"How reliable is the 2012 Chevrolet Cruze?"

"Based on 1343 NHTSA complaints, the 2012 Chevrolet Cruze has a median complaint mileage of 54202 miles. The most common issue is ENGINE."

"What are common problems with the 2012 Chevrolet Cruze?"

"The most frequently reported component in NHTSA complaints for the 2012 Chevrolet Cruze is ENGINE, accounting for a significant portion of the 1343 total complaints filed."

2012 Chevrolet Cruze: Reliability Data

Source: NHTSA — 1343 complaints

1343

Total Complaints

54,202mi

Median Mileage

ENGINE

Top Issue

104

Crash Reports

When Do Complaints Happen?

Distribution of NHTSA complaints by vehicle mileage at time of report.

28,500 25th Percentile

54,202 Median Mileage

83,250 75th Percentile

What Fails?

Most reported component issues from NHTSA complaints.

ENGINE

265

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

194

SERVICE BRAKES

140

POWER TRAIN

133

ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL (ESC)

108

STEERING

103

UNKNOWN OR OTHER

VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL

FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM

ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING

Severity Assessment

104

Crashes

Fires

Injuries

Deaths

Sample Complaint Reports

"TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2012 CHEVROLET CRUZE. THE CONTACT WAS DRIVING 12 MPH DURING A RAIN STORM WHEN THE WIPERS WERE ACTIVATED BUT WOULD ONLY OPERATE EXTREMELY SLOW. THE CONTACT PULLED OVER BECAUSE HE WAS UNABLE TO SEE THE ROADWAY BECAUSE OF THE FAULTY WIPERS. THE CONTACT TOOK THE VEHICLE TO THE ..."

"MY 2012 CHEVROLET CRUZE ECO WITH THE 6-SPEED MANUAL TRANSMISSION HAS OCCASIONALLY REFUSED TO GO INTO 4TH GEAR, AND GRINDS OCCASIONALLY WHEN GOING INTO 2ND GEAR. I GET THE GRIND AT ABOUT 1200 RPM AND UP. MOST OF MY SHIFTING IS DONE AT OR BELOW 2500 RPM FOR FUEL ECONOMY REASONS. THE CLUTCH PEDAL CAN B..."

"TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2012 CHEVROLET CRUZE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 70 TO 80 MPH, HE WOULD HEAR WIND ENTERING THE VEHICLE FROM THE DRIVERS SIDE WINDOW. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN AUTHORIZED DEALER AND THEY STATED THAT THE FAILURE MAY BE A MANUFACTURERS DEFECT AND WAS PR..."

Source: NHTSA ODI Complaints Database. Names and identifying details omitted.

Data source: View this vehicle on NHTSA.gov | NHTSA ODI Complaints Database. Public domain.

Methodology: Complaint counts and mileage distributions are computed directly from consumer-reported NHTSA complaints. This data represents reported issues, not failure rates — vehicles without complaints are not represented. Full methodology.

Data through: 2026-03-28