2012 CHEVROLET CRUZE Engine Problems

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.

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 .

Coolant leaking , engine knock sound , turbo issue

To whom it may concern at NHTSA, We are writing to file a formal complaint regarding Chevrolet's refusal to address a serious safety recall on our vehicle related to an engine oil leak, which poses a fire hazard and endangers occupants. The malfunctioning component appears to be the engine shield (belly pan), which collects spilled oil and allows it to accumulate near hot engine or exhaust surfaces. This defect is documented in NHTSA Campaign ID: 12V288000. Our vehicle, which is experiencing the same issue, is available for inspection upon request. Our vehicle has exhibited persistent and severe oil leakage, creating a strong burning odor after driving for a short period. This malfunction presents a significant safety risk, as oil accumulating on or near the engine shield may ignite. This defect endangers not only the vehicle’s occupants but also the safety of others on the road. When we visited Lee Johnson...

The contact owns a 2012 Chevrolet Cruze. The contact stated while the vehicle was parked, the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a dealer to be diagnosed. However, the vehicle was not yet diagnosed or repaired. The vehicle was taken to an auto repair shop where it was diagnosed that the vehicle was leaking oil, along with several other undisclosed failures. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact attempted to contact the manufacturer; however, the manufacturer had not yet responded. The failure mileage was approximately 100,000.

The contact owns a 2012 Chevrolet Cruze. The contact stated that while driving 30 MPH, the vehicle lost motive power and failed to respond while depressing the accelerator pedal. The vehicle was able to be restarted on the third attempt; however, the failure recurred. The vehicle was not taken to be diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was unknown.

The contact owns a 2012 Chevrolet Cruze. The contact stated that on several occasions while the vehicle was parked, there was smoke coming from the engine compartment. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic twice where it was diagnosed that unknown parts needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired but the failure reoccurred after approximately a week. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 200,000.

My car keeps telling me my trunk is open then it dings constantly going back and forth from tire monitor system to the trunk open. Then Everytime I turn the car off I have to wiggle the battery cable to get my car to start and my power steering keeps going out. I'm aware there are recalls.for my car but beings my check engine light is on they r refusing to fix my car. I don't understand. I thought recalls were mandatory and had to be fixed. This car barely has 85,000 miles on it. I shouldn't be having all these issues. It's all electrical it seems like. I need help.

The engine on our 2012 Chevy Cruze experienced a blown head gasket and possibly warped heads, leading to the engine overheating and making the vehicle inoperable. It is available for inspection if needed. The car was towed to a local mechanic, was pressure tested and then confirmed the diagnosis. It has not yet been inspected by anyone else. There were no warning signs prior to this happening. There were recalls for 2013 and 2014 Chevy Cruze head gaskets but not model year 2012.

Check engine light, traction control light, tire pressure light came on. Message on dash reported reduced engine power, service stabilitrak, and car slowed to 16 no more than 20mph and would not go any higher.

Everything that has to do with the air in cabin and air intake for engine fails. Have issues all the time with it , told I need to fix one part then that fails again. Can’t use the AC in this car more than half the time if not an issue arises. Now I can’t get my inspection because again the same codes: P0097, P0171,P11c3, P 2199 At first I had only an issue with the MAF new one was placed and now all these errors popped up. The electrical also gave me issues before the lights are not as bright anymore in the car not the headlights. Too afraid to change them because I need the vehicle for my medical appointments and to pick up kids from school

The car's theft deterrent is not able to be turned off and is causing the car to stop working. I was driving my car on the highway and all of a sudden it completely shut off. I had it towed home. I replaced the battery and it worked for a short period of time but then shut off again. My mechanic states that the theft deterrent is getting triggered. We replaced the battery, fob battery, and checked everything it could possibly be with no luck. The car is too dangerous to drive and has caused missed work and loss of income.

Engine valve cover explode

I purchased this vehicle almost three weeks ago…I’m assuming it’s out of warranty…J am spending out of pocket expenses to have this car repaired….It has a faulty leakage in transmission that mechanics seem to can’t fix….I need my car for transportation….ATP I’m assuming the car is a lemon

- There is a severe oil leak that. - 1. The vehicle broke down when driving, which put the family and other drivers at risk. 2. The burning of the oil and the vapor coming from the burning was not safe to breathe. - Yes, the problem has been confirmed and attempted to be fixed by a dealership upon purchase through Southern Utah Car and Trailer Sales. - No the vehicle has not been inspected by the manufacturer/police/ or other. - Yes, low oil pressure and a check engine light. They first appeared in February of 2023 and have remained present, only getting worse over time.

The contact owns a 2012 Chevrolet Cruze. The contact stated that while driving at 35 MPH, the vehicle overheated and lost radiator fluid. The engine overheated warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was diagnosed by an independent mechanic and confirmed that the main seal over the engine, water pump, and timing belt had caused the failure. The vehicle had not been repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and confirmed that the vehicle was not on recall. The failure mileage was approximately 139,000.

The contact owns a 2012 Chevrolet Cruze. The contact stated that while his daughter was driving at unknown speeds, the vehicle lost motive power after 45 minutes. The RPM increased, and the vehicle failed to accelerate. The driver was able to pull over. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic, who was unable to duplicate the failure. The contact stated that after driving for 45 minutes, the vehicle lost power and went into LIMP Mode. The transmission had seized in fifth gear. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer, where it was diagnosed that the speed control sensor had failed. The contact was informed that the speed valve and transmission control module needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was contacted, but no assistance was provided. The failure mileage was approximately 90,000.

Motor is leaking coolant around the water pump. Although it is leaking the water pump is not bad, but because it is leaking it cause the car to lose coolant and goes in the state of overheating.

The contact owns a 2012 Chevrolet Cruze. The contact stated while driving approximately 30 MPH, there was a burning odor coming through the vents. The contact stated that smoke was coming from the engine compartment. Additionally, when the vehicle was parked, there was condensation underneath the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed that the intake manifold, valve cover, exhaust manifold gasket, oil filter housing, and coolant reservoir needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was unknown.

Started the purchase June 2022 when dealer said everything is good, Carfax no accidents, good car, nothing wrong. Dealers had me drive MI to CT to get the car, had 5-y.o. kid w/me. Brought car to mechanic when finally delivered July 6, ebrake almost gone; dealers had me drive w/my kiddo CT to MI with no ebrake on 6 speed turbo manual, wonderful. In writing said they would fix & some extras for all the issues they caused such as selling a vehicle w/o having title. Made it home in one peice. Next few weeks, car started shaking and stalling out losing complete power while driving, stopping at lights/signs, it hasn't stopped. Different smells of fluids coming inside ever since. Clouds of smoke coming from exhaust. Fuel seems to slip like sputtering/jolting, more smells coming in car. Check engine light on, went to Advanced Auto, showed me code has to...

Value covers leaking oil and I replace it 6 times and it keep leaking

2012 Chevy Cruz turbo failed. Car is available For inspection upon request. The dealer that I had purchased a vehicle from in 2022 was informed that my check engine light had turned on and I checked this at AutoZone that there was still an oil leak as well as an additional issue after they had finished repairing a coolant leak that caused my vehicle to overheat all before my 30 day warranty ended. He informed me he would get it repaired for me. However, he never returned my calls or texts, since I had let him know on the final 30th day since I had purchased the vehicle. The vehicle has been inspected by a mechanic that has confirmed. The turbo is in fact bad and needs to be replaced. My car broke down while turning right on a busy intersection.

I am wondering when GM is gonna admit fault on these Chevy Cruzes? My mechanic father owns one. He's had to replace Valve cover gasket on his 3x. Mine at least 4-5x now. One bad oil change at a dealership almost cost me my engine at Sunfair Chevrolet. They left 2 rings on the oil fuel filter causing it to leak all over my engine compartment which left me roadside the next day after driving it 2 hours the night before back in Aug 2016. So they gave us 10K miles over this incident in case my engine blew. It ran a bit hotter than it did before this incident. I also noticed a burning smell. Enclosed in the scanned documents you will find a letter from Chevrolet discussing a "engine light" coming on and engine coolant leak from the water pump reservoir leading to a drip of coolant onto...

Please attache the scans attached to this email to incident/complaint # 11512592. I needed more room to upload my history with this car and the issues with it.

Please print off the scanned documents and add them to the complaint form # 11512592. I needed more room to upload 4 more jpeg files to show the history of the problem with the valve cover and PCV valve attached to it. Thank you.

The contact owns a 2012 Chevrolet Cruze. The contact stated while driving 35 MPH, he smelled a burning odor and saw smoke coming from underneath the hood of the vehicle. The contact then drove the vehicle to a local dealer where it was diagnosed that the front valve cover gasket and oil pan were leaking. The front valve cover gasket and seals were replaced; however, the failure reoccurred. Additionally, the contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the message "Low Power" was displayed, and the vehicle lost motive power. The contact veered to the side of the road. The vehicle was taken back to the dealer where the front valve cover gasket and seals were replaced. Additionally, the dealer diagnosed that the thermostat had overheated and had melted the coolant hoses. The thermostat and coolant hoses were replaced; however, the failure persisted. The vehicle was towed back to...

The cars turbo system fails. This causes a loss of power when accelerating. Pulling out into traffic or merging onto the freeway are all unsafe now as the car suddenly doesn't accelerate. This can cause crashes. I have pulled out and assumed I was at a very safe distance only to have the car not pick up as it usually does. I feel very unsafe.

The car began to shake uncontrollably on the freeway at 55/MPH . The car then marked "Engine Power is Reduced", causing the car to no longer accelerate more than 5-7/MPH. This is a very dangerous situation because it can cause a terrible accident on the road since it's a random inconvenience. I have heard that many of these types of cars "Chevy Cruze" seem to experience the same type of problem. With that being said it's safe to say that as an owner this situation is far out of my control and it's definitely a collective problem with the type of car and make that it is. I ask for this to be immediately looked into.

The contact owns a 2012 Chevrolet Cruze. The contact stated while driving 40-45 MPH, the check engine warning light illuminated and the vehicle stalled. The contact veered to the side of the road. The contact was able to restart the vehicle; however, the vehicle started overheating while driving. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed that the knock control system, the knock sensor, the camshaft, the positive crankcase ventilation system, and the engine intake manifold gasket had failed. The contact received an unknown recall notification from the manufacturer associated with the failure at the beginning of the pandemic. The contact contacted several unknown dealers to schedule an appointment however, the dealers informed the contact that there was no availability to complete the recall repair on the vehicle. The manufacturer was later notified of the failure and assisted the contact in scheduling an appointment with the...

The temperature gauge never shows the hand even get to half on the hot cold fail however the car could have no coolant and be 400 degrees the sail will Or reflect so. This has caused many probable s bc I can’t tell when it over hears it’s mezwwzs the comupeter

The vehicle will start to smoke, filling the cab with smoke with a strong smell of antifreeze causing occupants to become sick to the stomach and dizzy. This will occur unrelated to speed and operating temperature, and has happened multiple times.

The contact owns a 2012 Chevrolet Cruze. The contact stated while driving 30 MPH, the check engine warning light illuminated, and the temperature gauge was fluctuating on the instrument panel. The contact pulled over to the side of the road and turned off the vehicle for several minutes while waiting for the vehicle engine to cool down before restarting the vehicle and continuing to drive to his residence. The next day the contact took the vehicle to be diagnosed by an independent mechanic. The contact was informed that the head gasket needed to be replaced. Additionally, the mechanic performed temporary repairs on the thermostat housing and replaced the manifold and oil gasket however, the failure persisted. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 100,000.

I had no heat for a long time, as well as the engine light constantly being on and never knowing why. There was a lag to accelerate. Also it would suddenly overheat and say turn off ac due to overheating, as well as suddenly fluctuate to cold and back to normal. I change the throttle body inlet heater hose to see if that would get it working. It did for a day. Then all over a sudden the same issues started happening. From what I can tell it is an extremely common issue that has not been address yet or had a recall yet....the thermostat. That is the only thing it could be at this point. I am going to try and bleed out the coolant for air again. But other than that it is the thermostat, it is the only thing that covers every symptom and it is an...

I have filed a complaint 2 other times on my car from the power train to the electrical and now my radiator. Because of the date of my car, which is one week off, my car doesn't fall under all the recalls that have been made. Everything wrong with my car is a recall including the head gasket! I have paid to fix my car out of pocket every time and now the repair isn't worth fixing because i never know whats going to happen next! Just like every other government agency NHTSA is controlled by the big corporations while the little guy gets screwed over! Times are hard as is now throw in this plandemic and car problems life becomes unmanageable at times.

I've had this car for less than 2 months I've already spent $3,500 I've had to replace the thermostat the resvoir tank most oxygen sensors lower stream and upper stream now has a blown head gasket and a possible fuel pump

The o2 sensor blew out of the catalytic converter and the sensor can't be replaced. The threads were basically gone! Took it to a professional and he said he wouldn't even put on a new one(aftermarket) because the Cruze and Sonic's are notorious for having this issue and it would do it again. He said they need to recall these immediately! I only have around 65,000 miles on this vehicle.

CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON AND CAR WAS LEAKED OIL ONTO THE DRIVEWAY, WHEN CAR WAS PARKED. THE NEXT DAY, CAR WAS TAKEN IN TO BE SERVICED."UPON VEHICLE INSPECTION, TECHNICIAN(TECH) FOUND, OIL FILTER ADAPTER LEAKING OIL." "NEED GASKET TO BLOCK. "RESEALED OIL COOLER AND OIL FILTER ADAPTER SEALS." "TECH ALSO FOUND VALVE COVER LEAKING. REPLACE COVER LEAKING OIL. REPLACED VALVE COVER. TECH FOUND TRANS OIL COOLER LINES BOTH LEAKING LINES- REPLACED. CUSTOMER STATES CHECK ENGINE LIGHT IS ON. REPLACED PURGE VALVE. TECH FOUND BATTERY NEGATIVE CABLE HIGH RESISTANCE. REPLACED NEGATIVE BATTERY CABLE. AFTER 8 DAYS WITHOUT HER CAR AND AFTER PAYING FOR THE AFOREMENTIONED SERVICES, WHEN THE CAR WAS PARKED IN THE DRIVEWAY, IT CONTINUED TO LEAK OIL! TECH INFORMED HER THAT IT WAS A NEW PROBLEM AND THAT SHE WOULD HAVE TO PAY AN EXTRA $700! THE FACT THE TECH HAD THE AUDACITY TO THINK IT WAS OK TO...

ON MY WAY TO WORK FEBRUARY 22 I HAD NOTICE A STRONG BURNING SMELL AND JUST ASSUMED IT WAS FROM SOMETHING OUTSIDE. SO I JUST IGNORED IT AND CONTINUED MY DRIVE. ONCE I GOT TO WORK I NOTICED THAT THERE WAS SOME LIGHT SMOKE COMING FROM UNDER MY HOOD SO I LIFTED IT AND CHECKED TO SEE IF ANYTHING LOOKED STRANGE BUT I DIDN'T NOTICE ANYTHING. SO I CONTINUE TO DRIVE FOR A FEW MORE DAYS BECOMING ACCUSTOMED TO THE SMELL AND SMOKE. MIND YOU I CHECK ALL MY FLUIDS ONCE A WEEK BECAUSE I DO ALOT OF LONG DISTANCE DRIVING. AFTER ABOUT 6-8 DAYS OF DRIVING TO MY NEW JOB THE SMOKE STARTED GETTING THICKER AND MORE WHITE AND I STARTED TO NOTICE THAT MY OIL LEVEL WAS DROPPING. SO I BOUGHT SOME TO KEEP IN MY CAR SO I DIDN'T RUN IT DRY. BUT I HAD TO KEEP...

LOSE OF COOLANT. ENGINE HOT. NOT IN MOTION

IT KEEP SAYING A/C OFF DUE TO HIGH ENGINE TEMP BUT IT STAY IN COLD N I GOT COOLANT SENSOR RADIATOR SENSOR ALL FIXED N IT KEEP SAYIN THE SAME STUFF IT'S GIVING ME A HEAD ACHE WEN I GO FOR LONG DRIVES TO MALL OR STORE IT POPS ON

MULTIPLE OILS LEAKS (MAINLY FROM THE TURBO AREA) CAUSING SMOKING AND BURNING SMELL. THE LATEST RESULTED IN OIL LEAKING ON THE MANIFOLD, WHICH COULD HAVE RESULTED IN A FIRE.

MY CAR HAS BEEN FITTING THE DESCRIPTION OF A SPECIFIC RECALL ON THE SAME YEAR AND MODEL. (I.E.: RECALL #12V288000 - DATE: 6/22/2012 - COMPONENT ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING) I PURCHASED MY CAR THROUGH CARMAX LESS THAN A YEAR AGO AND HAVE HAD MULTIPLE ISSUES INCLUDING, AIRBAG SENOR PROBLEMS, RMP ISSUES, ALTERNATOR REPLACEMENT, ETC. I'VE DEALT WITH AN OIL LEAK FROM THE VALVE COVER MOST RECENTLY. I TOOK IT IN FOR AN OIL CHANGE AND FOUND OUT THERE WAS A LEAK WHICH WAS SO BAD IT SATURATED EVERYTHING IN THE ENGINE AREA COLLECTING NEAR THE ENGINE AND EXHAUST SYSTEM. THIS LEAD TO AN AWFUL BURNING SMELL. THE VALVE COVER WAS REPLACED AND NOW TWO WEEKS LATER THERE IS STILL AN AWFUL BURNING SMELL COMING FROM BOTH INSIDE AND OUTSIDE THE CAR. THE VALVE COVER DOESN'T SEEM TO BE LEAKING OIL, AND I DON'T SEE ANY WEIRD OBJECTS OR DEBRIS IN...

I PURCHASED THIS VEHICLE AT ANAHEIM AUTO HUB LAST JUNE 6, 2020 FOR MY DAUGHTER. COUPLE MONTHS LATER IT STARTED LEAKING AND SMELLS LIKE BURNING OIL. AND THE STABILI TRACK SENSOR AND THE TRACTION CONTROL SENSORS CAME ON. AND, AS WELL AS THE KEY GOT STUCK INSIDE THE IGNITION COUPLE OF TIMES. SO I TOOK IT THE MECHANIC TO GET THE LEAKS FIX. THE MECHANIC FOUND THAT THE VALVE COVER GASKET LEAK AND VALVE TIMING SOLENOID. SO THE MECHANIC REPLACED THE VALVE GASKET COVER AND THE VALVE TIMING SOLENOID LEAK, AND RIGHT AFTER THAT BEING SAID, ONE WEEK LATER WE FOUND LEAKING SO, I TOOK IT BACK TO MECHANIC AGAIN, NOW THEY FOUND 3 DIFFERENT LEAK, FROM THE OIL COOLER LEAK, ENGINE OIL PAN GASKET AND LEAKING ON ENGINE TIMING COVER GASKET. AND I FOUND 7 RECALLS ON THIS VEHICLE THAT HAS NEVER FIX. AND I AM THE NEW OWNER...

REPLACED PCV VALVE ASSEMBLY TWICE AND STILL LEAKS OIL FROM COVER AND CAP. RUNS ROUGH ESPECIALLY WHEN IDLING, BAD GAS MILEAGE.

SHORTLY AFTER PURCHASING CAR, THE CAR STARTED AND LIGHTS STARTED FLASHING BY ITSELF MORE THAN 10 MINUTES AFTER EXITING THE CAR. THEN HEAT STOPPED WORKING IN 0 DEGREE WEATHER. WHILE DRIVING NOTIFICATION SAID "AC OFF DUE TO HIGHT ENGINE TEMP". WHILE DRIVING CAR SHUT DOWN AND WOULDN'T START SAYING "SERVICE STABILI TRACK" TOOK TO MECHANIC AND THEY SAID I NEED A NEW WATER PUMP AND HEAD GASKET. MIND YOU HEAT STOPPED WORKING AS WELL AGAIN. THEY CONFIRMED THERE WAS NO ANTIFREEZE BECAUSE ITS LEAKING. NOW THANK GOODNESS I WAS JUST GETTING HOME, COULD BARELY GET INTO THE DRIVEWAY BECAUSE NOW I'M GETTING A NOTIFICATION "SERVICE POWER STEERING". FROM EVERYTHING I'VE READ THERE HAVE BEEN RECALLS DUE TO ALL OF THESE ISSUES BUT MY VIN ISN'T LISTED. I STILL OWE ALMOST 5000.00 ON THIS CRAPPY CAR AND I'M COMPLETELY OVER IT... WORST CAR EVER

OIL IS RUNNING FROM A CAST NUT THAT HOLDS AN ALTERNATOR BRACKET TO THE ENGINE BLOCK AND WITH THE CAR GOING DOWN THE ROAD AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS THERE' A STRONG POSSIBILITY THAT OIL COMING FROM THIS CAST NUT THAT CANT HOLD THE BRACKET STABLE IS LETTING THE PRESSURE OF THE OIL TO RUN OUT AND POSSIBLY COME IN CONTACT WITH THE INTERNAL WORKINGS OF THE ALTERNATOR AND SHORT IT OUT WITH THE POSSIBILITY OF A FIRE STARTING AND CAUSING OTHER PROBLEMS UNDER THE HOOD PLUS THE CHANCE OF DESTROYING THE ENGINE IF THE LEAK OF THE OIL PRESSURE PUSHES THAT END OF THE BRACKET OUT OF THE ENGINE BLOCK AND THE OIL WILL COME OUT LIKE WATER COMING OUT OF A WATER HOSE. WHAT IS HAPPENING NOW EVERY TIME I DRIVE THE CAR AND STOP IT LEAVES OIL ALL OVER DIFFERENT PARTS OF THE ENGINE COMPARTMENT AND THE OIL LEAVES...

I HAVE HAD TO CHANGE MULTIPLE PARTS RELATING TO THE COOLING SYSTEM OF THIS VEHICLE. THE PLASTIC PARTS HAVE EACH MELTED AND REQUIRED REPLACEMENT. UPON RESEARCH, MANY OTHERS HAVE HAD SIMILAR ISSUES. MY VEHICLE CONTINUES TO OVER HEAT, AND PARTS CONTINUE TO NEED REPLACEMENT.

CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON THROWING 4 CODES. TOOK IT TO THE DEALERSHIP CAN'T DETERMINE THE PROBLEM WITH VEHICLE. DEALERSHIP DID CONTACT US TO INFORM US THE WATER PUMP IS LEAKING BAD. CHARGE TO FIX 835.00. I HAVE SEEN SEVERAL RECALLS REGARDING WATERPUMPS HOWEVER MY VIN DOES NOT SHOW A RECALL.