Chevrolet Cruze problems by model year
NHTSA data checked October 31, 2026
Summary
Across model years 2010–2020, NHTSA's public databases list 3,726 owner complaints and 26 distinct recall campaigns for the Chevrolet Cruze.
The year with the most complaints is 2012 (865; owners name engine most). The year with the fewest is 2010 (2). The median year has 252.
These are raw counts. They are not adjusted for how many of each year were sold, and older years have had longer to collect complaints.
Every model year
| Model year | Complaints | Recalls | Crash | Fire | Most-named component |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Air Bags (50%) |
| 2011 | 733 | 7 | 38 | 20 | Engine (35%) |
| 2012 | 865 | 7 | 62 | 18 | Engine (31%) |
| 2013 | 587 | 5 | 54 | 8 | Engine (36%) |
| 2014 | 703 | 10 | 70 | 17 | Engine (31%) |
| 2015 | 253 | 4 | 20 | 4 | Engine (39%) |
| 2016 | 250 | 4 | 19 | 6 | Engine (41%) |
| 2017 | 201 | 2 | 8 | 6 | Engine (36%) |
| 2018 | 109 | 3 | 17 | 3 | Engine (25%) |
| 2019 | 23 | 2 | 4 | 1 | Power Train (35%) |
| 2020 — no NHTSA records (likely not sold as this model year) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
Linked years have a full page with every component and recall. Other years get pages over time; the counts above are already live.
Quick answers
What is the worst year for the Chevrolet Cruze?
By NHTSA owner complaints, 2012 (865 complaints; top component engine). That is a raw count, not adjusted for sales or age.
Which Chevrolet Cruze year has the fewest complaints?
2010, with 2 complaints in NHTSA's data, among model years 2010–2020.
Which Chevrolet Cruze year has the most recalls?
2014, with 10 recall campaigns in NHTSA's recall database.
Sources
Each count comes from NHTSA's Complaints API (complaintsByVehicle) and Recalls API (recallsByVehicle) for make CHEVROLET, model CRUZE, one request per model year, for example https://api.nhtsa.gov/complaints/complaintsByVehicle?make=CHEVROLET&model=CRUZE&modelYear=2012. Checked 2026-10-31. See method.