What breaks most · 2010 to 2019 model years
Chevrolet Cruze problems by year
Owners have filed 2,301 safety complaints with NHTSA about the Chevrolet Cruze across model years 2010 to 2019. Three years stand out: 2012 for engine complaints, 2011 for engine complaints and 2013 for engine complaints. The quietest years are 2010, 2017 and 2016.
- Years to check closely: 2012, 2011, 2013
- Fewest complaints: 2010, 2017, 2016
- Complaints on file
- 23012010 to 2019, all trims
- Worst year
- 2012679 complaints
- Crashes reported
- 20456 fires · 152 injuries · 3 deaths
- Typical failure mileage
- 45kMedian where owners gave mileage
- Recall campaigns
- 44Across the years shown
Complaints by model year
Raw filings with NHTSA, not adjusted for how many were sold.
| Model year | Complaints | Crashes | Recalls | Most-reported component |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | 0 | 0 | Air bags (1) | |
| 603 | 30 | 7 | Engine (189) | |
| 679 | 54 | 7 | Engine (186) | |
| 385 | 44 | 5 | Engine (100) | |
| 373 | 51 | 10 | Electrical system (89) | |
| 111 | 9 | 4 | Electrical system (26) | |
| 84 | 8 | 4 | Electrical system (30) | |
| 43 | 3 | 2 | Electrical system (10) | |
| 18 | 4 | 3 | Unknown or other (5) | |
| 3 | 1 | 2 | Brakes (1) |
What fails on the 2012 Chevrolet Cruze
| Component | Share of complaints | Filings | Crashes | Parts for this job |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| EngineEngine gaskets and seals | 27% |
186 | 8 | Shop engine parts for the 2012 Chevrolet Cruze |
| Electrical systemAlternators, starters and ignition | 24% |
165 | 8 | Shop electrical system parts for the 2012 Chevrolet Cruze |
| BrakesBrake pads, rotors and calipers | 18% |
121 | 22 | Shop brakes parts for the 2012 Chevrolet Cruze |
| Stability controlABS and wheel speed sensors | 15% |
102 | 4 | Shop stability control parts for the 2012 Chevrolet Cruze |
| Powertrain and transmissionTransmission parts | 15% |
99 | 5 | Shop powertrain and transmission parts for the 2012 Chevrolet Cruze |
| SteeringPower steering pumps, racks and hoses | 14% |
92 | 5 | Shop steering parts for the 2012 Chevrolet Cruze |
| Unknown or other | 7% |
49 | 3 | — |
| Speed control and throttleThrottle and pedal sensors | 6% |
41 | 3 | Shop speed control and throttle parts for the 2012 Chevrolet Cruze |
One complaint can name more than one component, so shares add to more than 100%. "Unknown or other" is NHTSA's uncategorized bucket and is shown but never ranked.
In owners' words
Complaint narratives as filed with NHTSA, trimmed for length.
-
Engine overheated, got that fixed. Not even 3 weeks later, check engine light comes on again'car shakes when stopped and still sounds like the engine is running when the car is off.
-
My car is hard shifting and no GM dealer can figure it out they say nothing but take my money and my car will alert transmission hot idle engine very scary has even up and stopped going 35 miles in my hometown
-
My check engine keeps going on and off and when comes on give out power little by little till my engine reduce power comes up and gives out and almost crashed on freeway serval times
How to read this page
Every figure comes from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's public complaint database, which holds every safety-related defect complaint filed by owners since 1995. We refresh it monthly and count each complaint once per component it names. Data through September 30, 2026.
NHTSA only accepts safety-related complaints. Rattles, paint, infotainment bugs and other annoyances are under-reported here, so this page is a map of what fails in ways owners consider dangerous, not a full reliability score.
Counts are raw. Use the year-over-year shape and the component mix, not the absolute numbers. Where a component maps to parts we stock, the row links to that category filtered to the year you are viewing. Air bag and seat belt complaints link to the recall checker instead, because those repairs are almost always covered.
Common questions
Which Chevrolet Cruze years have the most problems?
By NHTSA complaint volume, 2012, 2011, 2013 carry the most filings on the Chevrolet Cruze. The 2012 alone has 679 complaints, led by engine.
What is the most common Chevrolet Cruze problem?
On the 2012 model year, the most-reported component is engine with 186 complaints. The table above lists the top components for every year.
At what mileage do Chevrolet Cruze problems start?
The median mileage at failure across all Chevrolet Cruze complaints that include mileage is about 45,000 miles. Older model years skew higher; the per-year figure is in the "at a glance" card.
Are these complaints verified?
No. NHTSA publishes complaints as submitted and does not investigate individual filings. Patterns across hundreds of complaints are meaningful; a single one is not.