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CarComplaints.com Notes: In many ways, the 2012 Cruze continues the legacy of its predecessor. It's a legacy of sluggish transmissions and coolant leaks, but it's still a legacy.

To be fair, the number of complaints about the cooling system are way down versus the 2011 model which led to a class-action lawsuit.

On the flip-side, there's more concerns about brake problems.

However, there were far more Cruze vehicles sold for the 2012 model year so we'll give it our "Beware of this Clunker" badge rather than the "Avoid Like the Plague."

10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
1 / 0
Injuries / Deaths:
0 / 0
Average Mileage:
29,821 miles

About These NHTSA Complaints:

This data is from the NHTSA — the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints are spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem.

So how do you find out what problems are occurring? For this NHTSA complaint data, the only way is to read through the comments below. Any duplicates or errors? It's not us.

2012 Chevrolet Cruze suspension problems

suspension problem

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2012 Chevrolet Cruze Owner Comments

problem #5

Sep 102019

Cruze

  • 62,654 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

The contact owns a 2012 Chevrolet Cruze. While driving 60 mph, the front passenger side axle fractured without warning. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic who diagnosed the vehicle and determined that the front passenger side axle needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The dealer and manufacturer were not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 62,654.

- Washington, PA, USA

problem #4

Sep 082014

Cruze

  • 67,000 miles
The contact owns a 2012 Chevrolet Cruze. While driving approximately 20 mph, the front passenger side of the vehicle collapsed towards the ground. The vehicle stalled without warning and then rolled into an unoccupied parked vehicle. There were no injuries and a police report was filed. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic who stated that the front passenger side axle fractured. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 67,000.

- Benicia, CA, USA

problem #3

Mar 262014

Cruze 4-cyl

  • 19,009 miles
Bought vehicle from carmax first week of March 2014, 3 weeks later was first time I drove in snow and the the brakes did not work at all. Called carmax and though the warranty was was over they agreed to repait because of a brake recall. Then a couple weeks later there was a leak and Ford had to replace a coolant pump. The car never ran the same. The car putters and has horrible acceleration and I have contacted Ford and carmax dealership and coorp for help at the same time all the Cruze were taken off the lots and were no longer allowed to be sold because of all the recalls and they were deemed unsafe to drive. All I asked carmax for was to take this vehicle back and let me pick out a different car. I am a single mom with a teenage daughter an I am afraid to let her drive this car, there have been several deaths attributed to the Chevy Cruze. I have left several voicemails with GM my case # is C7269752 with first responder..what does that mean anyway? the GM at carmax in tinley park argued with me for 15 minutes about who if I spoke to him once or twice instead of dealing with the real issue, the sold me, a single mother a car with bad brakes! I almost went into down into a 6 lane expressway when the brakes didnt work! I would have been killed. Its been a couple months now and no one has followed up at all. The snow will soon begin and I am scared to death to drive. Please can some one help.

- Lockport, IL, USA

problem #2

Jun 092012

Cruze

  • 342 miles
The contact owns a 2012 Chevrolet Cruze. The contact stated that the seal that held the drive axle in the transmission was faulty, causing transmission fluid to leak. The vehicle was taken to the dealer who stated they would have to replace the seal that held the drive axle but they did not have the parts available. The manufacturer was not notified of the issue. The failure mileage was 342.

- Tacoma, WA, USA

problem #1

Apr 012012

Cruze 4-cyl

  • 100 miles
I took my vehicle in complaining of a strange noise, almost like a "pop" when braking. When the dealership looked at it they told me it was the struts. They stated they were waiting on a recall from Chevrolet and that I should just continue to keep calling and checking on it. I called them each month since. Each time they assured me it would not affect my vehicle at all and that it would be fine. Obviously, a strut is a part of the car, it must be needed to function or it would not be on there. I have no idea how this is affecting my vehicle including my tire wear, brakes, and overall structure of the vehicle. There has still been no recall issued and the problem still exists.

- Winchester, VA, USA

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