Fuel lines leak around fuel tank, causing a fuel smell around the vehicle and a major fire hazard
2010 Chevrolet Cobalt fuel system problems
122 complaints (21% of all complaints for this car). Typical mileage when it fails: 105,999. 1 crash reported.
- owner complaints
- 122
- of this car's complaints
- 21%
- typical mileage
- 105,999
- crashes
- 1
- recalls
- 0
Which part fails
- Delivery: hoses, lines/piping, and fittings9
- Storage: tank assembly1
At what mileage
Complaints by mileage at the time of the problem.
0k-25k
25k-50k
50k-75k
75k-100k
100k-125k
125k-150k
150k-175k
175k-200k
200k+
Chevrolet Cobalt fuel system problems in other years
Specific symptoms reported on the 2010 Chevrolet Cobalt fuel system
Phrases found in the owners' own descriptions, so one complaint can mention several symptoms.
Related recalls
No recalls on record for this model year.
Related investigations
Fuel Line Leak
On July 5, 2020, the Office of Defects Investigations (ODI) opened PE20-011 to investigate instances of metal fuel lines under the vehicle corroding and leaking fuel in model year (MY) 2008 through 2010 Chevrolet Cobalt and 2008 through 2009 Chevrolet HHR passenger cars manufactured by General Motors (GM). The metal fuel lines are corroding and leaking fuel in the area between the front and rear wheels on the driver's side of the vehicle before the muffler. Most consumers allege a fuel odor and/or an observable fuel leak that alerts them to the condition.The subject metal fuel lines have a protective AGE coating and, in the vicinity of the left rear wheel, are further wrapped in a foil heat shield. The AGE coating consists of an annealed zinc aluminum alloy metal coating with extended corrosion protection paint. Under certain conditions, water and corrosive road deicing agents may enter a crevice between the heat shield and the AGE coating. With extended environmental exposure in high corrosive environments, the AGE coating can degrade. If it degrades enough, the base metal lines may begin to corrode beneath the heat shield.Corrosion to the fuel lines may eventually cause a perforation to develop in the line, allowing fuel vapors to escape from between the line and the heat shield, emitting a fuel odor that will be detectable to the vehicle operator. If the corrosion progresses, fuel may begin to weep from the line. Further metal degradation due to corrosion could create a drip or a mist of fuel. If this occurs, vehicle owners may see drips, spots, or puddles on the ground near the rear portion of the vehicle, primarily along the driver's side rear wheel.The majority of allegations (85%) were reported for vehicles that are operated in the salt belt region of the United States. This area includes states in the Northeast, mid-Atlantic, and Midwest regions. Additionally, the average failure mileage in the subject vehicles is approximately 111,000 across all data sources.Considering the low manufacturer complaint/warranty rates of fuel line replacement, the fact that the majority of failures are concentrated in salt belt states, high failure mileages, as well as the field exposure time for the subject vehicles, and the highly detectable and progressive nature of this failure over time, the potential safety consequences of this issue are very low. To date, there have been no reported crashes, injuries, or fatalities related to this issue. There are two reported fires in ODI data and no reported fires in GM data. Both ODI reported fires were minor, occurred after the vehicle was parked, and were extinguished utilizing fire extinguishers.In view of the progressive failure occurring at high mileages, the age of the subject vehicles, the high detectability of the leak, and the majority of failures occurred in salt belt states, this Preliminary Evaluation is closed. The agency reserves the right to take additional action if warranted by new circumstances.Review the ODI reports cited above at under the attached identification numbers.
PE20011
What 2010 Chevrolet Cobalt owners say
Most recent owner complaints, unedited.
Air bag says it needs serviced Gas gadge is all over the place hard to tell how much gas I actually have in my tank.
I found out about the recall on the 2007-2009 on the corrosion of the gas lines on drivers side rear wheel when I took my car to a chevy dealer and they said its the same thing thats happening to my car.and that they only did the recall on 2007-2009 colbalt models .the last colbalt's made was the 2010 models.why didnt they recall them also.I took it to another chevy dealer in amelia and they said the same thing.this needs to be recalled asap.its a safety related defect from gm and they know it.if I have to I will get a lawyer and sue g.m. Period.I cant afford to fix gm's mistakes.they need to come clean and fix them.it leaks out gas and could start a fire or explode while I am in the car.I demand this taken car of by gm and stop kicking the can down the road.I will not stop or give up on this .sence I was told by 2 diffrent chevy dealerships.
The contact owns a 2010 Chevrolet Cobalt. The contact stated that while driving at 35 MPH, there was an abnormal odor of fuel inside the vehicle. There were no warning lights illuminated. The local dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, who informed the contact that the failure was due to the fuel line. The manufacturer was contacted and offered help with a new vehicle. The contract stated that the failure was related to the federal safety agency Action Number PE20011 (Fuel System, Other, Fuel/Propulsion System, Fuel System, Gasoline). The failure mileage was approximately 107,000.
You need to reopen the case. Due to the fact that gm or who made the cobalt's, failed to tell you that they put heat coil tape around the gas lines right where it rusted and gas leaks. When there coil tape gets wet with salt water from the snow, its there heat coil wrap that traps and keeps the salt water in side the coil wrap thats traped to the gas line.I can prove it.I have the heat coil wrap from my car.its there fault not the weather conditions.period.willing to take to court with evidence. - [xxx] , us information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u.s.c. 552(b)(6)
The contact owns a 2010 Chevrolet Cobalt. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle stalled. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, who informed the contact that there was a fuel leak due to corrosion in the polymer blocks that attached the fuel lines. The contact related the failure to the federal safety agency Action Number: PE20011 (Fuel System, Other). The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was unknown.
My car had a fuel pump go, then within MONTHS, another. We then dealt with the SAME problem symptomatically, and was told it was the fuel pump sensor. Within the last few weeks, I am having all the same issues-including the car intermittently not starting, gasoline leaking from the vehicle, both noticably missing from the gauge (i.e 1/8 tank less than night prior), odor of gas in the car, stalling out while driving and trying to start it, but also now dripping gas from the car. A new issue popped up, which is the dash light coming up saying "check gas cap". This past Thursday, my car wouldn't start again, and has not started since. It's concerning that the Chevy Cobalt has had recalls for the same exact problems, literally thousands of complaints that mirror mine- for every model year EXCEPT the 2010. It's also interesting that they also stopped producing the Cobalt entirely in 2010 too, but considering the amount of faults and issues I've seen documented in every year model it's not a shock. I'm concerned that despite the amount of complaints that include 2010 models, they were excluded from the recall and seeing that my situation is another one that won't be covered, fixed, or made right by GM is something that doesn't make sense. I have also seen, that in 2021 an investigation was launched specifically into this exact issue with the 2010, as well. I'm carless right now, with no answers from Chevy other than that it's not part of the recall, yet it's part of the problem. Something is VERY wrong here. It's shocking they wouldn't recall a vehicle knowing it's dripping gas, pooling gas, it's such a hazard for not only anyone driving them, but anyone driving near us or even PARKED near us. Please help do something! Also I have videos of my car dripping, 2 days prior to it not starting, if there is somewhere I could send those as well.
Unknown
The contact owns a 2010 Chevrolet Cobalt. The contact stated while driving 70 MPH, there was an abnormally strong gasoline odor coming from the vehicle. The contact pulled over on the side of the road. The contact checked under the vehicle and notice that fuel was leaking from the vehicle. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic and the contact was informed that the fuel line was fractured and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was 111,000.
The contact owns a 2010 Chevrolet Cobalt. The contact stated that the vehicle would not immediately start as needed, and the odor of fuel was present inside and outside of the vehicle. After parking the vehicle, the contact discovered fuel leaking from the rear driver’s side of the vehicle. The cause of the failure was not yet determined. The local dealer and manufacturer were not yet notified of the failure. The contact indicated that the vehicle had exhibited the failure listed in the federal safety agency Investigation: PE20011. The failure mileage was 59,980.
Questions about the 2010 Chevrolet Cobalt fuel system
Does the 2010 Chevrolet Cobalt have fuel system problems?
Owners have filed 122 complaints about the fuel system of the 2010 Chevrolet Cobalt, 21% of all its complaints.
At what mileage do 2010 Chevrolet Cobalt fuel system problems start?
The typical (median) mileage in owner complaints is 105,999 miles.
Was there a recall on the 2010 Chevrolet Cobalt fuel system?
There is no recall for this problem on this model year.
What year does the Chevrolet Cobalt have the most fuel system problems?
The Chevrolet Cobalt model years with the most fuel system complaints are 2006 (466 complaints), 2007 (431 complaints) and 2009 (261 complaints).
Other 2010 Chevrolet Cobalt problems
Steering 239Electrical 125Airbags 77Engine 42Transmission 31Brakes 28Acceleration 14Body 13Driver assistance 12Seat belts 11Lights 10Wheels 10Suspension 8Tires 6Visibility 3Locks 2Seats 2
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