2012 Chevrolet Cruze Reliability Data: Problems & Recalls
Avoid The 2012 Chevrolet Cruze ranks worst of 10 model years, with a complaint index of 100, 865 complaints, and 7 recalls. Engine problems dominate, at 39% of complaints, and owners saw failures around 63,104 median miles.
Based on NHTSA complaints per model-year, not a reliability rating. Methodology
YearToAvoid Scorecard
- Complaint Index
- 100/100
- #1 of 10 Cruze years
- Verdict
- Avoid
- vs. other years of this model
- Complaints
- 865
- unique NHTSA reports
- Recalls
- 7
- distinct NHTSA campaigns
- Crashes
- 62
- reported in complaints
- Fires
- 18
- Injuries
- 30
- Top issue
- Engine
- NHTSA overall rating
- 5 / 5 ★
- EPA combined MPG
- 30
- 26 city / 36.5 hwy
- Injuries / deaths
- 30 / 0
Top 2012 Chevy Cruze problems
Share of this year’s NHTSA complaints by component group. Groups with 15+ complaints have their own page.
- Engine338 (39%)
- Brakes253 (29%)
- Electrical System201 (23%)
- Transmission & Powertrain137 (16%)
- Steering103 (12%)
- Other89 (10%)
- Fuel System52 (6%)
- Visibility & Wipers39 (5%)
- Airbags34 (4%)
- Structure & Body25 (3%)
A complaint can list more than one component, so shares add up to more than 100%. Shares are % of complaints.
What owners report
- Engine compartment fires reported without warning while driving, in one case at 17,000 miles.
- Airbags failed to deploy during a moderate-speed collision shortly after purchase.
- Transmission jerks and hesitates on acceleration, sometimes with a burning antifreeze smell and repeated dealer visits.
- Vehicle rolled away in reverse after the driver exited and closed the door.
- Brakes failed to stop the car or the pedal went to the floor, leading to crashes at low speeds.
- Electrical components (radio, turn signal, dashboard warnings) flicker on and off while driving.
2012 Chevrolet Cruze recalls
7 NHTSA recall campaigns list this model year.
- NHTSA 16V502000Jul 5, 2016Electrical System8,367 vehicles
Electrical system:ignition
General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2016-2017 Buick Verano and 2016 Chevrolet Malibu as the electronic park lock lever may allow the ignition key to be removed without the transmission being in PARK. Also, certain 2013 Buick Encore, 2011 Buick Regal, 2013-2014 Buick Verano, 2011-2016 Chevrolet Cruze, 2010-2013 Chevrolet Equinox 2013-2015 Chevrolet Malibu, and 2011-2013 GMC Terrain vehicles may have been serviced with similar defective replacement electronic park lock levers. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 114, "Theft Protection and Rollaway Prevention."
Risk: If the key is removed without the transmission in PARK, the vehicle may rollaway as occupants are exiting, increasing the risk of injury.
Remedy: GM will notify owners, and dealers will inspect and if necessary replace the key cylinder lock housing, free of charge. The recall began on October 14, 2016. Owners may contact Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020, Buick 1-800-521-7300, and GMC 1-800-462-8782. GM's number for this recall is 50490 and 50491.
- NHTSA 14V300000Jun 6, 2014Airbags31,520 vehicles
Air bags
General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2012 Buick Verano vehicles manufactured December 2, 2011 to July, 16, 2012, Chevrolet Cruze vehicles manufactured December 7, 2011 to July 25, 2012, Chevrolet Sonic vehicles manufactured December 5, 2011 to August 2, 2012, and Chevrolet Camaro vehicles manufactured December 1, 2011 to June 11, 2012. The driver side frontal air bag has a shorting bar which may intermittently contact the air bag terminals.
Risk: If the bar and terminals are contacting each other at the time of a crash necessitating deployment of the driver's frontal air bag, that air bag will not deploy, increasing the driver's risk of injury.
Remedy: GM will notify owners, and dealers will replace the steering wheel air bag coil, free of charge. The recall began on July 25, 2014. Chevrolet owners may contact GM at 1-800-222-1020. Buick owners may contact GM at 1-800-521-7300. Note: This is an expansion of recalls 12V-522 and 13V-023.
- NHTSA 13V360000Aug 15, 2013Brakes292,879 vehicles
Service brakes, hydraulic:power assist
General Motors (GM) is recalling certain model year 2011-2012 Chevrolet Cruze vehicles equipped with 1.4L DOHC gasoline turbo engines and 6T40 front wheel drive automatic transmissions and equipped with an electric vacuum pump to provide supplemental vacuum for brake assist, when needed. In the affected vehicles, the pump may not activate, resulting in an intermittent reduction or loss of brake assist.
Risk: A loss of braking assistance will require extra pedal force and/or distance to bring the vehicle to a stop, increasing the risk of a crash.
Remedy: General Motors will notify owners, and dealers will replace a microswitch in the power brake vacuum pipe assembly, free of charge. The recall began on October 7, 2013. Owners may contact Chevrolet at 1-800-222-1020. GM's recall number is 12213.
2012 Chevrolet Cruze fuel economy and fuel cost
- City
- 26 MPG
- Highway
- 36.5 MPG
- Combined
- 30 MPG
- Annual fuel cost (EPA)
- $2,150
- 15,000 mi/yr
- Fuel
- Regular
- Current regular gas
- $4.32/gal
- national avg.
EPA figures; median across configurations of this model year. Estimate your own cost with the fuel cost calculator.
2012 compared with other Cruze years
Frequently asked questions
- Is the 2012 Chevrolet Cruze reliable?
- Among Cruze model years with data, 2012 ranks worst, with a complaint index of 100 and 865 owner complaints. It carries an Avoid verdict relative to other Cruze years.
- What are the biggest problems with the 2012 Chevrolet Cruze?
- Engine issues lead at 39% of complaints (338 cases, median failure mileage 63,104), followed by brakes at 29% and electrical system problems at 23%.
- Does the 2012 Chevrolet Cruze have recalls?
- NHTSA lists 7 recall campaigns for the 2012 Cruze, covering airbags, brakes, engine oil shielding, fuel tank straps, and electrical park lock issues.
- How does 2012 compare to other Cruze years?
- The 2012 Cruze has the highest complaint index (100) of any year in the dataset, worse than 2011 (78) and 2014 (89), while 2018 and 2019 rank Best with indexes of 22 and 11.