The contact’s wife owns a 2006 Chevrolet Cobalt. The contact stated there was an abnormal fuel odor inside the cabin of the vehicle. While exiting the vehicle, the contact became aware that there was an oil leak underneath the rear end of the vehicle, and the fuel odor was more evident. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was jerking while accelerating and while driving from being stationary. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer to be diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was unknown.
2006 Chevrolet Cobalt: gas smell in the cabin
185 of the 2,330 complaints about the 2006 Chevrolet Cobalt describe gas smell in the cabin.
- owner complaints
- 185
- of this car's complaints
- 8%
- typical repair cost reported
- $673
- typical mileage
- 82,000
- recalls
- 1
Is there a fix? There is 1 recall and 1 service bulletin for this area of the car. See below
Gas smell in the cabin by model year
What owners say
strong smell of fuel affraid to drive the igntion get stuck and locks so you cant turn the car on
The contact owns a 2006 Chevrolet Cobalt. The contact became aware that fuel had been puddling underneath the vehicle. The contact had previously noticed an abnormal gasoline odor inside the cabin of the vehicle. The contact stated no warning light was illuminated. The contact had not taken the vehicle to a local dealer or independent mechanic. The vehicle had not been diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer had been informed of the failure. The contact researched online and determined that the failure was related to the federal safety agency Campaign Number: 09V419000 (Fuel System, Gasoline). The failure mileage was approximately 59,410.
The contact owns a 2006 Chevrolet Cobalt. The contact stated while standing outside the vehicle a fuel odor was detected. The contact also stated that while driving, there was a fuel odor detected inside the vehicle. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer or independent mechanic to be diagnosed or repaired. The dealer was contacted and the contact was awaiting an appointment. The contact was also informed that the VIN was not under recall. The manufacturer was contacted and made aware of the issue. The manufacturer informed the contact of a fuel pump module replacement coverage under Manufacturer Communication Number: 09275. Future Chevrolet (4811 Madison Ave, Sacramento, CA 95841) was contacted and the contact was still awaiting a callback. The contact related the failure to the federal safety agency Campaign Number: 09V419000 (Fuel System, Gasoline) however, the VIN was not included. The approximate failure mileage was 69,817.
Last year or so, even before than, I noticed suddle fuel odor smell & noticed few drops by left rear wheel area...it has progressingly gotten worse and now puddles and smells of fuel constantly...all which I traced back to fuel lines by rear exhaust heat shield area where it's very rusty, inline elsewhere around car area...seems to be bad design and or manufacturing issue...also very common I noticed with cobalt saturn Pontiac models sharing same design & platform.. Very dangerous and needs to be corrected by gm!
The contact owns a 2006 Chevrolet Cobalt. The contact stated that after turning off the vehicle, there was an abnormal fuel odor coming from the vehicle. Upon inspection, the contact discovered severe corrosion on the rear driver’s side undercarriage of the vehicle. Due to the rust, the fuel lines started leaking. The local dealer was contacted and informed the contact that the Vin was not under recall. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 126,000.
Tl* the contact owns a 2006 chevrolet cobalt. The contact stated while the vehicle was stationary, he started to smell a fuel odor. The contact stated no warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to independent mechanic and the contact was informed that the fuel pump needed to be replaced. A dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer had been informed of the failure and informed the contact that the VIN was included in the federal safety agency campaign number: 09v419000 (fuel system, gasoline). The failure mileage was approximately 94,000.
While driving on expressway, car went dead> had to make an emergency stop. Power steering went out, but after restarting the car it was ok. It keeps happening off and on- on occasions. I kept smelling gas, took it to car repair shop was told I could not drive the vehicle, was told the gas tank had to be replaced or whatever the part inside the gas tank. Note: when the power steering problem arrived I was leaving going to work. I started the car but the steering was hard to turn so I pulled back into parking space and turned off the engine. I restarted after a few minutes-was able to steer ok. Upon smelling gas this went on for serval days. I thought it was fumes from other cars. I would smell gas while driving it. One day as I pulled up to work I got out of the car and noticed something wet next to my front tire. I could smell gas fumes. I took it to repair shop the next day. Shop told me the car could have caught on fire.
Very strong fuel smell started occurring that was noticeable even after long periods after parking. Upon further investigation a fuel leak was discovered on the outlet of the fuel pump which is integral to the fuel tank. It appears there is a crack or some sort of defect causing the exterior piece on that fuel pump to fail. Vehicle only has 64,300 miles on it.
Tl* the contact owns a 2006 chevrolet cobalt. The contact stated that while the vehicle was parked in the garage, the contact noticed a strong fuel odor inside the garage. The contact moved the vehicle out of the garage and the fuel odor was still present. The contact noticed evidence of the fuel leak on the ground. The vehicle was taken to elkins chevrolet (401 route 73 south, marlton, nj 08053, (856) 983-9200) to be inspected. The contact was informed that the fuel lines were rusted and leaking near the wheel well. The vehicle was repaired. The approximate failure mileage was 68369.
Tl* the contact owns a 2006 chevrolet cobalt. The contact stated that multiple attempts were needed to start the vehicle without warning. Additionally, there was a strong gasoline odor throughout the vehicle. The contact spoke with bob valenti chevrolet (72 jerry browne rd #3050, mystic, ct 06355, (860) 536-4931) and inquired about the federal safety agency campaign number: 09v419000 (fuel system, gasoline). The contact was informed that the vehicle was not included. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 121,633.
I have had to have the fuel feed line and fuel return line assembly replaced back in feb 2020 because of strong smell of gas and leaking gas now the issue has started again not sure why strong odor of gas and leaking started about july/august
Service bulletins that may apply
Related recalls
Fuel system, gasoline: delivery: fuel pump
- What is wrong
- General motors is recalling certain model year 2006 chevrolet cobalt and saturn ion vehicles originally sold in or currently registered in the states of arizona and nevada; and model year 2007 chevrolet cobalt, pontiac g5 and saturn ion vehicles originally sold in or currently registered in the states of arizona, california, florida, nevada and texas. The plastic supply or return port on the modular reservoir assembly may crack. If either of these ports develops a crack, fuel will leak from the area. If the crack becomes large enough, fuel may be observed dripping onto the ground and vehicle performance may be affected.
- Risk
- Fuel leakage, in the presence of an ignition source, could result in a fire.
- Remedy
- Dealers will replace the fuel pump module free of charge. A special coverage will be implemented in the same time frame for model year 2006 vehicles registered in alabama, arkansas, california, florida, georgia, hawaii, louisiana, mississippi, north carolina, new mexico, oklahoma, south carolina, tennessee and texas and model year 2007 vehicles registered in: alabama, arkansas, georgia, hawaii, louisiana, mississippi, north carolina, new mexico, oklahoma, south carolina and tennessee. The safety recall is expected to begin on or before february 4, 2010. Owners may contact chevrolet at 1‑800‑630‑2438, saturn at 1‑800‑972‑8876 and pontiac at 1‑800‑620‑7668 or at the owner center at www.gmownercenter.com.
Recall number 09V419000 · Recall details
Questions about the 2006 Chevrolet Cobalt fuel smell
Is gas smell in the cabin a common problem on the 2006 Chevrolet Cobalt?
185 of 2,330 owner complaints about the 2006 Chevrolet Cobalt (8%) mention gas smell in the cabin. The model year with the most reports is 2006.
How much does it cost to fix gas smell in the cabin on the 2006 Chevrolet Cobalt?
Owners who mentioned a price put the repair at about $673 (median of 13 complaints that include a dollar amount). Costs vary with mileage, warranty and where the work is done.
Is there a recall or service bulletin for this on the 2006 Chevrolet Cobalt?
There is 1 recall and 1 service bulletin for the same area of the car. Check them below with your VIN.
Other symptoms on the 2006 Chevrolet Cobalt
Power steering loss 453Fuel pump 254Fuel leak 202Loss of power 168Stalling 122Steering lock-up 96Check engine light 89Jerking 59Door locks 54No deployment 50Engine failure 49Airbag light 34Won't start 34Ball joint 25Fire or smoke 22Steering noise 19Harsh shifting 18Headlights 18Adaptive cruise 15Won't shift 13Hesitation 12Pulling 12Warning lights 12ABS 11Grinding brakes 11Knocking 11Misfire 11Slipping 11Fuel gauge 10Overheating 9Battery drain 6Sudden acceleration 6Brake failure 5Seat belt 5Transmission failure 5Wipers 5
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