2008 Chevrolet Cobalt SS: what breaks, and at what mileage
What breaks on the 2008 Chevrolet Cobalt SS
On the 2008 Chevrolet Cobalt SS, the failure owners report most often is other brake problem, and the reports cluster around 15,000 miles. The earliest to appear is parking brake failure, reported by a median of 10,000 miles. Overall it scores 71 out of 100, high risk for a 2008.
High risk for a 2008 — 92nd riskiest of the 356 2008 vehicles we can rate. 117 owner reports; no fleet size estimate, so rates are unavailable.
What breaks on the 2008 Chevrolet Cobalt SS
Owners have reported 22 named failure modes on the 2008 Chevrolet Cobalt SS, and the three most-reported carry 63% of everything filed, so the trouble here is concentrated rather than scattered.
Other brake problem leads with 53 reports and with the middle half of reports between 6k to 20,000 miles.
Premature brake pad or rotor wear follows with 13 reports, usually reported between 14k to 20,000 miles.
Parking brake failure follows with 8 reports, usually reported between 5k to 15,000 miles.
By system, the reports fall mostly into brakes (76), fuel (10) and engine (7).
When these failures get reported
103 of the reports on the 2008 Chevrolet Cobalt SS came with an odometer reading, and half of those were filed before 18,000 miles.
Cumulatively, 74% by 50,000 miles, 96% by 100,000 miles and 97% by 150,000 miles of the dated reports had been filed.
The busiest stretch is between 10,000 and 20,000 miles, which alone holds 30% of the dated reports.
67% of the dated reports were filed below 36,000 miles, which is early enough that a fair number of these cars were still under a factory warranty when the owner complained.
In the order they tend to show up: parking brake failure around 12k, other brake problem around 14k and premature brake pad or rotor wear around 18k.
Tick median reported mileage Solid middle half of reports Faint 10th to 90th percentile Colour how bad the failure is when it happens
Showing the 12 most-reported failure modes of 22. The full list is in the table below.
How reports accumulate
Every report with an odometer reading, cumulative, from 0 to 200,000 miles. A curve that climbs early is a car with early problems, whatever its total.
- Line share of reports filed by that mileage
- Dashed the median reported mileage
Severity, and what it costs
Across the named modes, 3 a fire. Those are the words owners used in their own complaints, and NHTSA does not verify them, but they are the closest thing in this data to a measure of what a failure actually did.
The average severity weight across every report on this year is 3.52, where a stalled engine or a failed airbag weighs many times more than a rattling trim panel, and a figure this high means the reports are dominated by failures with safety consequences rather than annoyances. The weighting is set out in full on the methodology page.
What the top failures cost to put right, as editorial estimates for an independent US shop rather than figures from NHTSA: other brake problem at $300–$1,800, premature brake pad or rotor wear at $300–$1,400, parking brake failure at $250–$1,300 and fuel pump failure at $600–$2,600. Dealer labour, a seized bolt or a part that is no longer made can push any of these past the top of its range.
6% of the reports on this year sit in the engine, transmission, drivetrain or cooling systems — the four where a repair bill is usually four figures.
Every reported failure mode
| Failure mode | System | Reports | With reading | 25th | Median | 75th | Per 1,000 | Typical repair | Severity |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Other brake problem | brakes | 53 | 45 | 6k | 14k | 20k | — | $300–$1,800 | High |
| Premature brake pad or rotor wear | brakes | 13 | 13 | 14k | 18k | 21k | — | $300–$1,400 | Moderate |
| Parking brake failure | brakes | 8 | 8 | 5k | 12k | 17k | — | $250–$1,300 | Moderate |
| Fuel pump failure | fuel | 5 | 5 | — | 98k | — | — | $600–$2,600 | High |
| No-start or intermittent start failure | engine | 3 | 3 | — | 179k | — | — | $200–$1,800 | Moderate |
| Ignition switch, key fob or immobilizer failure | electrical | 3 | 3 | — | 40k | — | — | $250–$1,500 | High |
| Paint peeling or clear coat failure | body | 3 | 3 | — | 70k | — | — | $600–$6,000 | Low |
| Other electrical problem | electrical | 3 | 2 | — | 52k | — | — | $250–$2,000 | Moderate |
| Misfire or rough idle | engine | 2 | 2 | — | 69k | — | — | $250–$1,600 | Moderate |
| Fuel tank, filler or EVAP failure | fuel | 2 | 2 | — | 70k | — | — | $250–$1,800 | Moderate |
| Loss of braking | brakes | 2 | 2 | — | 14k | — | — | $400–$3,000 | Critical |
| Other engine problem | engine | 2 | 2 | — | 81k | — | — | $300–$4,000 | High |
| Other fuel system problem | fuel | 2 | 1 | — | 45k | — | — | $300–$2,200 | High |
| Other body or interior problem | body | 2 | 2 | — | 7k | — | — | $200–$2,000 | Moderate |
| Fuel leak or fuel odor | fuel | 1 | 1 | — | 56k | — | — | $300–$2,500 | Critical |
| Airbag warning light or occupant sensor fault | airbag | 1 | 1 | — | 51k | — | — | $300–$1,600 | High |
| Loss of power steering | steering | 1 | 1 | — | 6k | — | — | $600–$2,800 | Critical |
| Other steering problem | steering | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | — | $350–$2,400 | High |
| Other wheel or tire problem | wheels | 1 | 1 | — | 7k | — | — | $200–$1,500 | High |
| Other lighting problem | lighting | 1 | 1 | — | 68k | — | — | $120–$1,200 | Moderate |
| Other driver assistance problem | adas | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | — | $250–$1,800 | High |
| Other speed control problem | adas | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | — | $250–$2,000 | Critical |
| Unclassified problem | other | 6 | 5 | — | 72k | — | — | — | Moderate |
No fleet-size estimate is available for this year, so only raw counts are shown. Repair costs are typical independent-shop ranges for the failure, not figures from these reports.
How often, against how many were built
There is no usable estimate of how many 2008 Chevrolet Cobalt SS were built, so this page reports counts and not rates. 117 reports on a car that sold in millions and 117 on a car that sold in thousands are not the same finding, and without a denominator there is no honest way to say which this is.
No fleet-size estimate is available for this year, so only raw counts are shown.
What owners wrote
Verbatim from NHTSA complaint narratives, trimmed for length. The odometer reading is the one the owner gave.
Other brake problem
Terrible premature wear of rear brake pads and rotors on 2008 chevrolet cobalt ss turbocharged with roughly 20,000 miles... Inside pad and inward facing side of rotors show great damage. Very deep gauges to inward side of both rear rotors. Very common problem on all 2008-2009 cobalt ss turbocharged vehicles. *tr
Rear brakes wear very rapidly. The rear brake pads were completely gone within 14k miles, rear rotors scored so heavily they needed to be replaced. 10k miles later the replacement brakes are almost gone. Not covered under warranty. The front brakes have been fine this entire time - still plenty of life left. *tr
Premature brake pad or rotor wear
After driving 18k miles of highway in less than a year my rear brake pads were worn to the backing plate. On top of that my brake rotor were badly grooved and needed to be machined. This vehicle has never been to a track, minimal city driving, never excessive speeds, and minimal heavy braking. *tr
2008 chevrolet cobalt ss. Rear brake rotors badly grooved. Inner brake pad worn completely out. Outer pad worn to 50%. Front rotors are smooth and 80% of pad life left.gm dealer would not fix under warranty but acknowledged that they didn't know why rear brakes are wearing before fronts. I have owned car since it was new. No racing just daily commuting. Had rotors turned and installed oem pads at 16500. Have seen problem progressively get worse since about 4000 miles. Current mileage 35000,pads worn out in same manner as stated above and rotors are severely grooved again,worn past safe refinish limits. Front pads are still in very good shape and no grooves in rotors. Car is driven mostly on interstate. *tr
Parking brake failure
The rear brake rotors on both sides are severely grooved on the inner and outer surfaces. The inner brake pads on both sides are worn noticeably more than the outer pads. The brakes make a grinding noise. The parking brake doesn't hold the car in place. This is at 4k miles. *tr
The rear brake rotors on both sides are severely grooved on the inner and outer surfaces. The inner brake pads on both sides are worn noticeably more than the outer pads. The brakes make a grinding noise. The parking brake doesn't hold the car in place. This is at 4k miles. *tr
How it ranks in the 2008 field
The score at the top of the page, placed among its peers. The zones are the same thresholds the scorer applies, read out of the scorer itself, so the picture and the band word cannot disagree.
Scores are ranked within the model year, never across years, because an older car has had longer to accumulate reports.
- Left fewer and less serious reports
- Right more, or worse
- Marker this vehicle
Where 2008 sits in the model line
High risk for a 2008 — 92nd riskiest of the 356 2008 vehicles we can rate. Because the ranking is against the same model year only, age cancels out of it.
Within the 2008–2010 generation specifically, 2008 is the strongest year at 71 and 2009 the weakest at 78.
Scores compare each year against other cars of the same model year, so a low number on an older car is a real result and not an artefact of age.
Within the 2008-2010 generation, 2008 Chevrolet Cobalt SS scores best at 71 and 2009 Chevrolet Cobalt SS worst at 78.
Where to spend the inspection money
The mileages below are where the first quarter of reports for each mode had already been filed, which makes them the point at which a fault is worth looking for rather than the point at which it happens: parking brake failure from about 5k, other brake problem from about 6k and premature brake pad or rotor wear from about 14k.
On a 2008 Chevrolet Cobalt SS with more miles than that on it, the useful question to put to a seller or a mechanic is whether parking brake failure has been dealt with, and if so with what parts and at whose expense. A car that has already had the repair is in a different position from one that has not.
Treat it as where to point the inspection, not as a prediction. A well-maintained example can sail past every mileage on this page, and a neglected one can fail well before the first of them.
What this page cannot tell you
117 owner reports; no fleet size estimate, so rates are unavailable. Every count on this page is therefore a floor: it is the number of owners who went to the trouble of filing with a federal agency, which is a small and self-selected fraction of the owners who had the fault.
Of those 117 reports, 103 carried an odometer reading, so the mileages here describe 88% of the sample rather than all of it. Owners also round: readings pile up on multiples of ten thousand, which is why this site publishes "about 90,000 miles" and not "91,438".
The failure modes are assigned by software reading the owner's own words, which is accurate in bulk and wrong in individual cases. A mode with a handful of reports may contain a misfiled one.
And nothing here predicts what one car will do. These are other people's complaints, filed years apart, on cars maintained by strangers. Read the page as a map of where this model year has previously gone wrong, then have the specific car in front of you inspected.
Questions this page answers
What are the most common problems with the 2008 Chevrolet Cobalt SS?
The most-reported failures are other brake problem (53 reports, median 15,000 miles), premature brake pad or rotor wear (13 reports, median 20,000 miles) and parking brake failure (8 reports, median 10,000 miles). Counts come from owner complaints filed with NHTSA, which are voluntary, so they show what owners bothered to report rather than every fault that occurred.
At what mileage do 2008 Chevrolet Cobalt SS problems start?
Parking brake failure is the earliest failure mode to show up, with a median reported mileage of 10,000 miles and a quarter of reports before 5,000 miles. Across all failure modes on this year, the median report sits at 18,000 miles.
Is the 2008 Chevrolet Cobalt SS reliable?
It scores 71 out of 100 on our risk index, which is high — 92nd riskiest of the 356 2008 vehicles we can rate. The score is a comparison against other 2008 vehicles, not a prediction about any individual car, and it is built from complaint rates, severity and how early failures appear.
Which year of the Chevrolet Cobalt SS is best?
Within the 2008–2010 generation, 2008 scores best at 71 out of 100 and 2009 worst at 78. Same body, same engines, different luck.
Where this comes from. Every figure above is computed from NHTSA owner complaints and recall records for this exact make, model and year. Complaints are voluntary and self-selected, so treat counts as a floor. The methodology page writes out each formula, and the same numbers are available as JSON.
What breaks at my mileage Compare with another car
Source Owner complaints and recall records published by the US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, model years 1996–2027 Figures rebuilt Published by AtWhatMileage How every figure is computed