2009 Chevrolet Cobalt SS

Early-defect pattern

31.2% of complaints about the 2009 Chevrolet Cobalt SS came in its first year of service — a higher share than 98% of the 212 2009 model-years on record. That points to problems present from new rather than wear. The most-reported system is service brakes, hydraulic (132 complaints), typically at 1.3 yr or about 10,000 miles.

Complaints: 221
Median age at failure: 1.5 yr
Median mileage: 12,000 n=202
Crash / fire / tow: 5.4% of reports
Safety recalls: 0

In owners’ own words

Service brakes, hydraulic 8,104 mi 6 mo in service

ON MY 09 CHEVY COBALT SS THE REAR BRAKES GOT VERY LOUD. THE FAILURE WAS THE INNER REAR BRAKE PADS WENT METAL TO METAL BY 8000 MILES FROM NEW. THE OUTER PADS WERE LIKE NEW. DEALERSHIP RESURFACED THE ROTORS AND REPLACED THE PADS. THEY HAD THE CAR 5 DAYS AND GAVE ME A RENTAL. 2000 MILES LATER AND THE BRAKES ARE GETTING LOUD AGAIN. *TR

Service brakes, hydraulic 11,700 mi 7 mo in service

MY ORIGINAL COMPLAINT IS 10263782. I NOW HAVE TO HAVE THE REAR BRAKE PADS REPLACED AGAIN. WENT FROM NEW TO 3/32 IN LESS THAN 4000 MILES. IN LESS THAN 12,000 MILES THE REAR INNER PADS HAVE BEEN REPLACED TWICE AND THE ROTORS RESURFACED ONCE. *TR

Service brakes, hydraulic 6,000 mi 8 mo in service

MY 2009 COBALT SS HAS 10,800 MILES AND AT 7K MILES, THE REAR BRAKES BEGAN TO SQUEAK. YOU CAN FEEL THAT THE ROTORS IN THE REAR ARE GROOVED TERRIBLY, AND THE INSIDE OF THE REAR PADS ARE EVEN WORSE. THE CAR IS AT THE DEALER NOW GETTING THIS FIXED AFTER I HAD ALREADY TAKEN IT TO ANOTHER DEALERSHIP AND THEY WROTE IT OFF AS "WEAR AND TEAR". REAR ROTORS DO NOT GET WORN OUT IN 10K MILES. *TR

Parking brake 12,000 mi 9 mo in service

REASON FOR INSPECTION WAS DUE TO REAR BRAKE GRINDING SOUNDS. AFTER 12,000 MILES THE REAR BRAKE PADS WERE COMPLETELY GONE, AND THE REAR ROTORS SEVERELY GROOVED AND WARPED. GM AGREED THAT THERE WAS A PROBLEM AND REPLACED THE PADS AND ROTORS UNDER WARRANTY STATING THAT THEY'VE SEEN IT ON 3 OTHERS AND WERE TAKING THE SAME ACTION. *TR

Other Cobalt SS model years

How to read this

This is what owners reported, not a reliability rating. People file with NHTSA about alarming failures, not routine ones, and complaint volume tracks how many cars were sold.
Failure ages come from the incident date on each complaint, populated on about 83% of records. Mileage is shown where reported — NHTSA’s 2021 system change cut mileage capture to roughly 15%, so it thins out sharply after MY2020.
Every rank compares this vehicle only against others of the same model year. A 2025 car has not had time to accumulate five-year failures, so comparing early-failure share across years is meaningless.
Fourteen make-months distorted by media storms and mass recalls — Toyota in February 2010 ran 11× normal volume across 33 models — are excluded.
Recalls are manufacturer actions and authoritative; complaints are not. A recall listed here may already have been performed on any individual car. Check a specific VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.

2009 Chevrolet Cobalt SS

When each system is reported — middle 50% of complaints

In owners’ own words

Other Cobalt SS model years

How to read this