2012 Chevrolet Cruze: engine failure

Filed Aug 30, 2023 · Acceleration, Engine · 90,000 miles · PA

The contact owns a 2012 Chevrolet Cruze. The contact stated that while his daughter was driving at unknown speeds, the vehicle lost motive power after 45 minutes. The RPM increased, and the vehicle failed to accelerate. The driver was able to pull over. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic, who was unable to duplicate the failure. The contact stated that after driving for 45 minutes, the vehicle lost power and went into LIMP Mode. The transmission had seized in fifth gear. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer, where it was diagnosed that the speed control sensor had failed. The contact was informed that the speed valve and transmission control module needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was contacted, but no assistance was provided. The failure mileage was approximately 90,000.

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 Oct 21, 2019 · 48,000 miles · PA

Car overheated. Messsage that a.c. Shutting down because of high temp. Hose in engine blew. Mechanic could find nothing. Took it back on road didn't get a mile away temp is back up to 235/240. Back to mechanic nothing. Safe to drive. I research see the problems with my year model etc. Drive round trip of 20 miles ( not over 40 MPH because of temp). Anti freeze leaks from bottom. Mechanic says it's a faulty sensor. While there may be a faulty sensor. . Still leaking anti freeze. C ant get sensor due to strike issue. 48000 miles on this 2012 cruze. Temp jumps from 180-235 for no reason. I won't take it on a highway anymore. I don't know what it will do.moon roof just stopped working for no reason. Fuses fine.

Filed Nov 22, 2018 · Visibility · 132,650 miles · OH

Let me start by saying this issue was the not the first issue that's cause me to tow my car first was my engine failure due to coolant lines ripping while driving. And this issues is about defrost and heating in the general I was driving on the highway with me heat on the windshield but it didn't heat the front windshield instead is was heating my face the windows were already a little foggy but I expected it to be clear while driving but instead while going 65mph on the highway my windows completely become fogged completely white I couldn't see anything lucky for me I was on the right lane so I pulled over and was safe however if it happened even 5 seconds later I would of most likely hit or been hit as the highs had some renavations and the new turn had no pull over and had a long and tight turn. Anyways if your also having this issues and know a fix please inform me.

Filed May 31, 2018 · Acceleration, Brakes · 34,000 miles · MO

Tl* the contact owns a 2012 chevrolet cruze. While driving 4 MPH, the cruise control seized and the vehicle continued to accelerate. The contact stated that the failure also occurred while the vehicle was in reverse. In order to stop the vehicle, extreme pressure had to be applied to the brake pedal. The failure occurred several years ago and was taken to riley chevrolet buick gmc (2033 christy dr., jefferson city, mo 65101). The vehicle was diagnosed and repaired, but the specifics were not provided. The failure recurred and the vehicle was taken back to the same dealer where it was diagnosed with a brake micro vacuum switch failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer stated that the vehicle was not included in a recall for the failure. The failure mileage was 34,000.

Filed Feb 25, 2018 · Driver assistance, Engine · 83,500 miles · SC

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.

Filed Oct 26, 2017 · Engine, Transmission · 72,000 miles · AR

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.

Filed May 4, 2017 · Driver assistance, Electrical · 85,000 miles · GA

Tl* the contact owns a 2012 chevrolet cruze. While driving various speeds, the steering wheel seized and all the warning indicators illuminated on the instrument panel. In addition, the vehicle stalled and would not restart until five minutes later. On another occasion, the vehicle stalled and restarted independently. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified and stated that the vehicle was no longer under warranty and that there were no open recalls. The contact would have to pay for the diagnostic and repair costs. The failure mileage was approximately 85,000.

Filed Dec 6, 2016 · Engine · 40,080 miles · FL

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.

Filed Feb 27, 2015 · Electrical, Steering · 47,000 miles · MI

Tl* the contact owns a 2012 chevrolet cruze. While driving approximately 35 MPH and making a left turn, the steering wheel seized. In addition, the instrument panel and radio intermittently operated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer. The technician diagnosed that the positive battery cable and generator starter cable needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 47,000.

Filed Jun 30, 2014 · Engine · 30,300 miles · TX

C/s ses light was on. I took car to norman frede chevrolet for repairs. The determined that there was a vacuum leak at the engine cam cover and replaced it - or so they said. Here is the invoice statement: "po171 vac leak at engine cam cover 4060930/0.6 replace engine cam cover. Clear code 6061" after getting the car back, I went to nbt and had the oil changed. The next morning I drove to dallas from houston. On the way, I had another code light and called the dealership. When I got back from dallas on sunday june 29, 2013, I discovered that there was oil on the back of my car bumper and trunk. I took it to nbt and they inspected it and confirmed that they did nothing wrong to cause the oil leak. Nbt confirmed that the engine was leaking oil at the cam cover. I dropped the vehicle at norman frede on sunday and am in the process of getting to the bottom of the problem. The nbt person was surprised that the cam cover was plastic. This oil leak could have caused an engine fire. I am also concerned about a plastic cam cover. Should not a cam cover be metal? Is this a chronic problem?

Filed Dec 6, 2013 · Driver assistance, Electrical · 36,000 miles · MI

I am having problems with the electrical inside my car cutting in and out, all electrical turns off. Service checks come across dashboard for power steering, stability check control, and traction control. The power steering has stopped working at times as well. I am not sure but if you are turning it appears that the turn signals stop working from inside the vehicle. Headlights are dimmer than normal when it cuts in and out, it flickers with the shortages. I have taken it to the dealership three times now. The first time they tightened a ground wire, the second time they couldn't find a problem, third time they replaced the engine control module, and now I'm taking it back a fourth time to have the body control module replaced. This problem continues to get worse.