Equal-exposure complaint evidence and changes in the reported problem mix

2005 vs 2006 CHEVROLET COBALT

NHTSA Consumer Complaints complaints · snapshot 2026-08-21

Share shifts show how a vehicle's problem mix changed. They do not measure reliability, and complaint counts are not normalized for sales volume.

First 251 months on market for each model year

Exposure window calculated through Aug 22, 2026

Age-matched reports

▲ 43.2% more reports in the equal exposure window

NHTSA Consumer Complaints complaints · snapshot 2026-08-21

Bars start at the neutral midpoint. Left means a smaller share; right means a larger share.

View component share data as a table

Component	2005 share	2006 share	Share change
FUEL SYSTEM	2.9%	18.3%	▲ 15.4 pts larger share
STEERING	61.5%	49.5%	▼ 12.0 pts smaller share
AIR BAGS	2.0%	3.3%	▲ 1.3 pts larger share
ENGINE	4.6%	3.5%	▼ 1.1 pts smaller share
SERVICE BRAKES	1.5%	0.9%	▼ 0.6 pts smaller share
SUSPENSION	2.0%	1.5%	▼ 0.5 pts smaller share
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM	11.1%	10.7%	▼ 0.5 pts smaller share
EXTERIOR LIGHTING	1.1%	0.7%	▼ 0.4 pts smaller share
POWER TRAIN	3.7%	4.1%	▲ 0.4 pts larger share
STRUCTURE	1.7%	1.3%	▼ 0.4 pts smaller share
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL	1.4%	1.0%	▼ 0.3 pts smaller share
WHEELS	0.4%	0.2%	▼ 0.2 pts smaller share
SEAT BELTS	0.4%	0.2%	▼ 0.2 pts smaller share
TIRES	0.3%	0.1%	▼ 0.1 pts smaller share
VISIBILITY	0.6%	0.5%	▼ 0.1 pts smaller share
PARKING BRAKE	0.1%	not reported	▼ 0.1 pts smaller share
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE	not reported	0.0%	▲ 0.0 pts larger share
LANE DEPARTURE	not reported	0.0%	▲ 0.0 pts larger share
UNKNOWN OR OTHER	20.6%	22.5%	▲ 1.9 pts larger share

NHTSA Safety Recalls recalls · snapshot 2026-08-22

2005 6

Campaign components: ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, EXTERIOR LIGHTING, and STEERING

2006 6

Campaign components: ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE, and STEERING

NHTSA Consumer Complaints complaints · snapshot 2026-08-21