What 106 owners told NHTSA about the 2013 Chevrolet Captiva

On [XXX] while driving this vehicle owned by the state of Arizona I was involved in a collision at 40 mph. The airbags did not deploy and I sustained serious brakes and internal bleeding. There were no warning lamps. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

NHTSA ODI 11655892

This car is know for engine consumption issues it is the motor and it is know has has been recalled due to issues in prior years. My engine is consuming a half a quart every 40 miles.

NHTSA ODI 11607487

The engine light was on and i went to dealership to have it checked out. They told me that it was a computer glich and not to worry about it. Was driving on the highway when the engine exploded and the car stopped. I was able to glide to the side of the road. After talking to dealership again they said that this model had something wrong with a part in the engine that normally would cause the car to stop without warning when reaching around 125,000 miles on it. I made it to 150,00+.

NHTSA ODI 11601515

Within 3 days my vehicle stopped working with no warnings (check engine or other warnings) the vehicle made a rattling noise and then would not turn on. Upon inspection mechanic informed me that the engine would need to be replaced. There were no oil leaks or issues that would have caused the engine to die. The vehicle did not give me any signs of warnings that there was a problem. This cost would be more than the total I purchased the vehicle for. The engine has 85,000 miles and vehicle was well cared for. The vehicle is unsafe to drive and unreliable and when researching this car thousands of other people have experienced this same issue. There is a recall on the 2011 and 2012 captivas and this same issue is occurring in the 2013 captivas.

NHTSA ODI 11577662

The contact owns a 2013 Chevrolet Captiva Sport. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the vehicle made an abnormal sound. Additionally, the contact stated while driving 30 MPH, the vehicle shuddered and stalled. The contact was able to veer to the side of the road. The contact was able to restart the vehicle and drove to the residence. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The contact stated that the failure recurred while driving, and the vehicle failed to restart. The vehicle was towed to an auto body repair shop, where it was diagnosed that the engine had failed and needed to be replaced. An unknown dealer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that the manufacturing of the vehicle was discontinued due to engine failures. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, but no assistance was provided. The failure mileage was approximately 85,000.

NHTSA ODI 11576068

When describing what happened, try to answer these questions as specifically as possible: What component or system failed or malfunctioned? Is it available for inspection upon request? the engine, when I am at a traffic light or in line at school to pick up my daughter, the car starts to shake suddenly, what I have to do is put it in NEUTRAL so that the movement decreases. Also when I'm driving on the highway they change speeds unpredictably. The engine light comes on intermittently. How was your safety or the safety of others put at risk? It puts my safety and that of my family at risk because if I don't put it in NEUTRAL it can accelerate and collide with the car behind or in front if the distance in the school line is tight. And on the road, having this unpredictable change in speed puts our lives in danger since many cars go at speeds of more than 75 miles per hour. Has the problem been reproduced or confirmed by an independent dealer or service center? The problem was confirmed by an independent mechanic. Has the vehicle or component been inspected by the manufacturer, police, insurance representatives or others? No Were there warning lights, messages or other symptoms of the problem before the failure and when did they first appear? When the engine light came on.

NHTSA ODI 11557163

These vehicles are known to use an excess of oil in the engine, when the engine oil is low there is no warning light/system to notify operator of this, I have talked with many other owners and it is the same story. Mechanics report this engine uses oil burnt by the catalytic convertor, they say it can only be fixed if you have a major engine repair, then it will be normal in oil usage. This seems to fit under the lemon law. Chevy knows about this problem, both the usage of excessive oil and also no low warning when oil is low. This can lead to a major cost or damage to the engine. Again this is a known issue. Let me know if questions. [XXX] [XXX] thanks. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

NHTSA ODI 11546582

I was driving down the highway when it started losing power. The engine light came on. I had got this car at a dealer, so I took it to them, and they wouldn't do anything. It was low on oil, so I got a gallon of oil and started home which was a half hour away. I could only drive a little way and had to stop and put oil in it. I took it to a mechanic, and they checked the motor and changed the oil. The oil pan had shavings in it. The mechanic said the motor had to be replaced. We found out later that the motor was getting bad when it was traded at the dealer. I had it less than a month. If I had been on the interstate and this happen, I could have been hit. The Better Business Bureau couldn't get anywhere with the dealer either. I talked to a gentleman at General Motors, and they wouldn't help either.

NHTSA ODI 11543222

Reporting for my Mother in law. Confirmed by me several times. First incident occurred while she was driving, dry roads, normal traffic at approximately 65 MPH the front brakes locked up and abruptly bought the car to a stop. She was half in the traffic live lane and half on shoulder. She called me and I went immediately. I got there in about 30 minutes and there was several people trying to push the car off the road and all said it wouldn’t budge. I felt the heat of the left front brake was extremely hot. I sat in the car, started it up, attempted to get it to move, it wouldn’t. I figured it was electronic as there was no DTC/MIL lights. I thought the quickest thing I could do was remove power which I did for about 3 minutes. Started up and it drove to shoulder. We switched vehicles, I drove hers, I was traveling 65 mph when the stabilitrek service message showed on display and two minutes later the car stopped on its own again, I was barely able to get off the highway and people were honking swerving around, one yells to fix my brake lights! Still no MIL Check Engine light. This is IMO a safety issue as there is no warning! I was able to drive short bits to get it home. Only after I got home, car cooled, went to try and drive with scan tool hooked up it threw a code for ABS/TCS system pressure circuit malfunction, DTC C0131-5A! It has cleared a couple of times and each time you drive it and the brakes lock up, front left-rear right and vice versa, no brake lights, just uncommanded brake pressure! Oh and the stabilitrek service comes on after as well. It’s been to two shops and not fixed yet, one place quoted $2500 because he said it could be anything and his state of the art equipment can’t pin point the actual issue but he did confirm the locked up brakes with indicated partial pressure applied for no reason. This could definitely cause an accident!

NHTSA ODI 11537322

The contact owns a 2013 Chevrolet Captiva. The contact stated that the cruise control intermittently failed to operate as needed. Additionally, the contact stated that the vehicle was consuming an excessive amount of oil and that there was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, who was unable to duplicate the failure. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was unknown.

NHTSA ODI 11524850

Key will lock in ignition and vehicle will not start. Happens intermittently. Battery is fine, alternator is fine, dealership replaced ignition when purchased which helped for about a year, but the problem continues to become more frequent. Rattling the battery fixes the problem, but only temporarily.

NHTSA ODI 11517065

The contact owns a 2013 Chevrolet Captiva. The contact stated while driving at an unknown speed, the vehicle was making abnormal sounds. The dealer was contacted and stated that the vehicle was consuming an excessive amount of oil. The contact was informed to closely monitor the oil level. On another occasion, the vehicle stalled and was taken to an independent mechanic to be diagnosed. The contact was informed that the timing chain had failed and bent the valves. The contact was informed that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired; however, the failure recurred. The manufacturer was contacted and stated that the vehicle was no longer under warranty. No additional assistance was provided. The failure mileage was 103,416.

NHTSA ODI 11507305

Continus electric drop causing different systems to lose power, fail, or temporarly disable including but not limited to traction control, emergency break, radio and lights. After researching the problem in various forums I noted many owners facing the same problem over various years with no clear solution.

NHTSA ODI 11477573

The contact owns a 2013 Chevrolet Captiva. The contact stated that while his brother was driving at an undisclosed speed, the steering column knuckle detached, causing the steering wheel to become inoperable. The dealer was made aware of the failure and referred the contact to the manufacturer for assistance. The vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 170,386. Car was serviced on 12/5/2019 for a KIA warrantied repair; timing belt replacement causing engine failure. The representative restated again that KIA would not repair the car. Consumer stated vehicle sustained a rod bearing failure at 74,000 miles during operation at highway speeds. Consumer did not receive a letter from KIA for corrective maintenance.

NHTSA ODI 11452545

The contact owns a 2013 Chevrolet Captiva. The contact stated that on multiple occasions after inserting the key into the ignition switch, the ignition switch would not turn, and the engine could not be started. Also, the key would remain stuck inside the ignition switch and could not be removed. The vehicle was towed to a local service center who replaced the ignition switch, but the failure continued to occur. The local dealer and manufacturer were not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 92,000.

NHTSA ODI 11441995

UNKNOWN, several times between my husband or myself while driving down the road and on the interstate, the vehicle would just completely shut off no lights, no brakes no nothing. We purchased the vehicle used so we thought that it had something to do with some minor maintenance but this first occurred only after having the vehicle for two weeks. We've taken the vehicle back to where we purchased it, they could not find any issues with the vehicle and taken it to other locations with no luck on solving issue. The vehicle does not give any signs or warning when it will shut down while drive. Here recently when using the turn signals, switching on high beams, or even turning on the radio causes the vehicle shut down.

NHTSA ODI 11418637

PURCHASED CARE USED AT 76,000. CAR WENT FOR REPAIRS ONCE AFTER 4 MONTH OF OWNERSHIP, WAS JERKING. CAMSHAFT ACTUATOR WAS REPLACED AT THIS TIME. OIL CHANGE WAS DONE AT THIS TIME AS WELL. SIX MONTHS LATER CAR BEGINS TO JERK REPEATEDLY IN DRIVE AND REVERSE WHEN COMING TO A STOP OR IDLING, NO WARNING LIGHTS LIT. UPON INSPECTION WAS FOUND WITH NO OIL AT ALL. CAR WAS 3,500 INTO AN OIL CHANGE - BURNED THROUGH ALL OIL. SINCE RESEARCHING, THIS IS A VERY COMMON PROBLEM WITH THE 2.4 L ECO ENGINE, SAME AS CHEVY EQUINOX. ENGINE IS BEING REPAIRED, MAY NEED REPLACEMENT. VERY UPSETTING OWNING VEHICLE UNDER A YEAR, AND UNDER 100,000 MILES. CHEVY NEEDS TO ACKNOWLEDGE THIS MAJOR ISSUE WITH THE CAPTIVA.

NHTSA ODI 11386045

MY CAPTIVA LEAVES NO TRACE OF OIL ON THE GARAGE FLOOR BUT BURNS THROUGH OIL FAST ENOUGH I MUST ADD OIL BETWEEN OIL CHANGES. VEHICLE DOES NOT SMOKE SO I DON'T KNOW WHERE IT GOES. I KNOW SEVERAL OTHER PEOPLE WITH CAPTIVAS THAT HAVE HAD THE SAME PROBLEM AND SOME HAVE HAD THEIR MOTORS REPLACED. I CANT BELIEVE THERE IS NO RECALL ON SOMETHING TO DO WITH THE OIL ISSUE AS I KNOW OF AT LEAST 2 OTHER PEOPLE THAT PROBLEM. NOW I AM DEALING WITH A LEAKY RADIATOR AND HAVE MADE AN APPOINTMENT TO HAVE THAT FIXED. A 7 YEAR OLD CAR WITH JUST OVER 100K ON IT SHOULD NOT HAVE THESE PROBLEMS. IF I HADN'T CHECKED THE OIL, THE MOTOR NO DOUBT WOULD HAVE SEIZED UP GOING DOWN THE ROAD AND WHO KNOWS WHAT WOULD HAVE HAPPENED. I DON'T KNOW THE EXACT DATE THAT WE FINALLY HAD TO START ADDING OIL BUT IT HAS BEEN OVER A YEAR. I AM FINALLY TIRED OF HAVING TO CHECK OIL LIKE I OWN A 200K CAR.

NHTSA ODI 11384603

I KEY STUCK IN IGNITION. TURN CAR OFF CANNOT REMOVE KEY FROM IGNITION

NHTSA ODI 11340668

LAST YEAR IT KEPT GOING DEAD, I HAD JUST HAD OIL CHANGED HAD IT CHECKED BY MECHANIC IT WAS OUT OF OIL, HE REPLACED SENSORS BECAUSE THEY WENT OUT BECAUSE NO OIL, I FAILED COMPLAINT WITH COMPANY I USED FOR OIL CHANGE THINKING THEY DID NOT PUT OIL BACK IN IT, THEY PD FOR REPAIR. IN JUNE HAD OIL CHANGED 2 WKS LATER IT STARTED MAKING CLATTERING SOUND, OUT OF OIL AGAIN AND STILL HAD 3000 MILES LEFT BEFORE ANOTHER CHANGE. TOOK IT TO COMPANY HE INFORMED ME 2.4 ECO MOTOR HAD A LAW SUIT LAST YR FOR OIL USAGE THRU ENGINE PISTONS, I WAS NEVER SENT A NOTICE OF RECALL OR ANYTHING. I BELIEVE THIS HAS BEEN PROBLEM ALL ALONG.NOW I'M STUCK WITH A VEHICLE I'M WORRIED WILL STOP ON ME.AND GM WILL NOT PAY TO HAVE IT LOOKED AT OR NOTHING. I CAN NOT AFFORD ANOTHER CAR, AND THIS ONE HAS BEEN SERVICED AND TAKEN VERY GOOD CARE OF. ANY SUGGESTIONS . CAR WAS IN MOTION

NHTSA ODI 11339766

I HEARD A SMALL NOISE. TOOK MY CAPTIVA TO MY SHOP TO CHECK IT OUT. THEY WOULDN'T EVEN LET ME DRIVE IT TO MY DEALER WHICH WAS 2 MILES AWAY. THEY HAD IT TOWED. THE 2.4L ENGINES ALSO IN GMC'S TERRAIN AND EQUINOX, EAT UP OIL QUICKLY AND BLOW OUT YOUR ENGINE. LUCKILY MY SERVICE PEOPLE FOUND IT. BUT IT COST ME $5,000 FOR A NEW ENGINE BECAUSE I WAS NOW AT 104,000 AND MY WARRANTY RAN OUT AT 100,000. NOW THERE IS A RECALL ON TERRAINS AND EQUINOX BUT NOT THE CAPTIVA'S. AND WE HAVE THE SAME ENGINES.

NHTSA ODI 11329908

BOUGHR THE SUV FROM DEALER WITH 63 K MILES. DID OIL CHANGES ON TIME AND MAINTENANCE. CAR ENGINE IS NLIWN AT 86K MILES. FIRST THE CAR STARTED TI IDKE RIUGH DURING STOPS. CMTOOK IN. THEY REPLACED CRANKSHAFT SENSORS. CLEANED THROTTLE.BODY. RAN OK FOR 2 MONTHS. THEN PROBLEM CAME BACK. HOWEVER THE NEXT DAY THE SUV WOULDN'T START. DID A CRANK NO START I CHANGED THE BATTERY, TRIED THE SPARK PLUGS, FUEL FILTER. STILL NO CRANK. THE MECHANIC WHO LOOKED AT IT FOUND THAT. THE TIMING CHAIN LOST TENSION.. BECAUSE A PLASTIC CLIP. WHICH HOLDS TWNSION ON THE TIMING CHAIN WAS MISSING..A PLASTIC PIECE.. CAUSED MY TIMING TO SHIFT WHERE IT MESSED UP THE ECM. THIS CAUSED THE PISTONS TO SHOOT WHEN THE VALVE WAS CLOSED. SO NOW A CAR I BOUGHT FOR 12K. AND PAID OFF.. ONLY TO PUT 20K MILES ON IT.. WILL COST ME 7K FOR A REFURBISHED ENGINE SWAP.

NHTSA ODI 11323933

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2013 CHEVROLET CAPTIVA. THE CONTACT STATED WHILE DRIVING AT VARIOUS SPEEDS, THE VEHICLE STALLED WITHOUT WARNING. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC TO BE DIAGNOSED. THE CONTACT WAS INFORMED THAT THE CHASSIS CONTROL MODULE NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. NEITHER THE DEALER NOR THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS UNKNOWN.

NHTSA ODI 11319335

THE CAR IS CUTTING OFF WHILE I'M DRIVING JUSTT. STOP IN THE MIDDLE OF TRAFFIC RPM IS NOT REGISTERING THE RIGHT WAY WHERE THE CAR IS CUTTING OFF

NHTSA ODI 11312240

BROUGHT THE VEHICLE INTO A CHEVY DEALER BECAUSE IT WAS CONSUMING OIL MUCH QUICKER THAN NORMAL. I WAS HAVING TO PUT ROUGHLY 2 QUARTS IN EVERY WEEK. I DO MOSTLY SMALL TOWN DRIVING SO NOTHING TOO EXTENSIVE. THE DEALER SHOWED NO EXTERNAL LEAKS AND SUGGESTED DOING A DIAGNOSTIC TO SEE IF THERE WAS INTERNAL CONSUMPTION. CAME TO FIND THAT THE PISTON RINGS INSIDE THE ENGINE ARE BAD AND NEED TO BE REPLACED. ACCORDING TO THEM, THIS IS A COMMON PROBLEM FOR CHEVY SUVS MADE DURING THIS TIME. TO REPLACE WOULD MEAN TO REBUILD THE ENTIRE ENGINE AND COSTS AROUND $3,200 IF YOU CAN FIND A SHOP WILLING TO MESS WITH IT. VERY DISAPPOINTED. MY SISTER HAD THE SAME PROBLEM IN AN EQUINOX. HER RINGS WERE RECALLED AND CHEVY REPLACED FOR FREE. WOULD LOVE TO HAVE THEM LOOK INTO THIS AS IT SEEMS LIKE MOST PEOPLE ARE HAVING THE SAME PROBLEM...OIL CONSUMPTION AND ENGINE IDLING ISSUES. SUCKS FOR A CAR TO BE LESS THAN 7 YEARS OLD AND BE UNDRIVEABLE. WILL THINK TWICE BEFORE PURCHASING ANOTHER CHEVY.

NHTSA ODI 11307679