I have an '08 Chevy Cobalt with manual transmission with 55,000 miles on it. The clutch is beginning to slip, and is probably going out. What is the life expectancy of a clutch, I thought this seemed kind of short.
It’s not short at all. I’d guess that that’s about average. You may want to get it replaced at your earliest opportunity so that it doesn’t get to metal and eat into your flywheel.
Clutch life is almost totally dependent on driving conditions and operator driving habits…Some drivers can wear out a clutch in 20,000 miles or less while others have them last over 100K miles. Small differences in driving technique can add up to big differences in clutch life…
I agree with both mountainbike and Caddyman. It’s probably an average life but if there was one or two episodes of being stuck in the mud or snow the clutch life would decrease rapidly. Sometimes it just takes once with the right (wrong) driver.
While I am usually in agreement with MtnBike and Caddyman…I dont know where these two guys went to lunch today…but 55K is NOT average. Did you guys go out drinking again? 
LOL…
Yeah…I would say that this is NOT normal at ALL…Do you consider yourself an experienced clutch user? I mean every single manual I have ever owned has exceeded 175K on each clutch before any symptoms arose concearning the clutch…AND the last clutch at 192K had to be replaced due to the spring fingers on the pressure plate becoming fatigued…NOT due to the friction material being worn out…It had a little way to go friction wise…it was the metal fatigue that did the clutch in that time.
Do you rest your foot on the clutch when you drive?
When you are at a stoplight…is the car in first gear and your foot on the clutch/to the floor?
Do you ever hold the car on a hill by using the clutch?
Methinks something is awry here…TIME TO COME CLEAN…whats up with your driving? LOL…
Seriously though…it COULD be caused by a leaking rear main seal leaking oil onto the flywheel friction surface…OR a binding slave cylinder? Point is…there are other ways to make a clutch slip that arent your fault…not sure which is the case here… But IMHO 55K is FAR too short a life for a clutch…Was this a lease or rental vehicle in the past? Let us know…
Blackbird
My mid 90s Chevrolet Cavalier clutch was still good when I traded it at 135,000 miles. I expect my 2009 Cobalt (next generation Cavalier) clutch to do as well. Something is not right with your driving technique, the clutch is wet with oil or possibly there is a mechanical problem with the clutch actuation setup. The worst life I ever got with a clutch was around 80,000 miles on a 1960s Chevrolet during the time when I was a hot blooded 22 to 27 year old. 55,000 miles is too short; something is not right.
Rust can make your clutch slip but rust from parking for an extended time in a humid place should wear away in a short time and the clutch should return to normal operation.
It depends on drivng type(city/highway) and driver. A little on design.
My wife managed 180k out of Civic clutch still not worn and sold. My father in law has 280k on original F150 clutch. It drove well when I drove it.