RoadVitals

2015 Chevrolet Captiva

Recalls, owner-reported complaints, investigations and safety data

Data refreshed

Owner complaintsComplaints are reports submitted to NHTSA by owners and drivers. NHTSA does not verify most reports before publishing them, and a complaint does not establish that a defect exists. Volume is influenced by how many of a vehicle were sold, how long it has been on the road, and how much attention an issue has received.
14
Latest Jan 31, 2026
Safety recallsA safety recall is issued when a manufacturer or NHTSA determines that a vehicle has a safety-related defect or does not comply with a federal motor vehicle safety standard. Recall repairs are free. Whether a specific vehicle is covered depends on its VIN — a recall listed for a model year does not necessarily apply to every vehicle of that year.
0
InvestigationsNHTSA opens an investigation to examine whether a safety defect may exist. An open investigation is not a determination that a defect exists, and many investigations close without a recall. Investigations can, however, lead to one.
0
Crash or fire reportedComplaints whose submitter recorded that a crash or a fire occurred. These are the reporter's own answers on the NHTSA form, not verified findings.
1
2 injuries, 0 deaths reported

Overview

Our database contains 14 NHTSA owner-reported complaints for the 2015 Chevrolet Captiva, most frequently naming the electrical, engine and driver assistance categories. 1,047 manufacturer communications are on file.

Complaints are reports submitted by owners and drivers to NHTSA. They are not verified and do not establish that a defect exists.

What owners report

Complaints grouped by the component NHTSA recorded

  • Electrical525.0%
  • Engine420.0%
  • Driver assistance315.0%
  • Steering210.0%
  • Powertrain (other)210.0%
  • Airbags210.0%
  • Body & structure15.0%
  • Fuel system15.0%

Percentages are of component mentions. A single complaint can name more than one component, so these do not sum to the total complaint count.

Safety recalls

No recalls in our database for this model year

That does not guarantee a specific vehicle is unaffected — recalls are issued against VINs, and new campaigns are announced regularly. Check a VIN on NHTSA.gov.

Recent owner complaints

Reports submitted to NHTSA, shown in the owner's own words

EnginePowertrain (other)
Filed Jan 31, 2026

My car was functioning normally. But on or about Jan 7, I was simply moving the car to another parking area in my driveway. The car stopped and would not restart. It was towed to a local dealer. I was told the problem was a drive chain, resulting in a repair that could cost thousands. Now the car rests in my yard with a future as a flower pot. There had been no warning of trouble, no smell, no sound etc. It the car had been at speed on a highway this could have been catastrophic to me and other motorists. I spent thousands to buy this car and now it is gone. My insurance refused a claim, citing the engine failure. What options do I have? I am 77 years old.

NHTSA ID
11714712
Incident
Jan 7, 2026
Driver assistanceElectricalEngine
Filed Feb 25, 2025

The Chevy Captiva I have has been in multiple shops and NOBODY knows why it randomly has electrical problems and all the locks go on and off while driving and the RPM speeds up and slows down all by itself. The engine and transmission has been replaced among other things in the vehicle. This is a hazard to myself and anybody on the road. It has been to multiple mechanics in my city and not one person can figure out why the car does this. The engine misfires while driving and I’ve almost been in multiple wrecks because the car genuinely has a mind of its own! How many more times does this need to happen before a serious accident. This vehicle needs to be recalled before a serious accident happens at only the fault of a vehicle that should have been recalled years ago!

NHTSA ID
11644946
Incident
Jul 15, 2024
Airbags
Filed Sep 15, 2024

The service airbag light came on.

NHTSA ID
11614731
Incident
Sep 15, 2024
Electrical
Filed Jan 24, 2024

Around July or August 2020 I started having problems with not being able to hear the turn signal when I used it. The lights for the radio display would randomly dim or randomly return to full strength depending on whether I hit a bump on the road. There was also a "frying eggs" sound after I turned off the ignition. When I took the 2015 Captiva to Yemm Auto Group in Galesburg, IL, they said they could not replicate the problem and could not locate any additional electrical issues. When I took it in to Billion Auto in Iowa City, IA, they also said they could not replicate the problem and could not locate any additional electrical issues. Since then I took it to an independent auto repair shop (Car Care Center, Macomb, IL). While they were able to replace the battery cables and the turn signal sound has not disappeared since then, I am still having issues with the random radio display dimming and "frying eggs" sound. I asked Yemm and Billion Auto if I needed to replace the car radio to solve the problem. They discouraged me from doing so because car radios for this vehicle are difficult to find and expensive. I was past the initial 5-year warranty for the vehicle, but I didn't understand why a replacement care radio should be so difficult to find. Anyway, this concerns me because it suggests 1) 2015 Captiva radios have been replaced frequently due to faulty manufacturing, and that's why I was being discouraged from seeking out a replacement and 2) with the turn signal sound coming out of the radio speaker, a driver is not going to know if s/he accidentally left a signal on for too long or not long enough while driving, increasing the possibility of vehicle accidents and/or fatalities. If a turn signal is going to come out of the radio speakers for a particular vehicle model, and a company should find consistent problems with radio speakers on a particular vehicle model, shouldn't the company recall the radios for safety? Sorry, don't have my service receipts any more.

NHTSA ID
11567488
Incident
Jul 29, 2020
Electrical
Filed Feb 23, 2022

The contact owns a 2015 Chevrolet Captiva. The contact stated while his wife was driving at 45 MPH, the vehicle lost motive power and stalled in the middle of the road without warning. The driver could not get out of the vehicle due to a vehicle not having power. The police department was contacted and a tow truck was sent to the scene. The tow driver was able to unlock a door and the driver was able to exit the vehicle. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic to be diagnosed. The contact was informed that the battery terminal had defective and needed to be replaced. The terminal cable was replaced. The manufacturer was not made aware of the vehicle. The failure mileage was not available. The VIN was not available.

NHTSA ID
11453649
Incident
Aug 1, 2021
Electrical
Filed Sep 2, 2021

Periodically when driving, there will be an electrical issue involving various electrical components as follows: Service Traction Control warning message, radio goes out, dashboard warning lights flash on/off suddenly. Also, the car will appear completely dead/unresponsive can cannot be started. The key will get stuck in the ignition. This is currently the situation. These occurances can happen 3 to 5 times per week. We cannot identify a particular set of circumstances that creates the situation. It seems to happen randomly. Other owners of the Chevy Captiva have reported having similar problems. To fix the problem, I have separately had the Body Control Module replaced, replaced the battery and had a grounding wire replaced. The problem remains unresolved. Since this appears to be a common issue with the Chevy Captiva, I would like GM to investigate and propose a solution. I am willing to pay for the solution, but we (owners, dealers and repair shops) need to know how to repair the vehicle.

NHTSA ID
11431527
Incident
Aug 20, 2021
Filed Apr 29, 2021

KEY GETS STUCK IN THE IGNITION.

NHTSA ID
11414454
Incident
Apr 29, 2021
Mileage
79,640 mi
EngineFuel system
Filed Oct 16, 2020

WHEN STARTING THE VEHICLE IT'LL MAKE A ROUGH SOUND AND THE ENGINE WILL CUT OFF. O HAVE TO TURN ON THE IGNITION TWICE BEFORE DRIVING. THE VEHICLE HAS POOR POWER WHEN ACCELERATING. I'VE TOOK IT BACK TO THE DEALERSHIP TWICE AND THEY SAID THEY COULDN'T FIND ANYTHING WRONG.

NHTSA ID
11364601
Incident
Aug 3, 2020
Mileage
91,000 mi

Manufacturer communications

A bulletin sent by a manufacturer to its dealers. Not a recall, and repairs are not necessarily free.

PIT5099J

PI to help diagnose A/C concern

PIT3271Q

This preliminary information communicates information about how to determine if a wheel and tires size change is available.

PIP6104

This Preliminary information communicates the steps on how to save a GDS2 Session Log and upload to a Technical Assistance Case in CX Connect.

PIP4902V

This preliminary information advises a dealer on how to email GDS2 session logs into Technical Assistance.

PIP4902U

This preliminary information advises a dealer on how to email GDS2 session logs into Technical Assistance.

PIT5214G

This Preliminary Information communication provides information to the technician about vehicles that have had multiple repair attempts that are being performed on customer’s vehicles that exhibit vibration conditions without utilizing the support of General Motors Technical Assistance Center. If valid vibration frequency or Road Force Variation data has been collected and a repair attempt does not correct the customer complaint, contact General Motors Technical Assistance Center for further support. For any vehicles that remains unrepaired after being at the dealer for three days or more and a related bulletin or PI is not found, contact General Motors Technical Assistance Center for further support.

Manufacturers file copies of the bulletins they send to dealers with NHTSA. These often describe diagnostic or repair procedures for a known condition. They are not recalls: repairs described in a bulletin are usually only free if the vehicle is still under warranty or the manufacturer has extended coverage.

Compare model years

Complaint and recall counts across every year of this model

Chevrolet Captiva by model year
YearComplaintsRecallsInvestigationsIssue Index
2018000
2017000
2016000
2015Viewing140044.4
20141380037.5
2013970034.6
2012650032.8
2011110
2010000
2009000
2008000

Higher-selling and older vehicles accumulate more reports. Counts are not failure rates and are not directly comparable between vehicles that sold in very different numbers. Older model years have had longer for reports to accumulate.