2012 Chevrolet Cruze: fire, smoke or burning smell

Filed Aug 31, 2026 · Engine · UT · fire

I was driving and the engine caught on fire. The flames came from the turbo gasket compartment not sure why or how it ignited. Thankfully the damage was not that extensive the car was towed to my residence and it is not drivable it won't start.

Filed Jun 16, 2026 · Engine · MO

Was driving and my car literally wouldn't go forward. Prior to I had an oil change and I would smell burning oil

Filed Mar 30, 2026 · Engine · 144,000 miles · KY

The contact owns a 2012 Chevrolet Cruze. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the engine started overheating, and a coolant leak was discovered. During the failure, the check engine warning light was displayed, and the message "A/C Off Due to High Engine Temp" was displayed even though the A/C was not activated. The temperature gauge was elevated, creating a risk that the engine might stall or catch on fire. The contact referenced the federal safety agency Campaign Number: 12V288000 ( ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING); however, the VIN was not included in the recall repair. The dealer was not notified of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 144,000.

Filed Sep 5, 2024 · Engine · 200,000 miles · AZ

The contact owns a 2012 Chevrolet Cruze. The contact stated that on several occasions while the vehicle was parked, there was smoke coming from the engine compartment. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic twice where it was diagnosed that unknown parts needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired but the failure reoccurred after approximately a week. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 200,000.

Filed May 15, 2023 · Brakes, Engine · MI

Started the purchase June 2022 when dealer said everything is good, Carfax no accidents, good car, nothing wrong. Dealers had me drive MI to CT to get the car, had 5-y.o. kid w/me. Brought car to mechanic when finally delivered July 6, ebrake almost gone; dealers had me drive w/my kiddo CT to MI with no ebrake on 6 speed turbo manual, wonderful. In writing said they would fix & some extras for all the issues they caused such as selling a vehicle w/o having title. Made it home in one peice. Next few weeks, car started shaking and stalling out losing complete power while driving, stopping at lights/signs, it hasn't stopped. Different smells of fluids coming inside ever since. Clouds of smoke coming from exhaust. Fuel seems to slip like sputtering/jolting, more smells coming in car. Check engine light on, went to Advanced Auto, showed me code has to do w/fuel/fuel tank & it showed dealer cleared out check engine without repairing. More research, they fraudulently passed the car for inspections/emissions & said it was good & passed, never received copies. They passed brakes when in writing they were to repair at no cost due to deceptive practices. No, nothing has been fixed; no, they never transferred title/registered vehicle. Now May 2023. Drove it now/then keep it going; MI awful winters. This winter heater went out for 3 days, no blower, no noise, magically started working. Roughly a dozen times when I shut it off, theres noises from front by grille like a ticking, no clue. I've drivien car 5,000 mostly from trip to get it. Dealers never provided the 3 special 10 yr warranties that car had. I found out, they were all expired, nothing I could do. They didn't disclose issues & 3 wks after purchase, accident on Carfax. So much fraud, it is sickening. One of the dealers violated their FTC Orders. Lies & lies, also @3 times stabilization/traction both need repairs then disappears 2 days. Loses power, definitely does not feel turbolike. Issues 7.6.22 & continue

Filed Mar 19, 2023 · Engine, Fuel system · WA

I am wondering when GM is gonna admit fault on these Chevy Cruzes? My mechanic father owns one. He's had to replace Valve cover gasket on his 3x. Mine at least 4-5x now. One bad oil change at a dealership almost cost me my engine at Sunfair Chevrolet. They left 2 rings on the oil fuel filter causing it to leak all over my engine compartment which left me roadside the next day after driving it 2 hours the night before back in Aug 2016. So they gave us 10K miles over this incident in case my engine blew. It ran a bit hotter than it did before this incident. I also noticed a burning smell. Enclosed in the scanned documents you will find a letter from Chevrolet discussing a "engine light" coming on and engine coolant leak from the water pump reservoir leading to a drip of coolant onto the engine or onto the ground. Overtime, the loss of coolant will reduce cooling performance and eventually could lead to engine overheating. Well, that isn't the only issue. Look at my scanned documents to see how many times the valve cover has been the issue. Always the engine light coming on and pull codes. A mechanic friend, replaced the valve cover gasket for me before it became a recall to save me$. Engine light came on again in 1 year. The PCV valve was built into the valve cove creating a chronic problem. Leads to a loss of turbo power. The last time manifold had to be repaired, they lifted the valve cover to get to it; leaked oil one day after my husband just replaced it. We assumed that was the issue (again), so instead of taking it in, he replaced the seal before taking it in. Someone please help us. Last fix was Aug. 2023, one day after it was in the shop. over $1200 in repairs I called GM, they told me to take it into the dealership. They focused on an oil leak from oil feed line. 4 days in still wasn't repaired. 1-20-14 I think was first incident of a valve cover issue. This is only 2 years after the car was "NEW". 137K miles on it now. Faithful with oil changes.

Filed Dec 12, 2022 · Engine · 95,000 miles · IN

The contact owns a 2012 Chevrolet Cruze. The contact stated while driving 35 MPH, he smelled a burning odor and saw smoke coming from underneath the hood of the vehicle. The contact then drove the vehicle to a local dealer where it was diagnosed that the front valve cover gasket and oil pan were leaking. The front valve cover gasket and seals were replaced; however, the failure reoccurred. Additionally, the contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the message "Low Power" was displayed, and the vehicle lost motive power. The contact veered to the side of the road. The vehicle was taken back to the dealer where the front valve cover gasket and seals were replaced. Additionally, the dealer diagnosed that the thermostat had overheated and had melted the coolant hoses. The thermostat and coolant hoses were replaced; however, the failure persisted. The vehicle was towed back to the dealer where the front valve cover gasket and seals, the thermostat, five coolant hoses and coolant reservoir were replaced; however, the oil leak persisted. The vehicle was taken to a second dealer, Curry Center Auto Center, Inc. Chevrolet (2906 E Buick Cadillac Blvd, Bloomington, IN 47401) where the coolant sealant hoses, the front crank seal, the oil cooler, and other unknown repairs were completed; however, the failure persisted. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that the vehicle model had been discontinued. The manufacturer referred the contact to the federal safety agency hotline. The failure mileage was approximately 95,000.

Filed Mar 25, 2021 · Engine, Steering · 158,000 miles · WI · fire

On my way to work february 22 I had notice a strong burning smell and just assumed it was from something outside. So I just ignored it and continued my drive. Once I got to work I noticed that there was some light smoke coming from under my hood so I lifted it and checked to see if anything looked strange but I didn't notice anything. So I continue to drive for a few more days becoming accustomed to the smell and smoke. Mind you I check all my fluids once a week because I do alot of long distance driving. After about 6-8 days of driving to my new job the smoke started getting thicker and more white and I started to notice that my oil level was dropping. So I bought some to keep in my car so I didn't run it dry. But I had to keep driving it to work because I needed to have a paycheck coming in. I had been off work for about 3 months due to the pandemic and couldn't afford to bring it to a mechanic until my first pay day. Well needless to say as I pulled up to my house on the 8th (two days before my visit to the mechanic) I noticed the smoke was mucx more intense then it was before so I lifted the hood and saw flames. So I closed the hood and grabbed some baking soda from my house and poured it over the flames. My neighbor saw what had happened and came over to see what was happening and noticed where the oil was coming from and said he could patch it temporarily so I can make it to the mechanic. But I am not willing to take the risk. Also about a month ago I noticed that there was a noise coming from my front wheels as I was driving and the vehicle started pulling to the driver's side.

Filed Feb 3, 2021 · Engine · 112,800 miles · OH

Multiple oils leaks (mainly from the turbo area) causing smoking and burning smell. The latest resulted in oil leaking on the manifold, which could have resulted in a fire.

Filed Jan 28, 2021 · Engine · 96,000 miles · CA

My car has been fitting the description of a specific recall on the same year and model. (I.e.: recall #12v288000 - date: 6/22/2012 - component engine and engine cooling) I purchased my car through carmax less than a year ago and have had multiple issues including, airbag senor problems, rmp issues, alternator replacement, etc. I've dealt with an oil leak from the valve cover most recently. I took it in for an oil change and found out there was a leak which was so bad it saturated everything in the engine area collecting near the engine and exhaust system. This lead to an awful burning smell. The valve cover was replaced and now two weeks later there is still an awful burning smell coming from both inside and outside the car. The valve cover doesn't seem to be leaking oil, and I don't see any weird objects or debris in the engine area. The recall previously mentioned fits my current problem to a t - but according to my VIN there have been 0 recalls. The car is not dependable at this point due to risk of fume inhalation and potential fire. It has been in the shop multiple times since I bought it and I have barely put 6,000 miles on it since purchase.

Filed May 13, 2020 · Engine · AR

This car has give me way more trouble than it is worth. It kept overheating even with antifreeze in it. The AC would blow hot and the car jerks terribly bad! Engine light stays on. I was told it was the battery got that fixed. Still overheated. Then told there was a crack in the reservoir and got that fixed. It blew hot a week later and had smoke coming out couldn't even go across memphis bridge. Mechanic says it's the head gasket which is like a 2k labor tag!

Filed Nov 16, 2019 · Engine · 87,461 miles · MI

Engine has loud injector and purge valves both producing a clicking noise. The noise can clearly be heard from inside/outside car with hood closed. This issue is triggering a knock sensor code. The car has always had burning oil smell as well which while under warranty the dealership magically could not produce. I believe they did not want to produce it as it has always clearly been there from day one off dealer's lot. I know for fact I am not the only one to experience these issues. I am adding the website as reference; https://www.cruzetalk.com/threads/lifter-issue-with-2012-eco.165122/ this noise is present when vehicle is idle, running and in motion. My vehicle has 88,000 miles total which is very little for engine issues! The dealership I took it to for diagnosis said his daughter's cruze had the same identical issue and was covered under powertrain warranty. Unfortunately, as I stated, the dealer could never find any issues while covered under warranty. I am concerned I will be left stranded somewhere with this vehicle and/or it catches on fire due to some sort of oil/engine issue.