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1996 Chevrolet Cobalt

Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations

Limited comparison data

There is not enough comparable history to draw a useful model-year comparison.

About this comparison →
1Owner complaints

Model-year median: 2

0Recall campaigns

View recall details →

0Investigations

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How this year compares

Owner complaints by model year

Other model years Selected year
1
1996
Compare all Cobalt years →

Counts vary with age, sales and reporting. They are not failure rates.

What owners reported most

Air Bags
1

Tap a category to read its complaints. One report may name several components.

When problems were reported

Mileage at the reported incident

Limited mileage data: 1 of 1 reports include usable mileage. There isn’t enough coverage to show a useful chart.

NHTSA’s mileage field refers to the reported incident, not necessarily the filing date. This shows report counts, not the likelihood of a failure.

What to inspect

Issues worth paying extra attention to based on owner reports.

  • Air Bags. Review the 1 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →

NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.

0 crash reports0 fire reports0 injury reports

What owners actually said

1 reports
70,000 miles · Aug 28, 2009
Air Bags

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 1996 CHEVROLET COBALT. THE CONTACT STATED THAT HE NOTICED THAT THE AIR BAG WARNING LIGHT ILLUMINATED ON THE INSTRUMENT CONTROL PANEL, INDICATING THAT THE PASSENGER SIDE FRONT AIR BAG WAS INOPERATIVE. AS A CONSEQUENCE IN A SITUATION THAT WARRANTS THE AIR BAG MAY NOT DEPLOY WHICH INCREASES THE RISK OF SERIOUS…

Read full complaint

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 1996 CHEVROLET COBALT. THE CONTACT STATED THAT HE NOTICED THAT THE AIR BAG WARNING LIGHT ILLUMINATED ON THE INSTRUMENT CONTROL PANEL, INDICATING THAT THE PASSENGER SIDE FRONT AIR BAG WAS INOPERATIVE. AS A CONSEQUENCE IN A SITUATION THAT WARRANTS THE AIR BAG MAY NOT DEPLOY WHICH INCREASES THE RISK OF SERIOUS INJURY. HE TOOK THE VEHICLE TO THE DEALER IN WHICH A TECHNICIAN ACKNOWLEDGE THAT THERE WAS A TECHNICIAN BULLETIN THAT SPECIFIES THAT THE WIRING HARNESS SHOULD BE MODIFIED. ADDITIONALLY HE ADDED THAT BECAUSE THERE NOT AN OFFICIAL RECALL THEREFORE HE WOULD HAVE TO PAY FOR THE REPAIR. AS OF CURRENT DATE THE VEHICLE HAS NOT BEEN REPAIRED. THE FAILURE AND CURRENT MILEAGES WERE 70,000. THE VIN NUMBER WAS NOT AVAILABLE.

NHTSA ODI #10282054

Official recalls

0

No recalls in this snapshot.

Model-level recall history does not show whether a particular VIN is affected or has received a repair. Check a VIN with NHTSA ↗

NHTSA investigations

0

No exact-year investigations in this snapshot.