMS I WAS IN SO MUCH SHOCK TRYING TO BRAKE THAT I COULD NOT SWERVE FAST ENOUGH TO MISS THE CAR IN FRONT OF MR AND REAR ENDED HER BLUE KIA AT 30 MPH AND NOW MY CARS FRONT END IS SMASHED I JUST REPLACES MY BRAKES LAST MONTH WITH MY GRADUATION MONEY BECAUSE EVER SINCE I BOUGHT THE CAR MY BRAKES HOWL ALL THE TIME AND I STILL DIDN'T IX THE PROBLEM NOW I HAVE TO COME UP WITH EXTRA INSURANCE MONEY AND FIX MY CAR EVEN THOUGH IT WAS A MALFUNCTION ON MY CAR.. *TR
WHILE DRIVING IN THE LEFT LANE ON A MULTIPLE LANE INTERSTATE HIGHWAY THE DRIVER ON MY RIGHT CHANGED LANES INTO MY LANE. ON MY LEFT WAS A CONCRETE BARRIER WITHOUT ENOUGH ROOM FOR ME TO AVOID THE OTHER DRIVER. I AGGRESSIVELY APPLIED THE BRAKES TO TRY AND AVOID THE OTHER VEHICLE. EVEN THOUGH MY VEHICLE HAS ABS (ANTI-LOCK BRAKES), THE LEFT FRONT BRAKE LOCKED UP AND PULLED ME INTO THE CONCRETE BARRIER. AT NO TIME IN THE LIFE OF MY CAR HAVE I GOTTEN ANY INDICATION THAT THE ABS SYSTEM WASN'T WORKING PROPERLY. IN THIS SITUATION I WOULD HAVE BEEN MUCH BETTER OFF NOT HAVING ABS THAN HAVING THE SYSTEM ONLY TO HAVE IT MALFUNCTION ON JUST ONE WHEEL. *TR
AFTER CLIMBING A STEEP DRIVEWAY, BRAKES WENT TO THE FLOOR WHEN PULLING OUT ONTO MAIN ROAD. BRAKES WOULD STOP BUT CONTINUED TO GO TO FLOOR IF 1) BRAKES WERE PUT ON PART OF THE WAY; RELEASE AND THEN PUT ON TO STOP AGAIN OR 2) FOOT STAYED ON BRAKE PEDAL UPON STOPPING. IT WAS NOT A SUDDEN DROP BUT A CONTINUOUS MOVEMENT OF THE PEDAL TO THE FLOOR. TOOK TO SOUTHTOWNE CHEVROLET IN NEWNAN, GA AND AFTER A COUPLE OF ATTEMPTS TO REPAIR THE BRAKES (REPLACING FRONT BRAKES, ETC) A FORMAN RODE WITH ME AND THEY ENDED UP HAVING TO FLUSH THE HYDRAULIC SYSTEM TO GET THE BRAKES TO STOP. UPON HEARING OF THE RECALL ON THE MALIBUS THIS MORNING, I FELT LIKE MY COBALT MIGHT HAVE ALSO SUFFERED A POTENTIAL HAZARD IN ITS HYDRAULIC SYSTEM. *TR
SINCE THE CAR WAS PURCHASED NEW, IT HAS MADE OCCASIONAL GRINDING NOISES FROM THE REAR BRAKES. THE REAR BRAKES HAVE WORN OUT SO QUICK THAT THIS IS THE SECOND TIME THEY ARE BEING REPLACED (THREE SETS OF REAR BRAKES IN UNDER 50,000 MILES). THE REPLACEMENTS HAVE NOT BEEN COVERED UNDER WARRANTY BECAUSE THEY ARE A "WEAR" ITEM. THIS VEHICLE IS THE FOUR-DOOR "SPORT" MODEL WITH THE REAR DISC BRAKES AND MANUAL TRANSMISSION. THE PROBLEM IS THAT THE BRAKES WEAR VERY QUICK AND THE PARKING BRAKE WILL NO LONGER HOLD THE VEHICLE ON AN INCLINE. THE EMERGENCY BRAKE WAS ADJUSTED BY THE DEALERSHIP TWICE AND THEY SAID THERE IS NOTHING WRONG WITH IT, BUT I FIGURED OUT WHAT THE PROBLEM IS. THE SPRINGS ON THE REAR CALIPERS THAT RELEASE THE PADS WHEN THE PARKING BRAKE IS DISENGAGED ARE NOT STRONG ENOUGH TO RELEASE THE PADS. EVEN WHEN THE PARKING BRAKE IS FULLY DISENGAGED, THE REAR PADS ARE CLAMPED DOWN ON THE ROTORS CAUSING HEAT, PREMATURE WEAR, AND MORE ROLLING RESISTANCE, LEADING TO DECREASED PARKING BRAKE FUNCTION. *TR
WHEN DRIVING THE TRACTION CONTROL AND ABS WARNING COME ON TOGETHER AND IT MAKES THE CAR SHAKE DURING BRAKING. *TR
EXCESSIVE WEAR ON REAR BRAKES, CAUSING UNTIMELY REPLACEMENT. REAR BRAKES WEAR MORE QUICKLY THAN FRONTS CAUSING UNSAFE DRIVING CONDITIONS. *TR
THE REAR BRAKE PADS ARE WORN SEVERELY UNEVENLY. THE INSIDE PADS ARE DOWN TO METAL WHILE THE OUTSIDE PADS ARE STILL AT LEAST 50%. THE ROTORS ARE DEEPLY SCORED BECAUSE OF THE WEAR. *TR
I HAVE HAD TO REPLACE THE REAR BRAKES 4 TIMES AND STILL HAVEN'T REPLACED THE FRONT I GET STOCK PADS AND ROTORS FROM CHEVY DEALER! AND WITHIN 500 MILES THE ROTORS ARE ALL SCORED UP AND LOOK LIKE THEY HAVE 20K ON THEM. I SEE THIS BEING A SERIOUS SAFETY HAZARD FOR SOMEONE WHO DOES NOT REALIZE IT BECAUSE THEY JUST REPLACED THEM! FIX THIS ISSUE PLEASE! I NOTICED THIS FOR THE 4TH TIME ON DECEMBER 1ST. I WAS BACKING UP AND IT MADE A HORRIBLE SOUND I GOT OUT TO CHECK AND THE REAR PADS ARE ALMOST GONE! I HAVE PUT MAYBE 8K ON THEM AND THE ROTORS LOOK LIKE A TIGER ATTACKED THEM, I DON'T BELIEVE I SHOULD HAVE TO PAY FOR THIS AGAIN SO SOON! *TR
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 CHEVROLET COBALT SS. THE CONTACT WAS DRIVING 10 MPH WHEN THE VEHICLE FAILED TO DECREASE IN SPEED AS THE BRAKES WERE DEPRESSED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO A PRIVATE MECHANIC. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT CONTACTED. THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED. THE VIN WAS UNAVAILABLE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 35,000 AND THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 35,300.
THE REAR BRAKES CLUNKED AND SQUEAKED. TOOK IT TO THE CHEVY DEALERSHIP IN NOVEMBER 2011. THEY REPLACED THE PADS AND TURNED THE ROTORS. SINCE THE CAR WAS TWO MONTHS OUT OF WARRANTY THE CHARGE WAS 307.40. WITHIN 30 DAYS THE BRAKES STARTED MAKING THE NOISE AGAIN BUT NOT AS OFTEN OR AS LOUD. THE SOUND HAS GOTTEN PROGRESSIVELY WORSE AND MORE OFTEN. INSTEAD OF A SQUEAK THERE IS NOW AN EXTREMELY LOUD GRINDING NOISE WHEN STOPPING, PARTICULARLY WHEN THERE IS MOISTURE PRESENT. THE BRAKE PADS STILL HAVE PLENTY OF MATERIAL ON THEM AND THE ROTORS ARE SMOOTH. THE NOISE IS DEAFENING IN PARKING GARAGES AND CAN EASILY BE HEARD 1/8TH OF A MILE AWAY. STOPPING DISTANCE HAS INCREASED AND THE VEHICLE DOES NOT FEEL SAFE. *KB
REAR BRAKE ROTORS ARE IRREPARABLY SCORED AND WARPED AFTER 11,000 MILES, PREVENTING THE REAR BRAKES FROM WORKING CORRECTLY AND DECREASING BRAKING EFFECTIVENESS. THIS IS COMMON ON 2008 COBALT SSES. *TR
1. BEGIN SQUEAKING AND E BRAKE BEGINS TO NO LONGER HOLD THE CAR 2. REAR BREAKS PADS WEAR OUT VERY QUICKLY ABOUT EVERY 10,000 TO 15,000 MILES 3. PUT NEW PADS ON. *TR
REAR BRAKE ROTORS HAVE MASSIVE GOUGES CAUSING A GRINDING NOISE. *TR
LEFT FRONT BRAKE GRABS AND WON'T LET GO, CAUSES PULL TO LEFT..REPLACED BRAKE HOSE, AND CALIPER, STILL DOES IT, BELIEVE IT WILL KILL MY FAMILY YET..IT DOES IT FOR FEW MILES, QUITS, THEN REPEATS AT ANY GIVEN TIME.. *TR
THE REAR BRAKES ON THE 2008-2010 MODELS OF THE CHEVROLET COBALT SS WEAR OUT IMMATURELY CAUSING PULSATION, LACK OF BRAKING POOR, AND COSTLY FIXES. *TR
Showing 1–20 of 50 complaints
Complaints are unverified consumer reports submitted to NHTSA. A high complaint count may reflect vehicle popularity, not defect severity. Data sourced from NHTSA public records.
Data synced from NHTSA on Apr 25, 2026