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:
18 / 1
Injuries / Deaths:
17 / 0
Average Mileage:
57,656 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.
The "service airbag" alert comes up every time the vehicle is turned on. My mechanic told me that this may have been due to a faulty seat belt. This car has never been in a collision, is clean title, and otherwise is in good working conditions. The estimate for this repair was $950 parts and labor.
I just recently had an accident, a deer ran out and hit me and I was going 60 mph. Once we impacted the airbag sensor came on and said airbags deployed. Then the sensor went off but you could smell the powder of the airbags but the airbags did not deploy.
We were in a car accident and ended up rear-ending a vehicle that had already stopped. We hit at an estimated speed of 20-25mph and the airbags did not deploy. We were traveling at 45mph when the brakes were hit. It seems like the airbags should have deployed at this speed. We only have minor injuries, but if there is a possibility others could get hurt because of a similar issue I feel that it should be at least looked into. You will be better able to tell if the angle or the crash or something faulty that prohibited the airbags from deploying.
Car was hit on back drivers door and wheel well, it pushed the back bottom seat in. Car spun three times in the rain and none of the 10 air bags deployed. I hit my head on the side drivers window 3 times due to side seat air bags not deploying. GM came out while car was in auto shop put some machine on it to address my ? why air bags did not deploy when it was hit hard enough to push car frame in and spin whole car three times. They told body shop that it was hit in such a way the two seat air bags were not sensored. I have not felt safe in car since. Car was on a rual street when hit at about speed of 40 mile an hour. I can email pictures of car damage if needed.
- Granite City, IL, USA
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I have had this problem for over two years now and its unable to be diagnosed. Still occurs with a new battery and terminals. Its under no recalls or fixes. It generates zero codes. 2012 Chevy Cruze two Chevy certified dealers looked at it and were like, we'll have to replace the airbag and that might fix the problem. It'll cost about $900 and the mechanics can not promise it will fix the problem or if the airbag is safe.
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
The 'service airbags' message suddenly began appearing, disappearing, and reappearing. The issue appears to be associated with the car's movements and whether the car was parked outside during a hot day ' which is the case for most weekdays. The issue seems odd considering the 2013-2014 Chevrolet Cruze models have a recall for a defective airbag part, but not the 2012 model. Yet, we seem to be having the very same issue. In addition, I am the vehicle owner's son, as the owner has difficulty going through these steps online. As such, I am currently unable to upload a picture.
The contact owns a 2012 Chevrolet Cruze. While driving approximately 5 mph, the brake pedal was depressed, but failed to engage. The contact stated that significant pressure was applied to the brake pedal; however, the contact still rear-ended another vehicle. The air bags did not deploy. A police report was not filed. There were no injuries sustained. Earnhardt Chevrolet in chandler, Arizona was made aware of the failure, but the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and stated that there was no recall on the vehicle. The failure mileage was approximately 80,000.
The contact owns a 2012 Chevrolet Cruze. While driving 10 mph, another vehicle rear ended the contact's vehicle. All the air bags failed to deploy. A police report was filed. The contact sustained bruises to the nose that did not require medical attention. The vehicle was towed, but the contact did not know where the vehicle was taken. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not contacted. The approximate failure mileage was 59,000.
High resistance in deployment loop #8 drivers seat side airbag requires: Replacement of airbag module 1 and only owner of the vehicle. Has not been involved in any accident or impact which may have caused airbag deployment - yet mid-August my "service airbag" light came on the dash. On 8/23/17 I took my vehicle to our local dealer for this issue (and to fix, for the second time, a prior recall of the power brake vacuum assembly) and was told dielectric grease was placed on the airbag connection and the airbag light went off. Weeks later the "service airbag" light came back on. On 9/25/17 the Cruze was taken by to our local dealer at which time we were notified there is high resistance in deployment loop #8 drivers seat side airbag and it would require replacement of the airbag. In both instances, the service airbag light came on as traveling straight down the road. As mentioned above, my vehicle has not been involved in any accident and nothing has been done which would have caused either the airbags to deploy or this "service airbag" light to engage. An airbag which should not require any replacement for the life of the vehicle, is now needing to be replaced at no fault of mine. This is clearly a manufacturer defect as there is nothing which I could or have done to cause this to require replacement. Yet, Chevrolet has indicated that since there is not a recall on this item yet and it is not covered under special coverages they cannot cover this. When you purchase a vehicle brand new and are the only one to own it (current mileage of 55,000) an airbag should not warrant replacement. There is no circumstance in which I should have to pay for the manufacturers defective airbag. A recall needs to be established for this as this is a safety issue which needs to be addressed immediately. Cost to replace airbag - $1,230. Updated 12/7/2017
The contact owned a 2012 Chevrolet Cruze. While driving 45 mph, the contact's vehicle rear ended another vehicle. The air bags did not deploy. The vehicle was destroyed and towed from the scene. A police report was filed and there were no injuries. The local dealer and manufacturer were not contacted. The cause of the failure was not determined. The failure mileage was approximately 70,000.
When trying to start my car it sounds like wants to turn over but it does't, everything reset on my dashboard, after waiting for a while it starts back
The contact owns a 2012 Chevrolet Cruze. Whenever the vehicle was started, the air bag warning indicator illuminated. The vehicle experienced the failure for approximately 30 days. The vehicle was not taken to a dealer or an independent mechanic. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, but the VIN was not included in an air bag recall. The approximate failure mileage was 90,000.
This car was stopped making a left turn with it was impacted in the rear by another car at 55 to 60 mph. The driver heard a sound like a gun shot the car filled with smoke. No air bags deployed. The dash board alarm is service air bags.
The car was stopped making a left hand turn, when it sustained a 5 mile per hour rear collision. The driver heard a noise similar to a gun shot. The car filled with some type of smoke and the service air bag alarm came on dash. There was no air bag deployment.
The contact owned a 2012 Chevrolet Cruze. While driving approximately 15 mph, the vehicle experienced a loss of power braking. As a result, the vehicle veered off the road and crashed into a fence. The air bags did not deploy. The failure occurred without warning. A police report was filed. The vehicle was towed to the contact's residence then to a salvage yard. The vehicle was deemed destroyed. There were no injuries. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The contact referenced NHTSA campaign numbers: 13V360000 (service brakes, hydraulic) and 14V300000 (air bags); however, the VIN was not included. The failure mileage was approximately 51,568.
The contact owns a 2012 Chevrolet Cruze. While driving at any speed, the service air bag indicator illuminated intermittently. The vehicle was driven to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed that the deployment loop low resistance had a poor connection between the sir coil and steering wheel air bag. The sir coil and steering wheel air bag were replaced. The manufacturer was notified. The contact referenced NHTSA campaign number: 14V300000 (air bags); however, the VIN was not included in the recall. The approximate failure mileage was 115,000. Updated 01/23/2017 updated 03/17/17
Takata inflators, I was involved in an accident 09/30/2016, where I was at a dead stop on city street, rear ended and pushed into the vehicle in front of me. The driver who hit me was going 50-55mph, I hit my head and chest on the steering wheel, air bags did not deploy, but the sensor for the air bag came on stating "service airbag". my Cruze has had all recalls fixed, prior to the accident.
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
- Las Cruces, NM, USA