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8.4

pretty bad
Typical Repair Cost:
$2,600
Average Mileage:
24,950 miles
Total Complaints:
5 complaints

Most Common Solutions:

  1. gears and synchros replaced (2 reports)
  2. not sure (2 reports)
  3. first replaced synchros, then just replaced trans (1 reports)
2008 Chevrolet Cobalt transmission problems

transmission problem

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2008 Chevrolet Cobalt Owner Comments

problem #5

Feb 052014

Cobalt LS XFE 2.2lt

  • Manual transmission
  • 75,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

I assumed that my clutch was wearing out, My mechanic agreed, and stated that it is a hydraulic clutch - no adjustments can be made. Drive it until you have trouble shifting, then we'll replace the clutch. That was summer of 2013.

By February, it was difficult to get into certain gears. I took it in, and expected to have the clutch replaced. The mechanic called and said, "The clutch isn't the issue. It's the transmission." The synchros were shot, and several gears were also worn. According to the transmission guy (who was given the job after the clutch was ruled out), GM knows that these parts are bad.

I contacted a Chevy Dealer, who stated that it is just out of warranty (5 year, 100,000 mile powertrain), and that they could not assist me. I was clearly in by mileage, the problem arose before the 5 years was up, and GM knows about these bad parts! Still, no assistance was offered, even though every dealer has 'good faith warranties' that they have the option to extend to customers that need assistance.

There were two (2) other issues after this (corrosion warranty and MAF sensor assembly), and again, GM did little to nothing to accommodate me. This was my seventh (7th) and last GM product.

- Brian S., Cleveland, OH, US

problem #4

Jan 022009

Cobalt LS 2.2L

  • Manual transmission
  • 26,600 miles

I took it to another Chevy dealer. It took their transmission tech 5 minutes to identify the problem, and a day to fix it. I got my car back today and it shifts better than when I go it. According to the work order, 3rd and 4th gear have been replaced as well as the synchros. Sad that I could not get the dealership that I purchased it from to fix it (Marshfield Motor Company, Marshfield Missouri). I took it in there three times and they sent me away with a still broken car. We'll see how long the fix last. This is the only problem I have had with this car.

- ryen, Long Lane, MO, US

problem #3

Oct 142008

Cobalt LS 2.2L

  • Manual transmission
  • 20,500 miles

I recently took my car to the dealership. It now has almost 21,000 miles on it, and guess what, that transmission still grinds on the downshift from 5th to 4th and from 3rd to 4th for the first 15-20 miles. The service manager at Marshfield Motors told me the same deal, which is why I was reluctant to take it back to them in the first place. I left it overnight and they called me and told me they couldn't get it to do it. I took it out with this tool of a manager and did it 10+ times in a row. I got the retarded explanation that I am shifting too fast and not giving the transmission enough time to slow down before I shift. At first he tried to accuse me of no fully depressing the clutch. I had another tech talk to me like I was a f* idiot by explaining to me the difference of a FWD and RWD shifting mechanism and how on a FWD there are cables doing "funky" stuff. I swear to God I will never purchase another GM product. What good is the f* warranty if you can't them to honor it? I am so pissed off !! The cherry on top is I emailed GM back in March, it took them three months to contact me to see if my problem had been resolved. This company needs to be bought out.

- ryen, Long Lane, MO, US

problem #2

Mar 062008

Cobalt LT 2.0L

  • Manual transmission
  • 2,200 miles

BASICALLY TO WRAP IT ALL UP INTO ONE BIG BALL OF SH*T. WAS TOLD BY GM WE WILL JUST REPLACE THE BROKEN PARTS IN YOUR TRANNY (SYNCHRONIZERS), INSTEAD OF REPLACING WHOLE THING OR JUST GIVING ME A NEW CAR. THEN AFTER DRIVING ABOUT 45 FEET AFTER WAITING 2 MONTHS TO GET IT BACK IT STARTED MAKING CLICKING NOISES AFTER DRIVING. TOOK IT BACK AND THEN GM DECIDED TO PUT A NEW TRANNY IN IT, AND NOW I HAVE DROVE IT FOR ABOUT 1500 MORE MILES AND NOW NEW TRANNY* DOING THE SAME THING. THE DEALERSHIP HAS HAD MY CAR LONGER THAN I HAVE OWNED IT FOR ALMOST 4 MONTHS NOW AND IT HAS BEEN IN MY POSSESSION FOR ONLY ABOUT A MONTH AND A HALF NOW. GM, CHEVY CAN ALL SUCK MY ASS, THE CUSTOMER SERVICE CENTER HAS BEEN NO HELP THEY ARE ALL ASSHOLES, F*CK GM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

- Kevin J., Smithville, MO, US

problem #1

Jan 042008

Cobalt LS 2.2L

  • Manual transmission
  • 400 miles

I purchased this car 12/27/2007 and drove it for about a week and started to get more comfortable with the car, hence faster shifting. I understand that this is a base model with the F23 transmission, not the SS with the GETRAG. Anyway when downshifting to 4th from 5th it would grind as it went into gear. Even with the clutch held in, put it back in 5th then downshift to 4th and if you don't baby it, it will grind. I took the car to the Chevy dealer at about 400 miles and again at over 1,000 miles and they "test" drove it and assure me that it is fine and gave me some BS explanation about how the teeth are razor sharp and it needs to break in. This is my 7th manual transmission vehicle and this is the only one I have ever had this issue with. The car now has 4,000 miles and it still does this. I am taking it to a different Chevy dealership 50+ miles from where I live to get a second opinion since the problem obviously isn't going away. Anybody else having this issue. Also, on occasion it will do it downshifting from 4th to 3rd and upshifting to 4th.

- ryen, Long Lane, MO, US

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