NHTSA Safety Recalls
2012 Chevrolet Cruze Recalls
The 2012 Chevrolet Cruze has 7 NHTSA safety recalls on file, the newest reported on July 5, 2016.
A recall covers a range of VINs, not every 2012 Chevrolet Cruze. Whether a recall on your own car is still open shows only on a VIN check; recall repairs are free.
- Recalls
- 7
- Owner complaints
- 865
- Crashes reported
- 62
- NHTSA crash test
- ★★★★★
NHTSA campaigns
filed with NHTSA
18 fires
overall, 5 stars max
On a 2012 Chevrolet Cruze, the 17-character VIN is on the driver-side dashboard, visible through the windshield, or on the door jamb sticker.
7 recalls on the 2012 Chevrolet Cruze
Electrical system: ignition
- Campaign
- 16V502000
- Reported
- July 5, 2016
- Vehicles affected
- up to 8,367
- Risk NHTSA names
- injury
- Federal standard
- FMVSS 114, theft protection and rollaway prevention
- Same campaign
- also 2011, 2013–2016 Cruze, 6 other models
Air bags
- Campaign
- 14V300000
- Reported
- June 6, 2014
- Vehicles affected
- up to 31,520
- Risk NHTSA names
- crash and injury
- Same campaign
- also 3 other models
Service brakes, hydraulic: power assist
- Campaign
- 13V360000
- Reported
- August 15, 2013
- Vehicles affected
- up to 292,879
- Risk NHTSA names
- crash
- Same campaign
- also 2011 Cruze
Air bags
- Campaign
- 13V023000
- Reported
- January 24, 2013
- Vehicles affected
- up to 4,167
- Risk NHTSA names
- crash and injury
- Same campaign
- also 3 other models
Air bags
- Campaign
- 12V522000
- Reported
- October 31, 2012
- Vehicles affected
- up to 2,949
- Risk NHTSA names
- crash and injury
- Same campaign
- also 2 other models
Engine and engine cooling
- Campaign
- 12V288000
- Reported
- June 22, 2012
- Vehicles affected
- up to 413,148
- Risk NHTSA names
- fire, injury and death
- Same campaign
- also 2011 Cruze
Fuel system, gasoline: storage: tank assembly: mounting
- Campaign
- 12V289000
- Reported
- June 22, 2012
- Vehicles affected
- up to 53,239
- Risk NHTSA names
- crash and fire
- Same campaign
- also 2011 Cruze
2012 Chevrolet Cruze complaints by year
NHTSA has received 865 owner complaints about the 2012 Chevrolet Cruze, the newest on August 31, 2026. Of these, 62 describe a crash (7%) and 18 a fire; owners reported 30 injuries.
In complaints about the 2012 Chevrolet Cruze, the component group named most often is the engine (31%), followed by the electrical system (23%) and the service brakes (16%).
1 of the 2012 Chevrolet Cruze's 7 recalls also concerns the electrical system.
Where 2012 Chevrolet Cruze owners gave the mileage (716 complaints), the median was 54,202 miles.
Component groups named in complaints
- Engine268
- Electrical System196
- Service Brakes142
- Power Train137
- Electronic Stability Control (Esc)108
- Steering103
Complaints received, by year
| 2011 | 4 | |
|---|---|---|
| 2012 | 44 | |
| 2013 | 75 | |
| 2014 | 161 | |
| 2015 | 98 | |
| 2016 | 87 | |
| 2017 | 92 | |
| 2018 | 85 | |
| 2019 | 78 | |
| 2020 | 40 | |
| 2021 | 31 | |
| 2022 | 18 | |
| 2023 | 26 | |
| 2024 | 13 | |
| 2025 | 6 | |
| 2026 | 7 |
Complaints about the 2012 Chevrolet Cruze peaked in 2014, when NHTSA received 161. 44% arrived between 2011 and 2015, the model year's first years on the road.
Adjusted for how many complaints NHTSA received about all 2012 vehicles, the 2012 Chevrolet Cruze drew 4.0× the complaints of the median Chevrolet Cruze year in the same window: 1st highest of the 9 ranked years.
That makes 2012 one of the Chevrolet Cruze years to avoid by our method.
NHTSA crash-test stars
- Overall: ★★★★★
- Frontal: 5/5
- Side: 5/5
- Rollover: 4/5
The 865 complaints about the 2012 Chevrolet Cruze are unverified owner reports, and a model sold in large numbers collects more of them.
2012 Chevrolet Cruze crash tests and safety technology
For the 2012 Chevrolet Cruze, NHTSA lists electronic stability control as standard and no forward collision warning or lane departure warning. None of the 9 Cruze years NHTSA rated (2011–2019) lists forward collision warning as standard.
NHTSA puts the chance that the 2012 Chevrolet Cruze rolls over in a single-vehicle crash at 10.9% (4 stars). That is tied for the highest of the 9 Cruze years NHTSA rated from 2004 on (10.7%–10.9%); the 2016 had the lowest, 10.7%. Of 55 other 2012 cars with NHTSA ratings on this site, 26 (47%) had a lower rollover risk; their median was 10.9%.
Photos: NHTSA New Car Assessment Program, NHTSA test vehicle 6507, shown from static.nhtsa.gov. Ratings, rollover risk and technology of the 2012 Chevrolet Cruze: NHTSA 5-Star Safety Ratings API, retrieved October 28, 2026; NHTSA terms of use. How the tests work
Chevrolet Cruze by model year
Other 2012 Chevrolet models
Newest record on this page: August 31, 2026. Data: NHTSA recall and owner-complaint files. How these figures are counted