Selling a junk Chevrolet Cobalt
Any Cobalt sells for scrap or parts, running or not. Below: what owners report most often for each model year, the recalls on file, and which of those change the offer. Enter your ZIP for a buyer near you.
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What owners report about the Chevrolet Cobalt
NHTSA has 10,115 owner complaints on file for the Chevrolet Cobalt, model years 1996 to 2017, the 46th-most of the 423 models in our data. The most-reported components are steering (3,925, 39%), fuel system (1,611, 16%), electrical system (1,491, 15%). 885 complaints involved a crash, 101 a fire, and 158 say the vehicle had to be towed. The median mileage when the problem was reported is 68,539 miles. The 2006 model year has the most complaints (3,056). Data as of 2026-10-12.
When the top complaint is steering, the question for a seller is whether a buyer will resell the car, pull the parts or scrap it. Read our guide to deciding whether to repair or junk: it explains which offers assume the part works and how to describe the car so the price holds at pickup.
Chevrolet Cobalt by model year
| Year | Complaints | Most reported | Crash | Fire | Recalls | Median miles |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1996 | 1 | Air bags | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 2000 | 1 | Fuel system | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 2002 | 2 | Steering | 1 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 2005 | 2,231 | Steering | 150 | 17 | 6 | 64,000 |
| 2006 | 3,056 | Steering | 272 | 25 | 6 | 69,000 |
| 2007 | 2,004 | Steering | 173 | 21 | 6 | 68,000 |
| 2008 | 1,104 | Steering | 110 | 20 | 5 | 77,750 |
| 2009 | 916 | Fuel system | 103 | 9 | 6 | 75,000 |
| 2010 | 795 | Steering | 76 | 9 | 6 | 67,000 |
| 2011 | 2 | Steering | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 2012 | 1 | Other | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 2016 | 1 | Fuel system | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 2017 | 1 | Steering | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
Complaints are owner reports to NHTSA, not confirmed defects. Median miles is the odometer reading owners gave when they reported a problem, shown only where 20 or more reports include it.
Chevrolet Cobalt recalls
NHTSA lists 11 recall campaigns across these model years, most often for electrical system (2), air bags (2), steering (2). Recall repairs are free at a franchised dealer. Before you sell, check your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls; a buyer who plans to resell the car will.
- 2010 model year, air bags (campaign 15V500000, Aug 2015): General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2010 Chevrolet Cobalt vehicles manufactured January 4, 2010, to June 23, 2010. The affected vehicles may be equipped with an improperly routed Side-Impact Sensor (S…
- 2005 model year, electrical system (campaign 14E021000, Apr 2014): UCI-FRAM Group is recalling certain LS1328 ignition Switches sold as Wells LS1328, Duralast LS1328, Airtex 1S6097, and Carquest 53-27479, and LS1497 Ignition Switches sold as Wells LS1497, Duralast LS1497, Airtex 1S10961…
- 2005 model year, electrical system (campaign 14V171000, Apr 2014): General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2005-2010 Chevrolet Cobalt, 2006-2011 Chevrolet HHR, 2007-2010 Pontiac G5, 2006-2010 Pontiac Solstice, 2003-2007 Saturn Ion, and 2007-2010 Saturn Sky vehicles. In t…
- 2010 model year, steering (campaign 14V153000, Mar 2014): General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2004-2006 and 2008-2009 Chevrolet Malibu, 2004-2006 Malibu Maxx, 2009-2010 HHR (non-turbo), 2010 Cobalt, 2008-2009 Saturn Aura and 2004-2007 Ion, and 2005-2009 Pont…
- 2005 model year, air bags (campaign 14V047000, Feb 2014): This defect can affect the safe operation of the airbag system. Until this recall is performed, customers should remove all items from their key rings, leaving only the ignition key. The key fob (if applicable), should a…
What a Chevrolet Cobalt is worth as a junk car
Buyers price a junk Cobalt on four things: its weight at today's scrap steel price (the floor), the parts still on it that can be resold, whether it starts and drives, and how far they have to tow it. None of those come from a complaint database, so use this page to describe the car accurately and our junk car value guide to work out a ceiling for the metal. Then get more than one offer.
Guides for selling this car
Should you junk or repair your car? 
How much is my junk car worth? 
How junkyards price cars 
Catalytic converters and junk cars 
How to prepare your car for the junkyard 
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Questions people ask
- What is a junk Chevrolet Cobalt worth?
- What a yard can recover: the car's weight at the current scrap steel price, plus parts it can resell (the catalytic converter, engine, transmission and wheels if they're good), minus towing and processing. The same Cobalt gets different offers from different buyers, so compare at least two. Our value guide shows the public benchmark.
- Will a junkyard buy a Chevrolet Cobalt that doesn't run?
- Yes. Junkyards and junk car buyers take cars that don't start, and most arrange the tow. Tell them honestly whether it starts, whether the engine and transmission are still in it, and whether the catalytic converter is on; those are what change the price.
- Should I fix an open recall before selling a Chevrolet Cobalt?
- Recall repairs are free at a franchised dealer for as long as the car exists. If the car is going for scrap, the repair won't change the scrap price. If a buyer might resell it or pull parts, a completed recall can help. Check your VIN at NHTSA's recall lookup first.
- Where do these Chevrolet Cobalt numbers come from?
- From the complaint and recall data NHTSA publishes for every make and model, counted by model year on 2026-10-12. A complaint is an owner's report, not a confirmed defect, and the count rises with how many of the model were sold.