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."
2.6
hardly worth mentioning
Crashes / Fires:
0 / 0
Injuries / Deaths:
0 / 0
Average Mileage:
55,741 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.
Service Bulletin Number: 14311B, Date: June 2015, Service Bulletin: SB-10057574-8899 CONDITION On certain 2011-?"2015 model year Chevrolet Cruze vehicles, the negative battery cable terminal clamp may have an insufficient crimp at the battery negative terminal. Over time, the internal resistance increases and vehicle electrical systems do not receive adequate power. With this condition, the following effects are possible: the Radio/HVAC Display may turn off and on; the Antilock Brake System, Service Traction System, Service Stabilitrac and Steering vehicle messages may come on and off; the turn signal sound may not be heard; -??Battery Saver Active-?? and -??Service Steering-?? may display in the Driver Information Center (DIC); and the interior and exterior lighting may flicker. Power steering assist may also be lost, and greater effort may be needed to turn the steering wheel at low speeds or while the vehicle is stopped. It's in the Service Bulletin Provided below. I am not sure if my 2012 Chevy Cruze Eco is included in this Service Bulletin (Below), but this Service Bulletin is the closest thing I could find that describes what is going on with my Vehicle. Lights blinking, steering hard to turn, steering warning light coming on (Stabilitrac), and other things as well described in the Service Bulletin. Again, I am not sure if my car's VIN Number, is included in the Service Bulletin, I would like to know if it is" or not", before taking it in to the Dealer Ship, for repairs/service, because it is unsafe to drive at this point forward.
Passenger headlight will not keep low beam/high beam on even with new bulbs, changed socket connectors, problem seems to reappear, happens while driving and stationary
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.
Car was like new for a few months, driven to and from orlando maybe 4 times, but mostly use it for work to take my daughter to school then it started the check engine light being on, then shortly, car started jerking while parked, or on brake, and the "check stabili track control" light comes on, and then would just turn off. I would start smelling a very strong burnt smell but no oil was falling to the floor, but once I stopped driving there would've smoke everywhere. Was told there is a vacuum leak coming from PCV which is built in valve cover...have had valve cover changed 3 times in 3 weeks and each time, it looked like someone died under my hood and bled oil! am told that there is too much pressure coming in and so causes oil to find a way out and leaks it spills it slashes, and it's a mystery! also, there is another leak that all of a sudden strated from the side of the engine! when doing my research, there are soooooo many people with the same problems! this needs to be some sort of recall. Please help!
When starting my car, my windshield wipers start going along with windshield wiper fluid coming out, my four ways start blinking, and my trunk opens up and will not shut. I have not touched anything that would cause any of this to happen. This has happened multiple times and it puts me in a huge inconvenience. I was driving today and it's 14 degrees outside, yet my car started to overheat and a warning came up on my dash saying something about the A/C being shut off due to overheating.... why would I be using my A/C at all?
- Sarver, PA, USA
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When I try and start my car sometime it stalls like it doesn't want to crank up and when I finally do get it crank the emergency lights flash, power steering comes on the screen and then windshield wipers come on. I had this problem previous a couple months again to where when I crank it the trunk came open and the stabilitak and jerk and other things would pop up. They put it on the machine and it said it was misfires so I went and got it fixed now it's happening again.
The rear center brake light stays lite even after taking foot completely off the brake pedal. I have to manually with my foot lift /push up the brake pedal lightly in order to have the brake light turn off. This happens very frequently when driving in heavy stop and go traffic on the highway.
While driving down the road down the road, radio turns on and off, ac stopped blowing, lights flashing on and off, stability track flashing, this is a problem, fix it, too many people are having the same issue! unacceptable!
Around sunrise on a highway with an adult passenger the car lost all power instantly. The steering was heavy and the brakes had very little power. We was able to drift over to a safe area. The way this car performs with little braking effort it can cause some bad accidents in other enviroments such as mountains. The safety of the Chevrolet Cruze models needs to be improve.
Since March 30, 2015, I have been experiencing issues with and I have video evidence while in failure mode, of what I believe to be failures of the body computer(s) in this vehicle. The dashboard displays have been going on and off under a wide variety of driving situations, and while sitting at idle. They fault when the vehicle is simply driving down the highway. During these faults, the center information display for the HVAC and entertainment will frequently turn off. This kills the radio. It at times kills the HVAC systems and the turn signals (at least the noise for the turn signal indicators). At times, the center display above the steering column will go black and then display a message about the stabilitrak having failed and requiring it to be checked. Then it returns to normal mode. This is less frequent an occurrence. While driving on the highway under cruise control, the vehicle experienced one incident of unintended acceleration while the displays were in fault modes. This occurred on April 1, 2015 I believe. The driver's feet were on the floorboards. Not touching any pedals at all. The incident was stopped by the driver firmly pressing down on the brake pedal. When sufficient video evidence is accumulated on these failures the vehicle will be taken into the dealership. Lacking actual demonstrative evidence of the failures, the dealership will not be able to know what to repair or replace. The car has a history of dash display issues. The owner, a retired librarian/researcher from General Motors advanced engineering staff and the R&D center, has worked on unintended acceleration legal cases for the company, and has supported litigation defense work on such issues while at the company. He is still gathering evidence but feels the need to document this incident as soon as possible for NHTSA should an accident occur to him due to this. Is a very high risk
Driving on interstate 10 when electrical lighting, radio, etc start blinking on and off. I was on my way from Florida to North Carolina when it happened, I turned around and went to Chevrolet dealer where I bought it, was checked out and mechanic said they couldn't find anything wrong. Drove to North Carolina and when I arrived at my son's home the same thing happened twice. We took it to Chevrolet dealer in mooresville, nc, they found out through GM it was the electrical box causing all the problems and they replaced it with a new one. I wasn't in an accident but it made me scared to drive it. I feel as though GM should have recalled it and not make the consumer wondering. I would like GM to be notified about this and to also hear from them.
-the following symptoms occur intermittently (approximately one time per month) -while operating the vehicle, the issue typically begins with the center radio display and sound flickering on and off. -next, various electrical systems in the car begin to malfunction. This includes traction control, power steering, headlights, turn signals cruise control, window functions, and brake lights. -the vehicle does not only report the system malfunction, but will actually experience failure (etc, power steering is actually disabled in the car). Power steering was once lost at the bottom of a switchback in the mountains. I nearly lost control of the vehicle. -after this issue occurs, if the vehicle is turned off it will not restart for 30-60 minutes (unless the battery is disconnected and reconnected). -during this period it will not restart, none of the electrical functions of the car will work (doors will not lock, windows will not move, lights will not turn on, etc). -also, during this period I have noticed a sound within the dashboard. This sounds like a small electric motor running for approximately 60 seconds.
Car drives fine but interior lights go out radio starts blinking and service stabilitrak, service traction control, service antitheft, and service power steering lights come on the dash. I took the car to the dealership where they replaced the BCM. This did nothing 4 days later it all started again. After turning the car off everything resets. On some occasions the antitheft stops the car from starting back up I have to leave the car sit with the key on engine off for about 5 minutes then it will start. There is no loss of power in the engine and all the gauges still work. When I apply the brakes this happens, or when I try to roll down the window, or even when im just cruising down the street without and changing speed or anything in the car.
We have video of the radio display area going blank then coming on then going blank continually, it takes out all sound I.e., radio, navigational instructions, blinker sound.. while throwing multiple error codes in the area for odometer reading I.e., service stabila track, service traction control. The users manual tells you that if something like this happens to shut off the car to reset the car. If you do shut it off or stall out the car (manual transmission) everything goes dead. It cannot be accessed by onstar (I called them on 2-19-2014 and asked them to document that they could not access the car... it simply read "error" for them) the fob key has no effect, there is no steering, no brakes, no lights, no nothing for 20 to 45 minutes. So if in traffic.. the car simply becomes either a road block or a target. The car has been into 2 different dealerships and even with video of the incidents they simply say they can find nothing wrong and make ridiculous suggestions. The car as is, is an accident or worse waiting to happen.!....updated 07/31/14
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
- Federal Way, WA, USA