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Fuel systemPart report

2006 Chevrolet Cobalt Fuel system Problems

Complaints
466about this part
Share
20%of 2,330 total for the year
Median mileage
85,250miles
Trend
FallingComplaints filed in the last 3 full calendar years are at least 25% lower than in the 3 years before.

NHTSA recorded 466 complaints about the fuel system of the 2006 Chevrolet Cobalt, 20% of the 2,330 complaints for this model year. Where a mileage was given, the median is 85,250 miles. 5 of these say a crash was involved and 5 a fire, according to the filers. 1 recall campaign on record is filed under a similar system.

Example complaints

Selected from NHTSA records; personal details are removed. They are consumer reports, not findings.

“Fuel leak near left rear wheel. Smelled gasoline. Parked vehicle. Saw a puddle of gas leaking from the vehicle. Checked with Chevrolet since there is a recall for this issue but was told my vehicle was not part of the recall. There is a special bulletin 12191 covering this issue that should be free of charge to fix but nobody related to Chevrolet I spoke with knows about this.”

NHTSA complaint #11325645, filed 2020-05, 88,000 miles

“My vehicle, a 2006 chevy Cobalt lt, like many other chevy cobalts I've found in my research, has a fuel leak in the rear driver side. I have not pinpointed the exact leak location but I have a picture displaying the fuel line covered in what seems like an aluminum foil to keep the lines from heating up. Clearly this doesn't work. This is a common issue and I believe it needs to be addressed.”

NHTSA complaint #11374645, filed 2020-11, 80,000 miles

“Everytime we drive our Cobalt we have a hard time starting it. After a few days with it being hard to start we then started smelling a strong gas odor on the outside and inside of the car. I found there was a recall for the fuel pump, but for some reason it is only in certain states and of course my state (michigan) is not included.”

NHTSA complaint #10749649, filed 2015-08, 90,000 miles

“Bad smell of gas coming from my vehicle my family mechanic took a look and noticed a leak coming from the top of my fuel pump. Saw recalls on the fuel pump for models in 2006 and 2007 my vehicle should be on that list and added to this recall. The vehicle is a 2006 Chevrolet Cobalt ls sedan 2.2 4cyl. Thank you”

NHTSA complaint #10733517, filed 2015-07, 82,000 miles

“There is a recall for the fuel system leaking on 2006 cobalts as well as other year cobalts and ion's. The recall is limited to certain states and certain VIN's. My 2006 Cobalt was bought in kentucky but is having the same issue as described by the recall. Upon researching the issue I have found other complaints outside the affected area with the same issue.”

NHTSA complaint #10535031, filed 2013-08, 124,578 miles

Related recalls

Related service bulletins

Fuel system: other model years

YearComplaintsShare of year
201012221%
200926137%
200824329%
200743128%
200646620%
2005563%

Other parts of the 2006 Chevrolet Cobalt

Steering
1,299 complaintsElectrical system
412 complaintsAir bags
146 complaintsTransmission and drivetrain
137 complaintsEngine
93 complaintsOther or unknown
55 complaintsBrakes
51 complaintsBody and structure
51 complaintsSuspension
51 complaintsVehicle speed control
48 complaintsEngine cooling
43 complaintsLatches, locks and linkages
38 complaints

← All problems reported for the 2006 Chevrolet Cobalt

About this data. Data from NHTSA (ODI) complaints, recalls, TSBs and investigations, updated Oct 31, 2026. Complaints are unverified consumer reports and may be duplicated or inaccurate.

To check a specific vehicle for open recalls, use its VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls. Methodology