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What 864 owners told NHTSA about the 2012 Chevrolet Cruze Limited

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 (864)Crash / fire / injury (85)Engine (267)Electrical system (196)Brakes (150)Transmission & drivetrain (137)Electronic Stability Control (esc) (108)Steering (103)Fuel system (52)Speed control (51)Engine & cooling (44)Visibility & wipers (43)

26 of 864 complaints match · Engine · crash/fire/injury only · clear filters · page 2 of 2

Feb 21, 2013Engine1 injury

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2012 CHEVROLET CRUZE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THERE WAS A SOUR ODOR BEING EMITTED INSIDE THE VEHICLE. THE CONTACT INSPECTED THE VEHICLE AND FOUND THAT THERE WAS ANTIFREEZE, WATER AND MOLD UNDER THE ALL-WEATHER FLOOR MATS. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER FOR DIAGNOSIS WHERE IT WAS DETERMINED THAT A PLUG HAD NOT BEEN REMOVED IN THE LINE, CAUSING THE LEAK INSIDE THE VEHICLE. THE DEALER REPLACED THE CARPET AND THE FIREWALL INSULATOR PAD HOWEVER, THE MOLD REMAINED. IN ADDITION, THE CONTACT STATED THAT DUE TO THE PROLONGED LEAK AND THE EXTENSIVE MOLD THAT ACCUMULATED IN THE VEHICLE, IT WAS A POSSIBILITY THAT THE CONTACT HAD DEVELOPED LEGIONNAIRES DISEASE. IT WAS LATER DETERMINED THAT THE CONTACT HAD INHALED LARGE AMOUNTS OF ETHYLENE GLYCOL AND SUFFERED MAJOR RESPIRATORY ILLNESS. THE MANUFACTURER WAS CONTACTED AND OFFERED TO PURCHASE THE VEHICLE BACK FROM THE CONTACT AT THE ORIGINAL PRICE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE FAILURE AND CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 23,500.

NHTSA ODI 10499552

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Working with the data? Download all 864 complaints as CSV · fetched from NHTSA July 26, 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 Cruze Limited verdict →