There are 4 owner-reported lighting complaints for the 2012 Chevrolet Cruzein NHTSA's database. These are unverified consumer reports and may not reflect confirmed defects.
CAR WAS LIKE NEW FOR A FEW MONTHS, DRIVEN TO AND FROM ORLANDO MAYBE 4 TIMES, BUT MOSTLY USE IT FOR WORK TO TAKE MY DAUGHTER TO SCHOOL THEN IT STARTED THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT BEING ON, THEN SHORTLY, CAR STARTED JERKING WHILE PARKED, OR ON BRAKE, AND THE "CHECK STABILI TRACK CONTROL" LIGHT COMES ON, AND THEN WOULD JUST TURN OFF. I WOULD START SMELLING A VERY STRONG BURNT SMELL BUT NO OIL WAS FALLING TO THE FLOOR, BUT ONCE I STOPPED DRIVING THERE WOULD'VE SMOKE EVERYWHERE. WAS TOLD THERE IS A VACUUM LEAK COMING FROM PCV WHICH IS BUILT IN VALVE COVER...HAVE HAD VALVE COVER CHANGED 3 TIMES IN 3 WEEKS AND EACH TIME, IT LOOKED LIKE SOMEONE DIED UNDER MY HOOD AND BLED OIL! AM TOLD THAT THERE IS TOO MUCH PRESSURE COMING IN AND SO CAUSES OIL TO FIND A WAY OUT AND LEAKS IT SPILLS IT SLASHES, AND IT'S A MYSTERY! ALSO, THERE IS ANOTHER LEAK THAT ALL OF A SUDDEN STRATED FROM THE SIDE OF THE ENGINE! WHEN DOING MY RESEARCH, THERE ARE SOOOOOO MANY PEOPLE WITH THE SAME PROBLEMS! THIS NEEDS TO BE SOME SORT OF RECALL. PLEASE HELP!
WHEN STARTING MY CAR, MY WINDSHIELD WIPERS START GOING ALONG WITH WINDSHIELD WIPER FLUID COMING OUT, MY FOUR WAYS START BLINKING, AND MY TRUNK OPENS UP AND WILL NOT SHUT. I HAVE NOT TOUCHED ANYTHING THAT WOULD CAUSE ANY OF THIS TO HAPPEN. THIS HAS HAPPENED MULTIPLE TIMES AND IT PUTS ME IN A HUGE INCONVENIENCE. I WAS DRIVING TODAY AND IT'S 14 DEGREES OUTSIDE, YET MY CAR STARTED TO OVERHEAT AND A WARNING CAME UP ON MY DASH SAYING SOMETHING ABOUT THE A/C BEING SHUT OFF DUE TO OVERHEATING.... WHY WOULD I BE USING MY A/C AT ALL?
THE REAR CENTER BRAKE LIGHT STAYS LITE EVEN AFTER TAKING FOOT COMPLETELY OFF THE BRAKE PEDAL. I HAVE TO MANUALLY WITH MY FOOT LIFT /PUSH UP THE BRAKE PEDAL LIGHTLY IN ORDER TO HAVE THE BRAKE LIGHT TURN OFF. THIS HAPPENS VERY FREQUENTLY WHEN DRIVING IN HEAVY STOP AND GO TRAFFIC ON THE HIGHWAY.
AROUND SUNRISE ON A HIGHWAY WITH AN ADULT PASSENGER THE CAR LOST ALL POWER INSTANTLY. THE STEERING WAS HEAVY AND THE BRAKES HAD VERY LITTLE POWER. WE WAS ABLE TO DRIFT OVER TO A SAFE AREA. THE WAY THIS CAR PERFORMS WITH LITTLE BRAKING EFFORT IT CAN CAUSE SOME BAD ACCIDENTS IN OTHER ENVIROMENTS SUCH AS MOUNTAINS. THE SAFETY OF THE CHEVROLET CRUZE MODELS NEEDS TO BE IMPROVE.
Complaints are unverified consumer reports submitted to NHTSA. A high complaint count may reflect vehicle popularity, not defect severity. Data sourced from NHTSA public records.
Data synced from NHTSA on Apr 26, 2026