2012 CHEVROLET CRUZE — Problems, Recalls & Safety Data
5/5
Safety Rating
1,343
Owner Complaints
7
Recalls
114
Service Bulletins
2
Investigations
Overview of the 2012 CHEVROLET CRUZE
The 2012 CHEVROLET CRUZE has received a total of 1,343 safety complaints filed with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). It earned an overall safety rating of 5 out of 5 stars in NHTSA's New Car Assessment Program crash tests. There have been 8 recall campaigns affecting this vehicle, covering issues with ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:IGNITION, POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION:CONTROL MODULE (TCM/PCM/TECM), AIR BAGS. 114 technical service bulletins have been issued by General Motors, LLC for this model year. The most commonly reported problems involve the Engine (265 complaints), Electrical System (194 complaints), and Service Brakes (140 complaints).
Recalls for the 2012 CHEVROLET CRUZE
NHTSA has recorded 8 recalls for the 2012 CHEVROLET CRUZE, potentially affecting up to 814,636 vehicles.
Recall 16V502000 — ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:IGNITION
| 8,367 vehicles affected
Defect: General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2016-2017 Buick Verano and 2016 Chevrolet Malibu as the electronic park lock lever may allow the ignition key to be removed without the transmission being in PARK. Also, certain 2013 Buick Encore, 2011 Buick Regal, 2013-2014 Buick Verano, 2011-2016 Chevrolet Cruze, 2010-2013 Chevrolet Equinox 2013-2015 Chevrolet Malibu, and 2011-2013 GMC Terrain...
Consequence: If the key is removed without the transmission in PARK, the vehicle may rollaway as occupants are exiting, increasing the risk of injury.
Remedy: GM will notify owners, and dealers will inspect and if necessary replace the key cylinder lock housing, free of charge. The recall began on October 14, 2016. Owners may contact Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020, Buick 1-800-521-7300, and GMC 1-800-462-8782....
View full details →Recall 16V502000 — POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION:CONTROL MODULE (TCM/PCM/TECM)
| 8,367 vehicles affected
Defect: General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2016-2017 Buick Verano and 2016 Chevrolet Malibu as the electronic park lock lever may allow the ignition key to be removed without the transmission being in PARK. Also, certain 2013 Buick Encore, 2011 Buick Regal, 2013-2014 Buick Verano, 2011-2016 Chevrolet Cruze, 2010-2013 Chevrolet Equinox 2013-2015 Chevrolet Malibu, and 2011-2013 GMC Terrain...
Consequence: If the key is removed without the transmission in PARK, the vehicle may rollaway as occupants are exiting, increasing the risk of injury.
Remedy: GM will notify owners, and dealers will inspect and if necessary replace the key cylinder lock housing, free of charge. The recall began on October 14, 2016. Owners may contact Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020, Buick 1-800-521-7300, and GMC 1-800-462-8782....
View full details →Recall 14V300000 — AIR BAGS
| 31,520 vehicles affected
Defect: General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2012 Buick Verano vehicles manufactured December 2, 2011 to July, 16, 2012, Chevrolet Cruze vehicles manufactured December 7, 2011 to July 25, 2012, Chevrolet Sonic vehicles manufactured December 5, 2011 to August 2, 2012, and Chevrolet Camaro vehicles manufactured December 1, 2011 to June 11, 2012. The driver side frontal air...
Consequence: If the bar and terminals are contacting each other at the time of a crash necessitating deployment of the driver's frontal air bag, that air bag will not deploy, increasing the driver's risk of injury.
Remedy: GM will notify owners, and dealers will replace the steering wheel air bag coil, free of charge. The recall began on July 25, 2014. Chevrolet owners may contact GM at 1-800-222-1020. Buick owners may contact GM at 1-800-521-7300. Note: This...
View full details →Recall 13V360000 — SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:POWER ASSIST
| 292,879 vehicles affected
Defect: General Motors (GM) is recalling certain model year 2011-2012 Chevrolet Cruze vehicles equipped with 1.4L DOHC gasoline turbo engines and 6T40 front wheel drive automatic transmissions and equipped with an electric vacuum pump to provide supplemental vacuum for brake assist, when needed. In the affected vehicles, the pump may not activate, resulting in an intermittent reduction or loss of brake...
Consequence: A loss of braking assistance will require extra pedal force and/or distance to bring the vehicle to a stop, increasing the risk of a crash.
Remedy: General Motors will notify owners, and dealers will replace a microswitch in the power brake vacuum pipe assembly, free of charge. The recall began on October 7, 2013. Owners may contact Chevrolet at 1-800-222-1020. GM's recall number is 12213.
View full details →Recall 13V023000 — AIR BAGS
| 4,167 vehicles affected
Defect: General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2012 Chevrolet Camaro, Cruze and Sonic, and model year 2012 Buick Verano vehicles. The driver side frontal air bag has a shorting bar which may intermittently contact the air bag terminals.
Consequence: If the bar and terminals are contacting each other at the time of a crash necessitating deployment of the driver's frontal air bag, that air bag will not deploy, increasing the driver's risk of injury.
Remedy: GM will notify owners, and dealers will replace the steering wheel air bag coil, free of charge. The safety recall began on February 13, 2013. Owners may contact General Motors at 1-800-521-7300.
View full details →Recall 12V522000 — AIR BAGS
| 2,949 vehicles affected
Defect: General Motors is recalling certain model year 2012 Buick Verano, Chevrolet Cruze, and Chevrolet Sonic vehicles. The driver side frontal air bag has a shorting bar which may intermittently contact the air bag terminals.
Consequence: If the bar and terminals are contacting each other at the time of a crash necessitating deployment of the driver's frontal airbag, that airbag will not deploy, increasing the driver's risk of injury.
Remedy: General Motors will notify owners, and dealers will replace the steering wheel airbag coil, free of charge. The safety recall began on January 11, 2013. Owners may contact General Motors at 1-800-521-7300.
View full details →Recall 12V288000 — ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
| 413,148 vehicles affected
Defect: GENERAL MOTORS (GM) IS RECALLING CERTAIN MODEL YEAR 2011 AND 2012 CHEVROLET CRUZE VEHICLES MANUFACTURED FROM OCTOBER 2, 2009, THROUGH MAY 31, 2012. SPILLED OR DRIPPING OIL (SUCH AS AFTER AN OIL CHANGE) MAY COLLECT IN THE ENGINE SHIELD (BELLYPAN) NEAR HOT ENGINE OR EXHAUST SYSTEM SURFACES. AS A RESULT, THE OIL AND THE ENGINE SHIELD MAY IGNITE AND BURN.
Consequence: EITHER CONDITION COULD RESULT IN AN ENGINE COMPARTMENT FIRE, POSSIBLY CAUSING INJURY OR DEATH.
Remedy: GM WILL NOTIFY OWNERS, AND DEALERS WILL MODIFY THE ENGINE SHIELD TO PREVENT FLUID FROM CONTACTING THE SHIELD. ALSO, ON VEHICLES WITH A MANUAL TRANSMISSION, DEALERS WILL APPLY A PROTECTIVE TAPE TO THE ELECTRONIC POWER STEERING WIRE HARNESS. REPAIRS WILL...
View full details →Recall 12V289000 — FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:STORAGE:TANK ASSEMBLY:MOUNTING
| 53,239 vehicles affected
Defect: GENERAL MOTORS (GM) IS RECALLING CERTAIN MODEL YEAR 2011 AND 2012 CHEVROLET CRUZE VEHICLES MANUFACTURED FROM OCTOBER 2, 2009, THROUGH MAY 14, 2012. ATTACHMENT WELDS FOR THE FUEL TANK STRAP SECONDARY BRACKETS MAY HAVE BEEN OMITTED.
Consequence: THE FUEL TANK COULD COME LOOSE IN A CRASH, POSSIBLY ALLOWING FUEL TO LEAK FROM THE TANK. A FUEL LEAK IN THE PRESENCE OF AN IGNITION SOURCE COULD RESULT IN A FIRE.
Remedy: GM WILL NOTIFY OWNERS, AND DEALERS WILL INSPECT THE VEHICLE FOR MISSING WELDS. IF THE VEHICLE IS MISSING WELDS, DEALERS WILL SECURE THE BRACKET ATTACHMENTS WITH FASTENERS. REPAIRS WILL BE PERFORMED FREE OF CHARGE. THE SAFETY RECALL BEGAN ON JULY...
View full details →Owner Complaints for the 2012 CHEVROLET CRUZE
1,343 complaints have been filed with NHTSA for the 2012 CHEVROLET CRUZE. Below is a breakdown by vehicle component.
Most Recent Complaints
Check engine light on Car smoking when driven and smells like burning oil
My son just purchased this car and nearly hit 100,000 miles. It started leaking oil in the engine area the valve cover gasket. It's drips all over the car causing it to smoke and smell.
Repetitive coolant leak repaired 5+ times over 9 years; incurred costs over $X,XXX. Coolant (toxic) leak causes burn off in the engine compartment and the vapors from this are transferred into the cabin, posing a risk to driver and passenger health.
Had a 3-5-R wave plate failure. Symptoms started at around 87,000 miles. Bouncing/jerking when put into reverse. 5th gear slams hard into gear when upshifting and downshifting, making it feel like I have been rear ended. Now 3rd gear is starting to shift hard like 5th. Soon I'll have no gears. Car has been both regular and preventative maintained so should not have such a massive failure at under 100k miles. Other vehicles with the same transmission (6t40) have been recalled due to similar issues, like the 1.4 turbocharged Cruze, but not the 1.8l Cruze for whatever reason. Now I have to pay $4k for a rebuild on something that Chevrolet should be liable to pay.
I went to take 5 for an oil change , the tech broke my oil cap filter , coolant hose & damage my engine oil cooler . Towed it to progressive Chevrolet . Fleet response is the insurance company for take 5 & they are not taking care of my rental extension while determining if they are at fault with progressive already stated that they were at fault and now they dragging their feet ! Leaving me without a car and I’m in school and so is my son .
Safety Rating for the 2012 CHEVROLET CRUZE
The 2012 CHEVROLET CRUZE received an overall safety rating of 5 out of 5 stars from NHTSA's New Car Assessment Program (NCAP).
| Test Category | Rating |
|---|---|
| Overall Rating | ★★★★★ (5/5) |
| Frontal Crash | ★★★★★ (5/5) |
| Side Crash | ★★★★★ (5/5) |
| Rollover | ★★★★☆ (4/5) |
Safety ratings are based on controlled crash tests conducted by NHTSA. A 5-star rating indicates the highest level of occupant protection.
Technical Service Bulletins for the 2012 CHEVROLET CRUZE
General Motors, LLC has issued 114 technical service bulletins (TSBs) for the 2012 CHEVROLET CRUZE. TSBs are notices sent by manufacturers to their dealers describing a known issue and the recommended repair procedure.
23-NA-114 — ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
This service bulletin provides starter and fuse block service precautions and repair information to correct a customer concern of starter or flywheel knock noise on start up and possible flywheel replacement if the starter and fuse block have previously been replaced.
PIC5852C — EQUIPMENT
This Preliminary Information communication provides information to the technician about vehicles that when attempting to start vehicle "No Fob Detected" message is displayed. Technician will find the Key FOB works and the vehicle will start with the key FOB is placed in the pocket. Technician will need to replace the...
PI0791C — VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL
This preliminary information (PI) bulletin provides information on Accessory cruise control being inoperative on vehicles without steering wheel controls. This PI revision removes the Warranty Information.
PIP5197K — ENGINE
This Preliminary Information communication provides information to the technician on the steps to diagnose and repair vehicles that have excessive oil consumption, blue smoke from the exhaust, or a Malfunction Indicator Lamp. Technician should inspect the PVC orifice for leaking oil or drawing a vacuum at idle. If the PCV...
PIC5611G — BACK OVER PREVENTION
This Preliminary Information communication provides information to the technician about the rear view camera options on the vehicles equipped with rear view camera. The rear view camera brightness can be adjusted on some models while the transmission is in reverse and using the Menu or Select button. To turn off...
18NA033 — ENGINE
This bulletin provides information for the low oil pressure light on at a idle in which may be caused by oil pressure being bled off due to debris in the oil drain check valve and/or a smashed oil filter.
PIC5611E — BACK OVER PREVENTION
This Preliminary Information communication provides information to the technician about the rear view camera options on the vehicles equipped with rear view camera. The rear view camera brightness can be adjusted on some models while the transmission is in reverse and using the Menu or Select button. To turn off...
PI0659F — STEERING
This preliminary informational bulletin provides a procedure to replace the steering column or repair as necessary to correct conditions of Groan, Squeak or Rubbing Type Noise When Turning Steering Wheel.
12213 — SERVICE BRAKES
SUMMARY TO BE PROVIDED ON A FUTURE DATE.
16-NA-068 — EQUIPMENT:APPLIANCE:AIR CONDITIONER
This technical bulletin provides a procedure to replace the Heater and Air Conditioning Evaporator Case for conditions of Odor from HVAC System with Temperature Control Set on High Heat and Engine at Operating Temperature
Showing 10 of 114 technical service bulletins.
NHTSA Investigations for the 2012 CHEVROLET CRUZE
NHTSA has opened 2 investigations into potential safety defects in the 2012 CHEVROLET CRUZE.
Investigation AQ12002 — ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE:GASOLINE Closed
Opened:
Chapman Chevrolet / Cruze Engine Recall
Other Model Years of the CHEVROLET CRUZE
- 2010 CHEVROLET CRUZE — 2 complaints
- 2011 CHEVROLET CRUZE — 1,105 complaints
- 2012 CHEVROLET CRUZE (current)
- 2013 CHEVROLET CRUZE — 930 complaints
- 2014 CHEVROLET CRUZE — 1,084 complaints
- 2015 CHEVROLET CRUZE — 381 complaints
- 2016 CHEVROLET CRUZE — 383 complaints
- 2017 CHEVROLET CRUZE — 291 complaints
Other CHEVROLET Models
- CHEVROLET MALIBU — 28,991 total complaints
- CHEVROLET SILVERADO 1500 — 22,175 total complaints
- CHEVROLET IMPALA — 15,197 total complaints
- CHEVROLET TAHOE — 12,511 total complaints
- CHEVROLET EQUINOX — 12,135 total complaints
- CHEVROLET BLAZER — 11,032 total complaints
- CHEVROLET SILVERADO — 10,928 total complaints
- CHEVROLET SUBURBAN — 10,375 total complaints