CarComplaints.com Notes: In many ways, the 2012 Cruze continues the legacy of its predecessor. It's a legacy of sluggish transmissions and coolant leaks, but it's still a legacy.
On the flip-side, there's more concerns about brake problems.
However, there were far more Cruze vehicles sold for the 2012 model year so we'll give it our "Beware of this Clunker" badge rather than the "Avoid Like the Plague."
10.0
really awful
Crashes / Fires:
10 / 3
Injuries / Deaths:
1 / 0
Average Mileage:
44,336 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.
I purchased a car on December 19th 2019 I put $4,000 down on a 2012 Chevy Cruze from a from a used car lot here in daytona beach Florida I cannot get my oil change the screw that lets the oil out of the oil pan has been stripped and I was unable to get the oil changed because in order to do that they would have to break it and spot welding would need to be done also every time I shut my car off and go to turn it back on I have to get a jump my car battery loses its energy or whatever you want to call it so it loses power my battery the battery is 5 years old also my rotors are brand-new but my brake pads are bad and they would not when I say they I mean autoventure in holly hill Florida where I bought the car will not give me a carfax instead they gave me another thing that's like carfax and it says that my car is full is and there's nothing wrong with it when indeed the motor itself is from a junkyard and they did not deny that so this is within the first three weeks of me having the car and I'm already seeing this many problems. Also I have an oil leak I was told to purchase a a cover to where you put the oil in the car cuz the cover might be old and it still might not be as good so I went to Chevy dealership and purchase it for $28 only to find out that valve cover gasket also needs to be replaced so my car is leaking oil the oil change place where I've been taking my car's the last 6 years would not touch my car and give me an oil change due to the fact that the bolt at the bottom of the oil pan has been stripped so not only is my oil at 6% but now I can't get my oil changed because of
I have a 2012 Chevy Cruze 1.4 turbo engine the issue is over heating.. this issue is reoccurring.. I was driving for approximately 10 to 20 minutes when the indicator on the dash reads that the car is to hot yo drive and will shut down left me stranded on the road side. I take it to Chevy dealer to learn there has been a thermostat problem I get the issue repaird it runs ok for a while then again same problem (over heated) one again. Take again to Chevy dealer they tell me it's the water pump. I have the water pump repaired. All is ok for a short while. Again the same issue I call Chevy dealer again to bring my car back for the 4th time. They schedule my appt. To look at my car one again and on my way to the dealer car over heats turns its self off and will not start back after cooling down. Finally I get the car to the deal to learn that it blew the head gasket and now because it' over headed so many times I now need an engine!!! there has been extend warranty on all of the cooling parts of the engine and this issue should also be covered however the dealer will not fix the caused problem from the faulty parts !!!!!!
Sometimes when I slow to a stop or just driving car shuts off without warning. No lights or anything come on in the dash showing it's off. Starts right back up but very dangerous could cause an accident.
The contact owns a 2012 Chevrolet Cruze. While driving approximately 70 mph, the vehicle abruptly shut off and the start/stop button light flashed. The vehicle was restarted and driven to an independent mechanic where it was determined that the shut off valve failed and needed replacement. The vehicle was driven to autonation Chevrolet of North richland hills (7769 blvd 26, North richland hills, tx 76180), but was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 123,000.
Takata recall I hear a dripping sound under the hood, followed by a sound like the dripping is hitting something hot. Electronics such as the radio, signals, and the entire computer screen is out. The car is at the autonation service center on security blvd. In baltimore and they are looking to profit from these defects. It's sad...
- Baltimore, MD, USA
Search CarComplaints.com for these popular complaint phrases...
While driving my 2012 Chevy Cruze, my radio will shut off randomly for about 10 seconds, and when it does, I lose complete control of the steering. It is like the car shuts off but when the radio turns back on, then the car will restore power. Very dangerous and scary!!! and yet, there is still no recall for my specific VIN. Also, for two mornings in a row, I have noticed a smell and some smoke coming from the engine. It will only do it for about 5 minutes and the car will not overheat. I swear it is one thing after another with this car.
Car will not start. Put key in the ignition and it will not turn over. Had mechanic come and check out and he said the ignition switch is not getting the power it supposed to one core reads 12 volts the other 6 and they both suppose to read 12 volts to turn it over.
A week or so ago while driving home from work on the interstate the instrument cluster went dark and the display in the center of it completely shut off. I finished the remaining 30 mins. Of my drive without it returning to normal(lights off display remained off). I didn't have any more issues until today. This afternoon I drove to a family get together and while still in the city my instrument cluster plus my radio display started to randomly shut off then come back on after a second or two sometimes continuously for 10-20 seconds and once for around 30 seconds. Each time they went off the speakers would shut off too and I'm not sure if the turn signals worked due to the lack of a display and audio. One instance I also encountered either reduced power steering or complete loss of it for several seconds while losing power to the displays and regaining it approximately 15 times over about a 30 second timeframe. After that I got a stabilitrak message but steering was normal for the rest of the drive. However the cluster, radio display, speakers, etc. Continued to randomly turn off for a second or two then come back on. When we left the gathering within a minute of starting the car(hadn't even made it out of the driveway) everything started shutting down then coming back on just like earlier but steering wasn't effected again and no stabilitrak message on the way home either. Today the drive started in a city then was open highway for about 20 mins. And the gathering was at a house on the outskirts of a town. The loss of power to the things I mentioned above seemed to be completely random and were not effected by speed, stop and go traffic, or open highway. The one time steering was effected I was taking off at a stop light but it's hard to say if that was a factor since none of the other stops were.
The contact owned a 2012 Chevrolet Cruze. While driving on the highway, the contact was alerted by another motorist that there were flames underneath her vehicle. Shortly after, the contact noticed smoke coming from the vents and the speed was decelerating. The vehicle was pulled off the road and the fire department extinguished the fire. There were no injuries. The vehicle was destroyed and towed. The dealer and manufacturer were not contacted. The cause of the failure was not diagnosed. The failure mileage was 133,000.
My vehicle will say the drivers door is open when it is not, it will shut off and on. The alarm system goes off when ever it feels like it even driving down the road. There is nothing to do when it does this you just have to let it go off until it stops. The speed gauge changes from what the non digital one says. And the engine light shuts off and on when you hit a bump.
I just want to start off by saying we purchased this car brand new from kocourek Chevrolet in wausau, wi. Dec 2012 or Jan 2013 bumper fell off within 3 months of purchase while driving. Yes, fell off. The dealership where we purchased the car hesitantly replaced it as the clips were broke off. Dec 2012 trunk button does not work properly - has been replaced multiple times (by kocourek). And not it has recently once it opens, it will not close despite being slammed shut 8 to 10 times. Oct 2012 had an antifreeze leak from day one - dealership tells us they can't find anything even when pointed out. I go though a gallon of dexos antifreeze every 2 weeks. But as the dealership says, that's fine and normal.... um... not to me!!!! Jan 2018 - the car stalls out constantly - reduced engine power, while driving on the highway, in the city or even just parked in the driveway. I have been very nearly rear ended multiple times because of this. We have yet to find the source of this. Jan 2018 codes for throttle position sensor issues even though it has been replaced multiple times. Still can't find the source of this. Dec 2018 after being started, the car will shut itself off or die off. Still cant find the source. Aug 2018 recently, the car has dash warnings that state "ac off due to high engine temp" even when it is 30 degrees out. The temp gauge will also drop to cold. We have also changed the thermostat multiple times as well. This car is beyond a lemon. We have had issues with this car from day 1. and what is more ridiculous is that the dealership will not stand behind it. I have service records documenting the complaints of the issues and the dealership "not finding anything wrong" or "unable to duplicate issues". we have given up with Chevy and also with kocourek Chevrolet in wausau. These issues have been ongoing since we purchased the car September 2012.
Ac auto shutoff temp to high message comes on L. I have replaced the thermostat already three times. Then the car won't start. Disconnect the ground and put it back on and it starts just fine. You can drive it for a while then ac off comes back in and start the process again.
My vehicle was stationary and no running. I entered the vehicle and started it. The service traction control light flashed then the service stabilitrak light flashed the lights went away and the vehicle drove fine. Several days later the same thing happened upon entering my driveway it started to sputter. Four days after that upon starting the vehicle the same lights came on in addition to the check engine light. Now when I start my vehicle the check engine light stays on and after the vehicle is warmed up the other two lights come on and then go off. My latest onstar diagnostic reports a problem with the ECM. I has been almost exactly three years to the date that these same things happened and were supposedly repaired under recall # 14801 and special coverage # 14311B. Please advise.
This vehicle (Chevy Cruze 2012) is the worst vehicle made possible. There is oil leaks that have been fixed that occur again. There is a coolant leak that was fixed by the radiator connector. 15 minutes later of driving the vehicle 2 more hoses popped and caused the coolant to leak again. The radiator went bad and was changed the vehicle still over heated. The thermostat was changed and the vehicle was fine for 2 days. I go to start the vehicle and it doesn't want to turn over. Come to find out at the same mechanic that I had the thermostat changed apparently said the head gasket was blown. Then says there's something wrong with the cylinder heads. So all in all. This vehicle has had oil leaks, coolant leaks, engine lights, radiator issues, cylinderr head problems, misfiring and now a head gasket problem. This brings a safety issue to me that while I am driving my car is misfiring on me in the middle of the road while there is traffic going on and tons of people on the road. I could potentially be driving this vehicle and because of all of this electrical issues that GM is not capable of manufacturing correctly on these vehicles (Chevy Cruze) my car could of blew up while driving it. I have my nieces and nephews in the car while the car shakes out of nowhere which could of put there life in danger. Chevy is no help what so ever they only want to charge to even look at a car they manufactured!!!! I ask for help from them and they seem so carefree. My life is in danger and no one cares!! someone will die by GM hands if this issue cannot be correctly fixed on these vehicles. You guys are selling cars that can kill someone and once you guys are notified of this no one cares. Once there is a lawsuit under your company then maybe you guys will take this serious.
Vehicle engine light is on. Vehicle is spilling oil causing smoke to be exhausted out of engine while driving vehicle. Engine has had coolant leaks and engine head gasket is blown
While driving in the city at night, the vehicle completely shut off, including the engine and all electrical systems without any warnings. This caused all lights to turn off, loss of power steering, power to brakes, and little to control to the vehicle. Luckily, the vehicle behind me noticed and tailed me to a stop with their warning lights. I then proceeded to open the engine with a flashlight to discover that the battery was still properly connected (6 months old) with no frays or corrosion to the connectors or wiring. After about 5 minutes attempting to find a tow truck company the vehicle electrical system came back on with no intervention. I turned the ignition switch and the vehicle started with no issues and no engine lights on. I drove it the rest of the way home with no issues. When I got home I checked all the fuses and all were operable. The obd scanner found no codes. I am mid 30S 190ibs and fairly strong, I could only imagine if this happened in an intersection or during busy hours on the highway, I wouldn't be sitting here reporting this issue. I found numerous similar complaints on blogs concerning this model. I assume not many have reported properly since there is no recall issued for the electrical system.
Engine cooling system exploded while car in motion coolant was everywhere underneath the hood. Belt broken.and has oil leaking.with an 800 hundred dollars bill while on vacation.
Belt tensioner bolt came out and is now stuck in a spring in the engine..the light on my radio fades in and out.. rotor on drivers side had deformity to it.still have the rotor and the spring is still stuck in engine I can't afford to get it fixed
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
- Daytona Beach, FL, USA