FaultScore

Worst years for a Chevrolet Cruze

Owners have filed 5,775 complaints about the Chevrolet Cruze with NHTSA across model years 2010 to 2019. More of them are about the engine & cooling than anything else.

Avoid

2014 Chevrolet Cruze

1,106 complaints — the highest FaultScore of any year, mostly engine & cooling.

Cleanest on record

2017 Chevrolet Cruze

295 complaints — the lowest FaultScore of the graded years.

Every Chevrolet Cruze year, graded

The grade compares each year against the rest of this model's own run — never against another car. Click any bar or row to open that year's report.

Complaints filed with NHTSA, by model year. Bar colour is the FaultScore grade: A B C D F ungraded
Year Grade Complaints Crashes Fires Median miles Most reported
2019 C 30 7 2 10,000 Transmission & Drivetrain
2018 C 166 27 5 24,550 Engine & Cooling
2017 C 295 11 9 29,500 Engine & Cooling
2016 C 391 28 11 55,854 Engine & Cooling
2015 C 383 30 8 55,000 Engine & Cooling
2014 F 1,106 115 31 54,000 Engine & Cooling
2013 D 934 90 15 52,000 Engine & Cooling
2012 D 1,353 104 25 54,639 Engine & Cooling
2011 D 1,115 67 30 57,250 Engine & Cooling
2010 2 0 0 Transmission & Drivetrain

What breaks on a Chevrolet Cruze

Across every model year on file. Follow a row for that part's complaints and the year it was worst.

Engine & Cooling 1,397 24.2%

Worst in 2012

Electrical System 760 13.2%

Worst in 2012

Worst in 2011

Worst in 2014

Brakes 382 6.6%

Worst in 2012

Worst in 2012

Steering 377 6.5%

Worst in 2012

Worst in 2014

Airbags 260 4.5%

Worst in 2014

Worst in 2011

Worst in 2014

Worst in 2012

Lights 80 1.4%

Worst in 2014

Wheels 40 0.7%

Worst in 2014

Exactly what failed on a Chevrolet Cruze

The named sub-assemblies behind those complaints, across every model year.

Body 74 50.3%
Automatic Transmission 18 12.2%
Defroster/Defogger/Hvac System 15 10.2%
Accelerator Pedal 8 5.4%
Blind Spot Detection 6 4.1%
Instrument Cluster/Panel 6 4.1%
Pedals AND Linkages 6 4.1%
Catalytic Convertor 5 3.4%
Turbo/Supercharger 5 3.4%
Crank/Camshaft Position Sensor 4 2.7%

Complaints filed over time

Every complaint about every Chevrolet Cruze, by the month it reached NHTSA.

Oct 2010 peak 91 Aug 2026

Chevrolet Cruze problems by state

Where owners filed from. Heavier states are usually just bigger markets, but a part that fails in heat or salt shows up here first.

Compare the Chevrolet Cruze

Side by side on complaint history. Remember that raw totals track how many were sold as much as how good they were.