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What 145 owners told NHTSA about the 2012 Chevrolet Captiva

These are the actual owner complaints behind this car’s reliability verdict, filed with the federal government, unedited. They’re unverified reports, not confirmed defects: read them as leads for your pre-purchase inspection, not a diagnosis.

All (145)Crash / fire / injury (7)Electrical system (89)Engine (38)Electronic Stability Control (esc) (20)Steering (12)Transmission & drivetrain (9)Airbags (8)Fuel system (8)Brakes (7)Lights (7)Speed control (7)

8 of 145 complaints match · Airbags · clear filters

Sep 7, 2020AirbagsCrash

MY HUSBAND WAS DRIVING AND THE VEHICLE WAS IN MOTIONS, HE HIT THE BREAKS AND CAME TO A QUICK STOP AND THE VEHICLE FROM BEHIND BUMPED HIM AT ABOUT 20 MILES AN HOUR. IT SET OFF THE AIRBAG DASH LIGHT, BUT THE AIRBAGS DID NOT DEPLOY. THE DEALERSHIP DIAGNOSED A PROBLEM WITH THE STEERING WHEEL CANISTER OR COIL FOR THE AIRBAG, AND A REAR SENSOR IN THE BUMPER OF THE VEHICLE. I AM WONDERING IF THIS IS RELATED TO THE TAKATA AIR BAG RECALL. IT HAS NOT HAD A CAR ACCIDENT SINCE WE HAVE OWNED IT IN 2017. I AM UNSURE WHEN THIS HAPPENED. IT WAS IN THE LAST YEAR.

NHTSA ODI 11353515

Jun 15, 2020Airbags

DRIVING ALONG THE "SERVICE AIRBAG" LIGHT COMES ON. NO OTHER INDICATORS OF PROBLEM. 55,000 MILES. *TR

NHTSA ODI 11328859

Jun 9, 2017Airbags

THE AIR BAG SERVICE LIGHT HAS GONE OFF INDICATING THAT IT CAN EITHER NOT INFLATE IN AN ACCIDENT OR IT CAN INFLATE ON IT'S OWN. I FEEL THIS IS A SERIOUS SAFETY HAZARD THAT CANNOT BE PREVENTED BY PROPER MAINTAINENCE OF THE VEHICLE. THIS VEHICLE ONLY HAS 49K MILES ON IT.

NHTSA ODI 10994155

Mar 2, 2017Airbags

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2012 CHEVROLET CAPTIVA. WHILE THE VEHICLE WAS STATIONARY, THE AIR BAG INDICATOR ILLUMINATED WITHOUT WARNING. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE AIR BAG INDICATOR DISPLAYED "SERVICE AIR BAG". THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 81,000.

NHTSA ODI 10958038

Apr 19, 2016Airbags

TAKATA RECALL-I BOUGHT MY 2012 CHEVROLET CAPTIVA LS IN MARCH 2013. ON JUNE 20, THE CAR WENT ON A TRIP TO BRANSON, MO.WHILE DRIVING ON THE HIGHWAY, THE AC STARTED BLOWING DRY VAPOR FROM THE VENTS-NO COLD AIR. ALSO THE LIGHT FOR THE SHIFTING GEARS P,N,R &D WAS NOT WORKING. I TOOK THE CAR TO THE SHOP. NO PROB. FOUND. THEN ON JULY 6, 2014,THE CAR WENT TO WISCONSIN. I HAD THE CAR N SHOP ON JULY 2 BEFORE THE TRIP TO MAKE SURE THAT AC WAS WORKING GOOD. THEY SAID THAT THEY FOUND NO PROB. WHILE ON THE TRIP THE AC DID THE SAME THING-NO AC & THE PASSENGER AIR BAG LIGHT WAS ON TO B SERVICED. THEN ON APRIL 2016, THE CAR WENT TO FLORIDA. THE AC ACTED UP AGAIN- DRY VAPORS FROM AC VENTS & NO COOL AIR. THE DRIVER LOOKED UNDER THE HOOD & SAW THAT THE ALUM. PIPE TO THE AC HAD ICE ON IT. THE AC HAD FROZEN UP. HE ALSO SAID THAT WHEN DRIVING THE CAR ON THE HIGHWAY, THE RPMS ARE HIGHER THAN WHEN THE CAR IS DRIVEN IN TOWN OR WITHIN 30 MIN. ON HIGHWAY SO THE AC PROB. DOESN'T HAPPEN. THE DRIVER IS A MECHANIC. I CALLED THE DEALERSHIP ON APRIL 18, 2016 TO MAKE AN APPT. TO GET THEM TO FIX THE AC. ALSO THE DASH LIGHT COMES ON TO SAY SERVICE THE AIR BAG. HOPEFULLY IT WILL B FIXED THIS TIME, THE 3RD TIME! AS OF THIS DATE, I HAVE NO APPT.

NHTSA ODI 10860406

Mar 1, 2016Airbags

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2012 CHEVROLET CAPTIVA. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE FRONT PASSENGER SIDE AIR BAG OFF WARNING INDICATOR ILLUMINATED WITH AN OCCUPANT PRESENT. THE VEHICLE WAS DRIVEN; HOWEVER, THE FAILURE PERSISTED. THE FAILURE RECURRED NUMEROUS TIMES. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED THAT THE AIR BAG SENSOR WOULD NEED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 45,000.

NHTSA ODI 10839143

Jun 18, 2015Airbags

FRONT PASSENGER AIR BAG LIGHT READING "OFF" WITH PASSENGER (130LBS+). HISTORY OF EVENTS THAT STILL HAVE NOT CORRECTED THE PROBLEM: OCT 3/14: WILLS CHEVROLET(GRIMSBY 37,255KM. VEHICLE BROUGHT IN, NO CODES FOUND. TOLD NOTHING THEY CAN DO UNLESS THEY SEE IT. OCT 16/14: LEGGET CHEV(BURLINGTON) 38,734KM. REPLACED FRONT PASSENGER SENSOR MODULE ***AS OF JUNE18 THIS PART HAS NOW BEEN REPLACED A SECOND TIME AND THE PROBLEM STILL PERSISTS*** DEC 8/14: LEGGET CHEV 42,541KM. REPLACED FRONT PASSENGER BELT BUCKLE APR 15/15: LEGGET CHEV. BROUGHT VEHICLE IN FOR SAME ISSUE, TOLD I DO NOT WEIGH ENOUGH (130LBS) AND SHOULD MAYBE SIT IN THE BACK SEAT, OR I AM NOT SITTING IN SEAT CORRECTLY. MAY 11/15: LEGGET CHEV 53,055KM. SAME ISSUE WITH PASSENGER AIR BAG LIGHT HAPPEND WITH MY HUSBAND IN THE SEAT (200LBS). REPLACED INSTRUMENT CLUSTER. CAR WAS HIT @ DEALER. JUNE 6/15: ISSUE PERSISTS *I AM PREGNANT AND DO NOT FEEL SAFE IN THIS VEHICLE* .UPDATED 07-16-15 *BF UPDATED 10/25/2017*CN

NHTSA ODI 10726013

May 28, 2015Electrical systemAirbags

WAS DRIVING DOWN THE INTERSTATE WHEN MY AIRBAG LIGHT CAME ON. IT STAYED ON FOR 8 MILES THEN SWITCHED OFF. I WAS DOING APPROX 68 MPH WHEN IT CAME ON, TURNED OFF WHEN I SLOWED DOWN AT 50 FOR ROAD CONSTRUCTION. HAD JUST PICKED THE VEHICLE UP FROM THE DEALER THAT MORNING AFTER HAVING A REAR AXLE BOOT/SHAFT SOMETHING LIKE THAT REPLACED UNDER WARRANTY.

NHTSA ODI 10722001

Working with the data? Download all 145 complaints as CSV · fetched from NHTSA July 28, 2026

How to use these: a complaint is one owner’s report, filed voluntarily and published unverified. Patterns matter more than any single story. If several owners describe the same failure at similar mileage, put that system at the top of your pre-purchase inspection list. Back to the full 2012 Chevrolet Captiva verdict →