2009 Chevrolet Cobalt
small car / 2-door coupe
Moderate overlap front: original test
Rating applies to 2005-10 models
Tested vehicle: 2009 Chevrolet Cobalt LS 2-door
The Chevrolet Cobalt was introduced in the 2005 model year, and the Pontiac G5 (available only as a 2-door) was introduced in the 2007 model year. The Pontiac G5 was discontinued after the 2009 model year and the Cobalt after the 2010 model year.
| Overall evaluation | |
|---|---|
| Structure and safety cage | |
| Driver injury measures | |
| Head/neck | |
| Chest | |
| Leg/foot, left | |
| Leg/foot, right | |
| Driver restraints and dummy kinematics |
Action shot taken during the frontal crash test.
The dummy's position in relation to the steering wheel and instrument panel after the crash test indicates that the driver's survival space was maintained reasonably well.
Smeared greasepaint indicates where the dummy's head hit the roof rail and head restraint during rebound. Head accelerations from these hits were negligible.
Forces on the lower right leg were high enough to indicate the possibility of injuries.
Measures of occupant compartment intrusion on driver side
| Test ID | CEF0907 |
|---|---|
| Footwell intrusion | |
| Footrest (cm) | 10 |
| Left (cm) | 12 |
| Center (cm) | 17 |
| Right (cm) | 15 |
| Brake pedal (cm) | 11 |
| Instrument panel rearward movement | |
| Left (cm) | 7 |
| Right (cm) | 6 |
| Steering column movement | |
| Upward (cm) | 6 |
| Rearward (cm) | 5 |
| A-pillar rearward movement (cm) | 7 |
Driver injury measures
| Test ID | CEF0907 |
|---|---|
| Head | |
| HIC-15 | 172 |
| Peak gs at hard contact | negligible |
| Neck | |
| Tension (kN) | 0.9 |
| Extension bending moment (Nm) | 41 |
| Maximum Nij | 0.38 |
| Chest maximum compression (mm) | 26 |
| Legs | |
| Femur force - left (kN) | 0.9 |
| Femur force - right (kN) | 0.8 |
| Knee displacement - left (mm) | 0 |
| Knee displacement - right (mm) | 0 |
| Maximum tibia index - left | 0.59 |
| Maximum tibia index - right | 0.88 |
| Tibia axial force - left (kN) | 2.1 |
| Tibia axial force - right (kN) | 2.6 |
| Foot acceleration (g) | |
| Left | 72 |
| Right | 82 |
Side: original test
Rating applies to 2009-10 models built after May 2009
Tested vehicle: 2009 Chevrolet Cobalt LT 2-door with standard front and rear head curtain airbags
The Chevrolet Cobalt was introduced in the 2005 model year, and the Pontiac G5 (available only as a 2-door) was introduced in the 2007 model year. Beginning with 2008 models, side airbags were made standard (they were optional in 2005-07 models). The Pontiac G5 was discontinued after the 2009 model year and the Cobalt after the 2010 model year.
Starting with 2009 models manufactured after May 2009, the side curtain airbags of the 2-door models were modified to improve occupant protection in side-impact crashes (note: information about when a specific vehicle was manufactured is on the certification label typically affixed to the car on or near the driver door). The tested car was manufactured after the modifications had been made.
| Overall evaluation | |
|---|---|
| Structure and safety cage | |
| Driver injury measures | |
| Head/neck | |
| Torso | |
| Pelvis/leg | |
| Driver head protection | |
| Rear passenger injury measures | |
| Head/neck | |
| Torso | |
| Pelvis/leg | |
| Rear passenger head protection | |
View of the vehicle and barrier just after the crash test.
View of the vehicle after the crash with door removed, showing the side airbag and damage to the occupant compartment.
Smeared greasepaint shows where the driver dummy's head was protected from being hit by hard structures by the side curtain airbag.
Smeared greasepaint shows where the rear passenger dummy’s head was protected by the side airbag.
Measures of occupant compartment intrusion on driver side
| Test ID | CES0913 |
|---|---|
| B-pillar to longitudinal centerline of driver's seat (cm) | -2.0 |
| Negative numbers indicate the amount by which the crush stopped short of the seat centerline. | |
Driver injury measures
| Test ID | CES0913 |
|---|---|
| Head HIC-15 | 635 |
| Neck | |
| Tension (kN) | 1.6 |
| Compression (kN) | 0.0 |
| Shoulder | |
| Lateral deflection (mm) | |
| Lateral force (kN) | |
| Torso | |
| Maximum deflection (mm) | 43 |
| Average deflection (mm) | 32 |
| Maximum deflection rate (m/s) | 4.78 |
| Maximum viscous criterion (m/s) | 0.90 |
| Pelvis | |
| Iliac force (kN) | 4.0 |
| Acetabulum force (kN) | 1.2 |
| Combined force (kN) | 4.8 |
| Left femur | |
| L-M force (kN) | 0.3 |
| L-M moment (Nm) | 82 |
| A-P moment (Nm) | 30 |
Passenger injury measures
| Test ID | CES0913 |
|---|---|
| Head HIC-15 | 176 |
| Neck | |
| Tension (kN) | 1.1 |
| Compression (kN) | 0.4 |
| Shoulder | |
| Lateral deflection (mm) | 39 |
| Lateral force (kN) | 1.4 |
| Torso | |
| Maximum deflection (mm) | 34 |
| Average deflection (mm) | 28 |
| Maximum deflection rate (m/s) | 3.91 |
| Maximum viscous criterion (m/s) | 0.43 |
| Pelvis | |
| Iliac force (kN) | 0.6 |
| Acetabulum force (kN) | 2.9 |
| Combined force (kN) | 3.0 |
| Left femur | |
| L-M force (kN) | 0.9 |
| L-M moment (Nm) | 153 |
| A-P moment (Nm) | 41 |
Head restraints & seats
Seat type: Manual cloth seats
| Overall evaluation | |
|---|---|
| Dynamic rating | |
| Seat/head restraint geometry |
| Seat type | Manual cloth seats |
|---|---|
| Geometry | |
| Backset (mm) | 60 |
| Distance below top of head (mm) | 45 |
| Seat design parameters | |
| Pass/fail | Pass |
| Max T1 acceleration (g) | 10.7 |
| Head contact time (ms) | 64 |
| Force rating | 2 |
| Neck forces | |
| Max neck shear force (N) | 24 |
| Max neck tension (N) | 782 |
About the head restraint & seat test
Currently, IIHS tests apply only to front seats.