2012 Chevrolet Cruze Powertrain (other) Problems

Have called about this starting 2020. Had 137000. Also previous owner since 99000mi. Drive train & Turbo. Brake assist. Oil leaks, shutting off while driving. Now as of Saturday April 25 2026 Car shut off while driving and has been towed to dealership. Car deemed lemon by GM. In 2020 car to have been replaced I have all service contact numbers as well as my receipts. Car is a death trap. Do better Chevrolet & GM

NHTSA ID

11734134

Incident

Apr 25, 2026

The contact owns a 2012 Chevrolet Cruze. The contact stated that while driving at 40 MPH and accelerating over a speed bump, the key slid out of the ignition switch. An independent mechanic was contacted. The vehicle was taken to the independent mechanic, and it was determined that the ignition switch needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact associated the failure with NHTSA Campaign Number: 16V502000 (ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, POWER TRAIN); however, the VIN was not included in the recall. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, and a case was opened. The failure mileage was 74,522.

NHTSA ID

11733293

Incident

Mar 30, 2026

Mileage

74,522 mi

Had a 3-5-R wave plate failure. Symptoms started at around 87,000 miles. Bouncing/jerking when put into reverse. 5th gear slams hard into gear when upshifting and downshifting, making it feel like I have been rear ended. Now 3rd gear is starting to shift hard like 5th. Soon I'll have no gears. Car has been both regular and preventative maintained so should not have such a massive failure at under 100k miles. Other vehicles with the same transmission (6t40) have been recalled due to similar issues, like the 1.4 turbocharged Cruze, but not the 1.8l Cruze for whatever reason. Now I have to pay $4k for a rebuild on something that Chevrolet should be liable to pay.

NHTSA ID

11655044

Incident

Feb 1, 2025

Car started jerking when put in reverse and slams hard into 5th gear only. Taken to transmission shop and they have no idea what's causing it. They said they've never seen something like this before, and said it doesn't feel like a major transmission failure. Car only had 98,000 miles on it when hard shifting started. Regularly maintained. Motor and trans mounts were checked and fine. More than normal amounts of metal in trans fluid when drain and fill was performed.

NHTSA ID

11649148

Incident

Dec 14, 2024

My car keeps telling me my trunk is open then it dings constantly going back and forth from tire monitor system to the trunk open. Then Everytime I turn the car off I have to wiggle the battery cable to get my car to start and my power steering keeps going out. I'm aware there are recalls.for my car but beings my check engine light is on they r refusing to fix my car. I don't understand. I thought recalls were mandatory and had to be fixed. This car barely has 85,000 miles on it. I shouldn't be having all these issues. It's all electrical it seems like. I need help.

NHTSA ID

11611181

Incident

Jul 11, 2024

Internal transmission failure Just started with the transmission coolant line coming off on the interstate and the car wouldn't go this can cause a major wreck an now the transmission is going out has been verified by jd byrider and has several coolant leaks

NHTSA ID

11580347

Incident

Mar 4, 2024

feel like it downshift first really fast before going in 5 th gear. Feel like you’re going to fly out the windshield. If seatbelt wasn’t on you would get whiplash. When driving in automatic it go in limp mode. burning oil. Now

NHTSA ID

11562724

Incident

Nov 14, 2023

The contact owns a 2012 Chevrolet Cruze. The contact stated that while his daughter was driving at unknown speeds, the vehicle lost motive power after 45 minutes. The RPM increased, and the vehicle failed to accelerate. The driver was able to pull over. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic, who was unable to duplicate the failure. The contact stated that after driving for 45 minutes, the vehicle lost power and went into LIMP Mode. The transmission had seized in fifth gear. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer, where it was diagnosed that the speed control sensor had failed. The contact was informed that the speed valve and transmission control module needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was contacted, but no assistance was provided. The failure mileage was approximately 90,000.

NHTSA ID

11541594

Incident

Aug 6, 2023

Mileage

90,000 mi

Car started blowing out white smoke and tranny fluide out tailpipe and then loosing power as inside of car filled with burnt plastic smell and smoke. On 08-03-2023 I test drove car. Upon entering car I commented a out smell of car. Left lot with car at approx 6:30pm, on 08-06-2023 at approx 4pm incident occurred and now that smell is even stronger inside car. So leaves me to believe it was already an issue and a possible life threatning one at that. Possiblity of igniting a fire . Transmission fluid is very flammable when heat source of engine and fluide trapped by shield. So engine was shut down immediately and we got out of car till we knew it didnt ignite.

NHTSA ID

11537170

Incident

Aug 6, 2023

The contact owns a 2012 Chevrolet Cruze. The contact stated while driving at various speeds, there was a whining sound coming from the transmission before the vehicle stalled. The vehicle was later towed to the local dealer who diagnosed that the transmission was faulty and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was later taken to the local transmission service center and the transmission was rebuilt. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 60,000.

NHTSA ID

11533158

Incident

Jul 1, 2023

Mileage

60,000 mi

Please print off the scanned documents and add them to the complaint form # 11512592. I needed more room to upload 4 more jpeg files to show the history of the problem with the valve cover and PCV valve attached to it. Thank you.

NHTSA ID

11512594

Incident

Jan 20, 2014

Please attache the scans attached to this email to incident/complaint # 11512592. I needed more room to upload my history with this car and the issues with it.

NHTSA ID

11512593

Incident

Jan 20, 2014

I am wondering when GM is gonna admit fault on these Chevy Cruzes? My mechanic father owns one. He's had to replace Valve cover gasket on his 3x. Mine at least 4-5x now. One bad oil change at a dealership almost cost me my engine at Sunfair Chevrolet. They left 2 rings on the oil fuel filter causing it to leak all over my engine compartment which left me roadside the next day after driving it 2 hours the night before back in Aug 2016. So they gave us 10K miles over this incident in case my engine blew. It ran a bit hotter than it did before this incident. I also noticed a burning smell. Enclosed in the scanned documents you will find a letter from Chevrolet discussing a "engine light" coming on and engine coolant leak from the water pump reservoir leading to a drip of coolant onto the engine or onto the ground. Overtime, the loss of coolant will reduce cooling performance and eventually could lead to engine overheating. Well, that isn't the only issue. Look at my scanned documents to see how many times the valve cover has been the issue. Always the engine light coming on and pull codes. A mechanic friend, replaced the valve cover gasket for me before it became a recall to save me$. Engine light came on again in 1 year. The PCV valve was built into the valve cove creating a chronic problem. Leads to a loss of turbo power. The last time manifold had to be repaired, they lifted the valve cover to get to it; leaked oil one day after my husband just replaced it. We assumed that was the issue (again), so instead of taking it in, he replaced the seal before taking it in. Someone please help us. Last fix was Aug. 2023, one day after it was in the shop. over $1200 in repairs I called GM, they told me to take it into the dealership. They focused on an oil leak from oil feed line. 4 days in still wasn't repaired. 1-20-14 I think was first incident of a valve cover issue. This is only 2 years after the car was "NEW". 137K miles on it now. Faithful with oil changes.

NHTSA ID

11512592

Incident

Jan 20, 2014

The cars turbo system fails. This causes a loss of power when accelerating. Pulling out into traffic or merging onto the freeway are all unsafe now as the car suddenly doesn't accelerate. This can cause crashes. I have pulled out and assumed I was at a very safe distance only to have the car not pick up as it usually does. I feel very unsafe.

NHTSA ID

11484649

Incident

Sep 2, 2022

Clutch pedal began sinking down to the floor with little to no resistance, car would have trouble shifting took it to the dealer, I don't know what they did but it fixed it temporarily. Went to see another car for purchase a few days after with it and on my way back clutch failed completely, clutch pedal sunken all the way to the floor with no possible way to shift I was stuck. Towed it to have it "fixed" sold it to carvana, don't buy one manual or auto

NHTSA ID

11465550

Incident

May 21, 2022

It keeps running pot. And it also needs any houses now and I have done replaced the thermostat and the thermostat housing I'm going to voicemail

NHTSA ID

11440428

Incident

May 19, 2021

The transmission is a known issue, so much so they issued a service bulletin. The transmission will give out or shift very abruptly or shift in to neutral without warning and at various speeds. Our specific case was sudden downshift while travelling about 65 mph, then shifted into neutral which turned the engine off causing an abrupt stop then eventual release and had to coast to a stop. We then got a code for transmission code that a mechanic inspected and tried to replace a part they said the code was most likely related to. The mechanic then stated that if this did not fix it, it would require complete replacement of transmission. The independent service provider confirmed that it was indeed related to an internal service notice for GM. They did not give us the related number. We also received a notice to bring the car in for related notice if the car was under certain mileage however they knew our vehicle was over since they do all the service. In research, this is a common problem where Chevrolet is not able to accurately detect, troubleshoot and repair. It is a known issue however we are on the hook for the repair when this is clearly a design issue and a severe safety issue.

NHTSA ID

11428065

Incident

May 10, 2021

I have filed a complaint 2 other times on my car from the power train to the electrical and now my radiator. Because of the date of my car, which is one week off, my car doesn't fall under all the recalls that have been made. Everything wrong with my car is a recall including the head gasket! I have paid to fix my car out of pocket every time and now the repair isn't worth fixing because i never know whats going to happen next! Just like every other government agency NHTSA is controlled by the big corporations while the little guy gets screwed over! Times are hard as is now throw in this plandemic and car problems life becomes unmanageable at times.

NHTSA ID

11428042

Incident

Aug 1, 2020

The contact owns a 2012 Chevrolet Cruze. The contact stated while driving 55 mph, several unknown warning lights illuminated and the vehicle intermittently stalled. The contact also stated that the steering wheel became difficult to maneuver. The contact was able to pull to the side of the road; then drove the vehicle to her residence. The vehicle was taken to the dealer who informed the contact that they could not determine the cause of the failure since the unknown warning lights were no longer illuminated. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and informed the contact to take the vehicle to the dealer for diagnosis once the warning lights were again illuminated. The approximate failure mileage was 56,000.

NHTSA ID

11424106

Incident

Apr 7, 2021

Mileage

56,000 mi

LOSE OF COOLANT. ENGINE HOT. NOT IN MOTION

NHTSA ID

11402780

Incident

Dec 27, 2020

Mileage

102,000 mi

I PURCHASED THIS VEHICLE AT ANAHEIM AUTO HUB LAST JUNE 6, 2020 FOR MY DAUGHTER. COUPLE MONTHS LATER IT STARTED LEAKING AND SMELLS LIKE BURNING OIL. AND THE STABILI TRACK SENSOR AND THE TRACTION CONTROL SENSORS CAME ON. AND, AS WELL AS THE KEY GOT STUCK INSIDE THE IGNITION COUPLE OF TIMES. SO I TOOK IT THE MECHANIC TO GET THE LEAKS FIX. THE MECHANIC FOUND THAT THE VALVE COVER GASKET LEAK AND VALVE TIMING SOLENOID. SO THE MECHANIC REPLACED THE VALVE GASKET COVER AND THE VALVE TIMING SOLENOID LEAK, AND RIGHT AFTER THAT BEING SAID, ONE WEEK LATER WE FOUND LEAKING SO, I TOOK IT BACK TO MECHANIC AGAIN, NOW THEY FOUND 3 DIFFERENT LEAK, FROM THE OIL COOLER LEAK, ENGINE OIL PAN GASKET AND LEAKING ON ENGINE TIMING COVER GASKET. AND I FOUND 7 RECALLS ON THIS VEHICLE THAT HAS NEVER FIX. AND I AM THE NEW OWNER AND I JUST FINING THIS OUT. HERE ARE THE RECALLS THAT HAVE NOT BEEN RESOLVE ON 2012 CHEVROLET CRUZE ECO: RECALL SUBJECT: AIR BAGS/ CAMPAIGN# 13V23000 RECALL SUBJECT: AIR BAGS / CAMPAIGN# 12V522000 RECALL SUBJECT: ENGINE & ENGINE COOLING / CAMPAIGN# 12V288000 RECALL SUBJECT: FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE STORAGE TANK, ASSEMBLY MOUNTING / CAMPAIGN# 12V289000 RECALL SUBJECT: SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC, POWER ASSIST / CAMPAIGN# 13V360000 RECALL SUBJECT: POWER TRAIN, AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION CONTROL MODULE (TCM,PCM)

NHTSA ID

11389702

Incident

Nov 21, 2020

Mileage

94,500 mi

BRAKE ABS AND TRACTION CONTROL SHOWS ON THE DASH BOARD DISPLAY AND WHEN I CHECKED IT WITH SERVICE THEY FOUND NO ODB2 OR ANY SERVICE ISSUE?

NHTSA ID

11387764

Incident

May 12, 2020

Mileage

120,000 mi

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2012 CHEVROLET CRUZE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE SHIFTING GEAR OUT OF PARK TO DRIVE, THE GEAR SHIFTER FAILED TO ENGAGE PROPERLY. THE STABILITY TRAC CONTROL AND CHECK ENGINE WARNING LIGHT ILLUMINATED. THE CONTACT TOWED THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED WITH CODE# P0700 TRANSMISSION FAILED. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO CRAIN BUICK GMC (710 S AMITY RD, CONWAY, AR 72032, (501)329-6825) WHERE A DIAGNOSTIC TEST WAS PERFORMED AND IT WAS DETERMINED THAT THE TRANSMISSION FAILED AND NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE CONTACT MENTIONED NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 16V502000 (ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, POWER TRAIN) AS A POSSIBLE SOLUTION TO THE FAILURE HOWEVER, THE VIN PROVIDED WAS INCORRECT. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE CONTACT WAS INFORMED THE VIN WAS NOT UNDER RECALL. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 109,000.

NHTSA ID

11387224

Incident

Jan 4, 2021

Mileage

109,000 mi

THE CAR HAS HAD ISSUES SINCE I BOUGHT IT. EVERYTHING FROM THE TRANSMISSION TO THE SEATBELTS TO THE ENGINE TO THE BRAKES THERE IS SOMETHING WRONG. MY VIN NUMBER DOESNT MATCH THE RECALLS BUT TEVERYTHING THAT IS WRONG IS RECALLED ON THE 2012 AND 2013 BUT I MISSED THE RECALL BY A WEEK? SOUNDS LIKE TO ME GM KNEW THE MOST ISSUES WERE ON THE CAR MANAUFACTURED WHEN MINE WAS AND DIDNT WANT TO FIX THE PROBLEM

NHTSA ID

11365131

Incident

Dec 20, 2018

MY CAR WAS PARKED AND WHEN I WENT TO REVERSE IT IT WOULD NOT REVERSE, THEN AFTER GETTING IT REVERSE I DROVE IT AND THEN IT WOULD NOT GO OVER 23 MPH. AFTER HAVING IT LOOKED AT AND WAS TOLD THAT THE TRANNY IS BAD AT 95699. AFTER DURING MY RESEARCH I FOUND OUT THAT THE CRUZE IS NOTORIOUS FOR THE TRANSMISSION GOING OUT BETWEEN 70 K TO 90 K. THERE SHOULD EITHER BE A RECALL ON THESE, BUY BACK ETC

NHTSA ID

11359938

Incident

Sep 16, 2020

Mileage

95,699 mi