3.2

definitely annoying
Crashes / Fires:
0 / 0
Injuries / Deaths:
0 / 0
Average Mileage:
42,109 miles

About These NHTSA Complaints:

This data is from the NHTSA — the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints are spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem.

So how do you find out what problems are occurring? For this NHTSA complaint data, the only way is to read through the comments below. Any duplicates or errors? It's not us.

2012 Buick Verano engine problems

engine problem

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2012 Buick Verano Owner Comments (Page 2 of 3)

« Read the previous 20 complaints

problem #28

Feb 262019

Verano

  • miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

Excessive oil consumption causing piston rings and pistons to go bad or warning light never appear on dish so that's not working either. I have to get all change every week to every two weeks.

- Eastpointe, MI, USA

problem #27

May 122019

Verano

  • 55,000 miles
Excessive oil consumption causing piston ring and pistons to be replaced. Oil light never warned of low oil. Excessive carbon buildup led to early maintainence fee of $450. Car has only 55000 miles.

- Florence, KY, USA

problem #26

Mar 072019

Verano

  • 36,000 miles
I own a 2012 Buick Verano with only 48K on it, ownership transferred over from my father in law who bought this vehicle brand new. Car hesitates, does not pick up speed after slowing/stopping which we noticed at 36K, burns through a lot of oil- oil light does not go on when low, rear brakes and rotors were already compromised at less than 45K, and just recently lost brakes completely while driving a month ago due to a bad caliper. Car also accelerates sometimes when applying the brake. The brake light has never come on at any point during any of this, though the low windshield washer fluid light comes on even though it is not low. Also downshifts pretty rough.

- Taunton, MA, USA

problem #25

Mar 232019

Verano

  • 64,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

My 2012 Buick Verano has stalled out and died several times while driving on highway and when accelerating from stops. My Verano has 64,000 miles and is well kept and maintenanced but continues to stall over and over. I have seen several complaints from other 2012 Verano owners who have experienced the same problem and have come to the conclusion that GM has sold us a faulty product that can cause death or a serious injury. Being that I am a individual who lives paycheck to paycheck I cant afford to throw money into a 7 yr old car with less than 70,000 miles that im still making payments on and I hope that GM will be held accountable for selling a faulty, dangerous vehicle that is not safe to be on the road! please investigate before someone is killed!

- Columbus, OH, USA

problem #24

Jan 052017

Verano

  • miles
Extreme oil consumption

- Chicago, IL, USA

problem #23

Oct 012018

Verano

  • 68,000 miles
The contact owns a 2012 Buick Verano. The contact stated that the vehicle stalled while driving various speeds. The contact was able to push the start engine button and regain normal function. Also, the engine warning indicator illuminated. The vehicle was taken to patrick Buick GMC & used car supercenter (4700 w henrietta road, henrietta, NY 14467, (585) 359-2200). The dealer performed a diagnostic test and replaced an unknown part in the engine. The repair did not correct the failure and the vehicle shook and stalled while the contact attempted to reverse out of a parking area. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not contacted. The approximate failure mileage was 68,000.

- West Henrietta, NY, USA

problem #22

Nov 132018

Verano

  • 92,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

Ses light periodically keeps coming on beginning at 49,000 miles in 2015. It is always regarding problem camshaft position actuator solenoid/sensor code: P0014. It came on again last year at around 82,000 miles and then came on again 10 days later. Last year dealership mechanic at least knew something about engines and some parts to change instead of just letting a computer tell him what parts so changed timing kit and water pump kit for loose chains. Human fix was not the end of the problem either as same problem happened this year Nov-13-2018 at 92,000. Usually when it happens vehicle runs rough when idling or stalls out on accel, blocking the roadway until you can get the vehicle in motion again. This year did not stall out but made funny tapping noise on accel/decel and almost all of the oil was gone, yet the "low oil light" never came on. Ses does not come on until it's almost too late. Seems like the problems are felt or noises heard the slower the vehicle is moving. With as often as this problem occurs, I now believe some other part must be make the camshaft solenoid go bad when the replacement parts are also going bad. Maybe the entire engine needs to be recalled if GM cannot determine the problem.

- Southfield, MI, USA

problem #21

Nov 162018

Verano

  • 116,000 miles
Extreme oil consumption without warning. Oil level was still at 60% and oil change was not yet indicated by the mileage. I noticed the engine was running roughly and took the car to my mechanic. The dipstick was dry.

- Cedar Creek, NE, USA

problem #20

Oct 062018

Verano

  • miles
Takata recall engine rods banged to made a hole in engine. The engine is made from aluminum and was going to happen any way. Muffling sounded like hole in muffler but was the engine

- Suffolk, VA, USA

problem #19

Aug 082018

Verano

  • 61,000 miles
2012 Buick Verano. Immediately upon purchase I noticed the fresh air intake always had hot air blowing through vents. Dealer and GM customer service said nothing is wrong. Other Verano owners would stop me in parking lots and ask me if I had the same issue as they had. It was a defect. After 40,000 miles the timing chain needed replaced; camshaft position solenoid valve replaced; new gasket kit; output shaft seal leaking. At 60,000 miles, the car lost all power while driving 55 miles an hour on highway (other owners- Buick forums - had the same dangerous experience). By lost power, I mean the car suddenly had no power steering, brakes. Gas pedal was not operational. The engine shut off. Piston ring failure was the diagnosis from Buick service. Almost 4000 to fix they stated. None of these issues should have happened with a car with only 60,000 miles. The Verano is no longer being manufactured. GM should admit that they sold a defective product that did not perform as advertised. After addition investigation, I've discovered that GM was well aware of this problem since 2014. GM never notified Verano owners of this issue. What's more; the Buick dealership told me there was never a service bulletin issued by GM for this problem. Service bulletin 13-06-01-003H in fact was issued. For all Verano owners, please take note. You may still have recourse. Please view links: Excessive oil consumption - 2010-2013 Buick Chevrolet GMC GM is fixing some smoky engines under warranty

- Old Bridge, NJ, USA

problem #18

Mar 232018

Verano

  • 76,952 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

The contact owns a 2012 Buick Verano. While driving approximately 5 mph, the vehicle stalled. The contact waited approximately one minute before restarting the vehicle. The vehicle restarted and operated normally. The contact also stated that the same failure occurred five other times. The contact drove the vehicle to twins Buick/GMC in columbus, Ohio where it was diagnosed that the engine failed and the pistons needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified. The approximate failure mileage was 76,952.

- Columbus, OH, USA

problem #17

Apr 012017

Verano

  • miles
Excessive oil consumption due to defective pistons/rings. My oil burns off resulting in dirty sensors, overly dirty exhaust, a poor running engine and constantly having to add oil. The oil itself becomes thick and black very quickly after an oil change. This has resulted in thousands of dollars of needless repairs and oil changes because the root problem was not widely known or addressed. The only repair is piston and ring replacement or engine replacement.

- Rockton, IL, USA

problem #16

Feb 232018

Verano

  • 55,000 miles
I just bought my Buick Verano four months ago. I bought it with barely over 50,000 miles on it. The problem began with idling issues. My car would run rough, sputter, & die occasionally. Then, it began hesitating when I first accelerated. This hesitation has become consistently more frequent. About 10 days ago I was pulling across an intersection when my car hesitated for several seconds, and I was almost hit. This is when we decided to take it for inspection immediately. We took it to the closest Buick place, and they found an oil consumption issue caused by faulty pistons and rings. After doing some research I found that there have been technical service bulletins issued, but no related recalls. If my car had hesitated any longer at that intersection, I likely would have been T-boned. What's worse is that after researching I have found that this is a common problem with 2012 Veranos. At this time, my car is still in the shop while my spouse and I work on coming up with an unexpected two grand to fix what is a known issue to GM.

- Hiawassee, GA, USA

problem #15

Dec 272016

Verano

  • miles
I bought a 2012, certified used, Buick Verano in December 2016. In the manual, it says to change the oil until when one of these 4 things happen: I've gone 6500 miles, it has been 6 months, the light says 25% oil life remaining, or when the "change oil now" light comes on. I checked the oil whenever I got gas. I was checking oil levels about twice a month. Right around 3 months after I got the car, it said that I had 70% oil life, but the dipstick was registering pretty low, so I got the oil changed. My mileage at the time was just under 42,000. Two months later, on May 18, 2017, I took my car in. The mechanic did a full inspection, and he told me that my car was completely out of oil. I had only gone 2500 miles since my last oil change. They did an oil change and told me to watch for leaks. September 4, I stopped to get gas on my way home from a labor day trip. I checked my oil, and the dipstick registered nothing. None of the warning signs were present. I had gone 4,323 miles since my last oil change, and the oil life monitor still said around 60%. at this point, my overall mileage was 48,804. Two months later, November 2, I was going on a short trip. I went to get gas and check my oil; once again the dipstick was completely empty. I went to the same mechanic that had originally done the full inspection on May 18. He looked into it further and told me about service bulletin #13-06-01-003H: Excessive oil consumption. I started an oil consumption test. At this point my mileage was 52,462. Here is the timeline for my test: November 4: 52,462 - complete oil change November 28: 52,976, 514 miles, added 2 quarts of oil December 15: 53,957, 981 miles, added 1 quart of oil January 22: 54,952, 995 miles, added 2 quarts of oil how Buick won't pay to fix a problem they know exists that could cause more problems down the road...

- Quincy, IL, USA

problem #14

May 312014

Verano

  • 20,000 miles
Excessive oil consumption. Known problem with the 2.4L ecotec engine. Well over a liter every 2000 miles. This has been occuring since I first purchased the car, used, in May 2014.

- Woodstock, IL, USA

problem #13

Sep 012017

Verano

  • 66,256 miles
The contact owns a 2012 Buick Verano. While inspecting the vehicle, it was discovered that the engine oil was very low. The contact indicated that the oil was last changed in October of 2017. There was no warning message displayed indicating that the oil was low. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who was unable to determine the cause of the failure. The local dealer (axelrod Buick in parma, Ohio) and the manufacturer were both notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 66,256.

- Parma, OH, USA

problem #12

Aug 112016

Verano

  • 56,000 miles
I was at a stop sign and when it was my turn to go I started to drive and realized my car was not accelerating, I had the gas peddle all the way to the floor as a tractor trailer was fastly approaching my rear bumper, luckly I was able to coast to median. Took to dealer and they said there was a switch that needed to be replaced. My entire dashboard lights and radio went out, which dealership had to replace twice. My car shut off while pulling into a parking spot, it was raining and defrost was not working, took to dealership which they stated it was my battery, paid $200 for a new battery. My car jerks and stalls when I am going from a complete stop and begin to pick up speed. I was backing out a parking spot today and my car shut off and the check engine light came on, I restarted my car which the check engine light remains on and the stalling and jerking continues. These issues can cause a major accident and if severe enought can be life threatening. If I am required to hold up my end of the bargain by paying my car note the manufacturers need to be held accountable for their end of the bargain which is providing their buyers with a secure and reliable vehicles for families.

- Atlanta, GA, USA

problem #11

Jun 172016

Verano

  • miles
Husband was driving car home on a 6 hour road trip. The check engine light came on. Everytime he would slow down to a stop or near stop the car would shut off. Engine sounds like it is missing. I had onstar run their diagnostic and they said issue with timing system, error code P0010. What if he would have been killed on highway because of this. Reading other complaints it looks like we are not the only ones who had this issue.

- Gallitzin, PA, USA

problem #10

May 122016

Verano

  • 112,000 miles
The contact owns a 2012 Buick Verano. The contact stated that while driving at 70 mph, the engine stalled without warning. The failure recurred numerous times. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where the failure could not be determined. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 112,000.

- Wewoka, OK, USA

problem #9

Oct 262015

Verano

  • 53,000 miles
10/26/15 - car wouldn't start; recv'd jump, replaced battery ($169.40). 11/6/15 - came out of restaurant, car wouldn't start. Got jump took to dealer. Dealer replaced starter and issue resolved. 11/12-11/21: Car stalled 8-10 more documented times both when backing out of parking spot in reverse and at vehicle speeds varying from 35mph to 67mph on 5 lane interstate during rush hour. Took to dealer and called GM. Replaced two solenoids and some hose, keeping car so tech can drive for 2 days to see if problem can be replicated. I can't determine a cause or pattern and don't get any prior warning, so hoping it does occur in their possession during testing. This vehicle is unreliable and very dangerous. I almost caused a multiple vehicle accident on the interstate and risk injury or death by operating this vehicle. My family is at risk, myself and other motorists. GM says there is no problem but after seeing the numerous complaints on NHTSA.gov as well as several other online forums, it is clear that GM is trying to avoid another issue with their vehicles. I have owned GM products since turning 16 and this is completely unacceptable. I have been provided with a dealership loaner and will refuse to take my Verano back as I do not feel safe driving or owning this vehicle. Currently have open complaint with GM but do not have resolution at the time of this complaint.

- Pacific, MO, USA

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