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Problems with 2012 Chevrolet Cruze ENGINE

On average, the 2012 Chevrolet Cruze starts to “feel” problems with the ENGINE and its various aspects after 63 463 miles.

Recently reported ENGINE problems on 2012 Chevrolet Cruze

Engine coolant stench and loss of coolant since day one! i now have just over 45,600 miles and per the dealer a need a temp sensor housing and thermostat. while driving i got a message on the dash reading "ac off due to high engine temp" and the coolant temp read - - - and the needle on the temp gauge dropped to low from a prior midway point and coolant temp of 218 degrees. back in 2014 i suddenly had black smoke coming from tailpipe and the "dealer replaced the water pump assembly with new base and thermostat." i also had a "service stabilitrac" notice and sudden loss of power while driving back in 2015 and the dealer said they couldn't duplicate the issue but that i needed a new coil pack which i had to pay for and repair on my own even though car was still under warranty!! this vehicle has smelled like antifreeze since the day i bought it, brand new, from the dealer that was performing all the services. in addition, the back window leaked from day one and i had 2" of standing water in my trunk and i had to pay, out of my own pocket!!, to replace the rear window = twice!!! this car is a piece of junk and has been nothing but problems and the dealer has forced me to do repairs that should have been covered by the warranty. i am sick and tired of the stench of antifreeze and the fact that i now have to repair the thermostat housing and thermostat due to engine overheating!!!

Burning oil smell started after an oil change. i have replaced the intake tubing that leads in the turbo because when i replaced the throttle position sensor in the turbo area, there was oil in the turbo intake. it has lost some power since i started experiencing the burning smell. it now smells like plastic burning since replacing the intake tubing/gasket.

Belt tensioner bolt came out and is now stuck in a spring in the engine..the light on my radio fades in and out.. rotor on drivers side had deformity to it .still have the rotor and the spring is still stuck in engine i can't afford to get it fixed

Tl* the contact owns a 2012 chevrolet cruze. while driving approximately 10 mph, the engine power reduced warning indicator illuminated and the vehicle failed to accelerate. a local dealer was not contacted. the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. the failure recurred once. the manufacturer was contact and informed the contact that there were no recalls on the vehicle as well as referred the contact to nhtsa. the approximate failure mileage was 120,000. the vin was not available.

I have a very important issue i have regarding the 2012 chevy cruze i bought on april 26th, 2015 with approximately 29,000 miles on it. it was purchased through carmax. as of this time my car has 60,000 miles on it. on sunday, february 18th while i was driving the car on a major highway suddenly, i could not accelerate faster than 25mph, the check engine light came on, and the 'd' for drive started flashing at me. it turns out that i needed a new transmission.

The car was moving down the road, and all of a sudden, the engine light came on, 'ac off due to high engine temperature'- fans kicked on and ran non stop. coolant was added immediately only to find out that the head cracked- the coolant was running into the oil. this car was not very old and it for no reason should have cracked. i think it is in relation to recall campaign 12081.

Since november 2016 at 56,000 miles the car has been constantly overheating. the engine coolant flange, water pump, and thermostat have been replaced 2xs. when this happens the car flashes sporadic messages such as a/c off high engine heat, service stabilitrak, change oil, etc. the car also has started leaking oil. finally on february 10th, 2018 the car had these same issues again and this time the engine went entirely. the car had total engine failure at 83,500 miles and now requires a new engine. this is the worst car i have ever owned and i would never recommend it to anyone. upon going online everyone has these same exact issues so i have no idea why massive recalls have not been made.

With heater and fan on, nauseating odor is emitted from the vents. the odor smells like anti-freeze. this odor cannot be safe to be inhaling.

Catalayic converter plugged at 82000 miles which caused engine knock noise

At 45k miles had gas cap message a couple of times. then the check engine light came on. took it to dealer and they stated that it was exhaust manifold which was $1000. i feel at 45k (rural town driving) there must have been some defect for this to happen. does anyone know of any manufacture problems with the manifold on chevy cruze 2012. also had problems with vehicle trying to die right before taking it to dealer.

The car says in the instrument cluster "engine looses power" and to "service stabilitrac." then i loose acceleration. i have to coast to the shoulder shut the car down and restart. it happens more often on the freeway which is super scary. this happens every time drive.

The "check engine" light came on one evening and with a message to service the stabiltrack. i did get the car home. next morning, started the car, was stopped at an intersection near my home when the engine lost power in the middle of the intersection. was able to get the car home by turning it off and restarting it, but in trying to drive the car to the repair shop, was not able to get any acceleration and had to have the car towed from my driveway. diagnostics revealed the throttle body had to be replaced and the sensor cleared. was told by my mechanic that there is a service bulletin out for this issue from gm. this is a car with 41,000 miles on it.

Takata recall i am the owner of a 2012 chevy cruze and it only has 44,000 miles this in which the transmission has went out. it started of down shifting hard when taking off and jerking. as i searched online i found that this is a common problem in these cars

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?

After driving for a while like 8 to 10 miles stopping for a little while at a drive throw and the car fan came on and the car temperature gage isn't even half way on the gage and the fan comes on. the car heater is blowing cool air instead of heat but when driving or ramen the engine a little heat starts working

While driving my car would not accelerate. the car will not move when changing gears. i took the car to the dealership because the check engine light and stabilik service light came on. the mechanic diagnosed the car and replaced a connector. now, the car gears don't work. misdiagnosis.

This car has had issues since we purchased it brand new in 2012. does not accelerate when merging on freeway or trying to pick up speed. it puts the driver at a very high risk of an accident. this car was purchased for my daughter to attend college and she feels very unsafe. we have had to have it towed and taken into shop several time for check engine light and loud shaking noise. this car has been nothing but a nightmare and seem to think based on reviews that these cars fall into the lemon category. we will be taking it to a very reliable mechanic this week and will wait to see what they find.

Tl* the contact owns a 2012 chevrolet cruze. while driving, the vehicle overheated and the check engine indicator illuminated. the vehicle shut down and was towed to champion chevrolet cadillac (36006 bristol hwy, johnson city, tn 37601) where it was diagnosed that head gasket needed to be replaced. it would cost an additional $500 for additional diagnostic testing. the manufacturer was notified of the issue and opened case number: 8-356-5888446. the manufacturer stated that the water pump was replaced in 2014 and referred the contact to nhtsa. no further assistance was provided. the vin was unknown. the failure mileage was 138,000.

When driving( in any weather conditions) the car will loose engine power drop to around 5mph, is unable to accelerate and have to be pulled over. re/ceive warnings stating "engine power reduced", "service stabilitrak" and "service traction control. the check engine light comes on along with several others. pulling over and restarting the car usually corrects the problem but it is terrifying when traveling at a higher rate of speed, or any speed really! someone is going to get killed. fortunately, this has only happened on local city streets ( so far!) but i can't imagine it happening on the highway. this has happened on numerous occasions. in doing research online there are a great number of owners experiencing the same exact problem. how is this not considered a safety issue warranting a massive recall? in reading many forums, gm is clearly aware of the problem but apparently has no definitive way to fix it as many owners have had various parts replaced( mostly related throttle or accelerator pedal) with the problem not being resolved.

I was driving down the interstate and my car started to lose power. the engine reduced power and service stabilitrak messages came up and the check engine light and traction control light came on. i got of the interstate and putted along, barely able to accelerate at stop lights, until i made it to my local chevy dealership. they don't seem to know what is going on and i'll probably end up doing a trial and error with sensors and throttles. a few weeks ago a similar incident happened while i was driving down a residential road (25mph), but everything turned off (dash, a/c, radio, digital speedometer, etc) and my car powered off for a few seconds and then came back on again. this is seriously a scary problem to have.

I have a 2012 chevy cruze lt, it doesn't even have 75k and i've only had it for 2 years. driving through north little rock on the interstate my temperature gage shot from cool to red, my car dinged and posted a message a/c off due to high engine temps. my a/c was not on, as i was pulling over another message dinged and my engine power was reduced. i let the car idle as the next message instructed me to do, the temp would not go down. i turned the car off and called for a ride. thankfully a nlr police officer sat with me until my boyfriend came as i was broke down on a bad side of town. that being said, we had the car towed to our ase independent mechanic to have it diagnosed as we thought it was just the thermostat sticking. nope! blown head gasket! all because of a faulty water inlet. it is a known problem all across the forums. my mechanic had replaced numerous inlets on these cars and chevy had yet to do a recall. i contacted gm and filed a complaint. they are only replacing faulty water pumps, even though the water pump replacement parts include the water inlet. i was told i had to have it diagnosed by their dealership and after much back and forth finally got the diagnostic fee waived. i received a call today from the dealer informing me that i have a cracked head, warped gasket, and need to replace the engine. this is all due to a defect the manufacturer knows about. to too it off the power train warranty expired in march and my extended warranty expired 5k miles ago. chevy wants me to pay out of pocket to replace all the damage that occurred from their defect. i am contacting the bbb, my attorney general, and any news outlet i can to get this issue brought to light. with a vehicle just over 5 years old and not even 100,000 miles on it to have to replace an engine is ludicrous.

The car has had all recall work done for both issues however the vehicle is spewing oil again and even after the brakes have been replaced the vehicle does not stop when in reverse or moving slowly forward. chevy states that these issues are now my issue and and spends because recall work is only one year on the warranty. when backing out from a parking spot or driveway the vehicle does not stop when the brakes are pressed and oil leaks randomly. in 2015 as they made the reveal repair the vehicle caught fire, however they claimed to have repaired the issue.

Lack of power, coolant leaks, the cooling system has a number of plastic parts. the thermostat housing and a junction piece are made of plastic. after constant heat and cold they crack. i had to have both of these parts replaced at below 40000 miles at a cost of more than $800 dollars. these parts were made to fail. as for power with a turbo it lacks power. i have changed the spark plugs and the coil pack. still laces power.

Eco 1.4l model. engine suddenly began to run rough, most noticeable at idle. short time later check engine light came on and stayed on. after turning car off cooling fan stayed on several minutes, which it had never done before. dealer replaced valve cover, and intake manifold for $1100, out of warranty. only 36,200 miles. failure of a non-moving part at such low mileage is clearly a defect.

My car will not go into reverse and hesitated to give gas and now my car won't go into any gear , i currently see online other ppl with this car that have the same problem.

On august 19, 2017, i was on the road, drove passed south center mall when i felt that there was something wrong with my engine because it wasn't driving fast as usual. i pulled over to the side of the road, at inspirus credit union in tukwila to check the engine if it was okay when i smelled a faint scent of smoke. i drove back home to park it for fear of the engine exploding. our family mechanic checked the engine and said that the fan is too loud as if something is causing it to be overworked. the engine fan has always been loud after my oil change on july 21, 2017. the engine light has not been turned off since the oil change and i know that there is something wrong with the vehicle. also, i entered the vin number online and it said that the recall on my car is incomplete. the dealer did not inform me about the recall nor mentioned anything about it when i bought it. they did not give me a written letter of the recall or even specified the recall being incomplete.

Chevrolet cruze 2012 delayed steering when turning, then sluggish would not go past first gear. i was driving on city street noticed difficulty turning and slowness so stopped at nearest gas station. got vehicle towed to dealer and diagnosed with transmission failure. this was sudden, always kept up with regular maintenance, oil changes & tune ups! this should not happen to a car barely 5 years old car and well maintained!

Tl* the contact owns a 2012 chevrolet cruze eco. while driving various speeds, a "turn air conditioner off, engine overheating" message appeared. the contact turned off the air conditioner; however, several minutes later, an "engine overheating" message displayed. the contact parked the vehicle, turned off the engine, and waited ten minutes. the contact was able to drive the vehicle without any warning messages appearing. however, later in the day, the engine overheating message displayed again. the vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic (firestone complete auto care 1031 mt zion rd, morrow, ga 30260 (770) 225-1530) where it was diagnosed with a thermostat housing and thermostat failure which needed replacement. the vehicle was repaired, but the contact was informed by the mechanic that the vehicle was designed to withstand the heat conditions in a state such as georgia. the manufacturer was notified of the failure. the failure mileage was 74,695.

Car wont turn off even with key off lights stay on too other times car just turns off while still on drive but gm calms no recalls !

As i was driving my radio started going on and off then car completely shut off steering while went stiff to the left and locked as i was on the road scared the living spirit out of me was the scariest experiences luckly i was alone without my kids because that could of been a fatal accident. in was very lucky it was not a busy morning the first time it happen and i was able to keep to left until car came to a stop at the curve. this has happen to me more than once that i stopped driving car stopped paying it because it was a lemon so many things went wrong 3mnths after buying car at used dealers i felt cheated and stuck i even lost my job because i wasnt able to get to work on time or at all at times because of car problems

When trying to start my car it sounds like wants to turn over but it does't ,everything reset on my dashboard,after waiting for a while it starts back up

Takes na long time to take off. the car jerks a lot and the steering wheel gets stuck..

5 cam shaft covers replaced, due to internal pcv failure... also causes dipstick to pop out, spraying oil through engine bay... hundreds of complaints on internet forums about this problem

Clutch smell very strong door dust all over engine car has 9000 miles on it also getting a engine code says cruise control sensor this car don't have cruise control dealer says clutch not under warranty i'm very dissapointed with the power in the engine car has no power for going up any slope or hills way under powered.

Blown turbo/oil cooling system. replaced, $2050.00.,, coolant reservoir cracked/ replaced/with labor $200.00. valve cover, inner crack(gasket crack) also, $175.00,, tire total flat(tried to fill with air) tire became flat within 1 minute,, had to buy new tire. $125.00/.. coil pack replaced, $175.00,, battery(died), replaced $125.00// ocu/ replaced,$200.00// oil plug replaced $27.00 gm part. partsdirect price with shipping $7.00 !!!, i reelly got the shaft on that 1 !! on star cover unglued & fell off,, other than all this, it is the most fuel efficient motor vehicle i have ever owned. .i have gotten as much as 54mpg highway,, on a test of 1 ,10th of a gallon(=12.8oz) 9miles, their is a secret to getting this milage, these replacements have occured over the course of 4.5years, 168000miles. repairs totalling with tires, oil changes, etc. $5200.00,eye opener,jaw dropper.

Coolant leak. outlet housing cracked. oil leak. pcv valve cover leaking.

Tires light all the time, overheating all the time spend 100 of dollar on anti-freeze coolant ran in overflow tank spent over $769.00 0n people giving false report on what wrong with vehicle. i tried to file for bankrupty but wasn't successful due low income. stop on city street.

Service traction control

Takata recall i hear a dripping sound under the hood, followed by a sound like the dripping is hitting something hot. electronics such as the radio, signals, and the entire computer screen is out. the car is at the autonation service center on security blvd. in baltimore and they are looking to profit from these defects. it's sad...

Tl* the contact owns a 2012 chevrolet cruze. while the vehicle was parked, the contact noticed coolant on the ground. the contact's wife also noted smoke emitting from the vehicle while the engine was running. the vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who diagnosed that the water outlet was leaking coolant out of the engine onto the transmission. the contact repaired the vehicle himself. the manufacturer was made aware of the failure and advised the contact to file a complaint with nhtsa. the approximate failure mileage was 75,000.

First, i receive a warning about engine temp so i put some coolant in and the problem doesn't come up again for a week. between that time, the tire sensor malfunctions and the car is at only 40,000 miles so it's no longer under warranty. the second time i get the temp warning i'm on the way to work riding along a highway and the car loses momentum and led advises that car is lowering power to protect engine. mind you, this is after i've already spent $400 on new tires and changed the oil. a minute after the led on, the car was trying to completely shut down at this point and i pulled over. when i get to a complete stop, steam just engulfs my hood. the car went from driving with no indication of trouble to a complete disaster in a matter of one and a half minutes. i had the car towed to my house and later on brought it to a chevrolet dealer to get a diagnostic. chevrolet advises that the engine is bad. my four year old car with just over 40,000 miles needs a $7,000 engine replacement. this is not a normal occurrence and i've never had a similar issue on a car that hasn't even hit half a 100k. these problems didn't happen with a 1999 model i had for much longer than this and the mileage was over 120,000 when the car started giving up. there are many similar complaints here with similar issues and these people invested in a vehicle that we expected to serve us for the price we paid. i bought american because i wanted to support industry in our country. chevy lauds itself as a top-tier company ranked at highly with multiple auto magazines every year. my experience has been very low, though and this has caused me severe financial burden for a vehicle i paid in full price brand new. engine replacements do not happen at 40,000 miles on a brand new car with a top-tier auto maker. *tr

Was driving and all the sudden got warning lights and a/c shut off due to coolant temp? or something to that affect. then my fan kicked on and it went away but the fan just stays running but the coolant temp is not even hot can even get hot out of the heater vents but still thinks i'm overheating then the car shut itself off! i have an appointment in the morning with car dealership but i've seen many people are having the same issue should be a recall not fair to make us pay my car is still new

My 2012 chevy cruze eco suddenly lost power and acceleration was very poor on 10/29/2016. almost got hit trying to pull out from a stop sign because the power was no longer there to take off. after having an auto mechanic shop look at the car on 10/31/2016 we discovered that the oil line from the block or where the oil supply comes from for the turbo had been a plastic line that had melted and stopped oil from flowing to the turbo charger. this appears to be a poor design on gm's part to use plastic lines for something that will obviously be transferring hot oil. it seems to have caused the turbo to burn up and also created an exhaust leak . i am still waiting on a final price from the mechanic shop to find out how much damage was done. they have called me today 11/1/2016 and asked that i come in so they can show me more damage they have found as a result of this line melting. i have spoken to one of the owners at [xxx] family of dealerships and they were of no help stating that it is out of warranty. really? it is a defective design flaw so why should i be having to pay for the repair? i would like some help with this issue please! i know i have 140000+/- miles on the car but it has been mostly highway miles and maintenance has always been done on the vehicle. i use this for my work and family vehicle so it is not driven hard or abused in anyway. i hate the fact of turning in a complaint that involves a dealer that i have recommended to so many people in the past but he was of no help at all and really showed no concern that there was an issue like this with a vehicle that he had sold. information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u.s.c. 552(b)(6). *tr

Hello. our problem is defect chevrolet cruze 2012 . mileage is 79373. my car has some recalls fixing actions and now "exhaust leak from font of engine..damaging turbocharger..as a result -may cause a fire"( alan webb chevrolet diller vancouver, wa-see attach.). to fix car we need to pay 7650$ why we must pay for defect ? could you help us with this problem,please.the strange noise appeared when we were driving to home from carson to vancouver, wa. after diagnose at alan web (3712 ne 66 ave vancouver, wa 98661) car stays at my app. parking lot. thanks. *tr

Ive had my car for 2 years now. after the first year i began noticing the engine would be going at a steady speed and if you began to accelerate the engine would rev or stall and the rpms shoot up. the only way to keep it from producing the actions is to slowly accelerate. the engine is sluggish and does this while in cruise control.. after getting the complete read, it was said the 02 sensors were out. the engine is now to the point it will randomly be going and the engine light will start flashing and all speed is reduced. they were replaced, but the problem persisted. the car stalls out so often i refuse to take it in to cities or onto the interstate. i will be going back to a truck after this is paid off! will be going to the dealership this week!

Driving on busy street car cuts off heard a pop in engine display says engine losing power engine light comes on managed to pull over car will turn over but will die out. had to have car towed by insurance company car has 64,000 miles.

Mil came on while driving, vehicle set p0171 p0106 codes, idles rough. valve cover cracked at pcv housing and pcv valve stuck open resulting in air leak.

Tl* the contact owns a 2012 chevrolet cruze. on several occasions, while attempting to start the vehicle, it failed to start. also, the temperature gauge registered hot almost immediately. the thermostat was replaced, but the failure recurred. the contact also stated that the engine oil warning light illuminated; however, there was sufficient oil in the vehicle. the vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired. the manufacturer was not notified. the approximate failure mileage was 130,000. the vin was not available.

Tl* the contact owns a 2012 chevrolet cruze. while at a stop, the vehicle lost power and the check engine light illuminated. the contact placed the vehicle in park and restarted the engine. the vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who diagnosed that the cam cover was leaking and needed to be replaced. the manufacturer was made aware of the failure and stated that there was no recall. the vehicle was not repaired. the failure mileage was 128,000.

Brought my car in for what looked like intake seals and found out that the intake manifold manifold is cracked. i called many other auto repair places and found that this is a massive problem and can only be gotten from the dealer and i will be getting one of the last in this area at the cost of $450.00 plus time. the car started running ruff and has 9 different codes all relating to a lean condition.

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