The 2011 Chevrolet Cruze has 7 NHTSA recall campaigns affecting an estimated 998,952 vehicles. Recall repairs are always free at any authorized dealer. Owners have filed 1,115 complaints with NHTSA, most often about the engine. Last updated July 5, 2026.
General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2016-2017 Buick Verano and 2016 Chevrolet Malibu as the electronic park lock lever may allow the ignition key to be removed without the transmission being in PARK. Also, certain 2013 Buick Encore, 2011 Buick Regal, 2013-2014 Buick Verano, 2011-2016 Chevrolet…
Consequence
If the key is removed without the transmission in PARK, the vehicle may rollaway as occupants are exiting, increasing the risk of injury.
Remedy
GM will notify owners, and dealers will inspect and if necessary replace the key cylinder lock housing, free of charge. The recall began on October 14, 2016. Owners may contact Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020, Buick 1-800-521-7300, and GMC 1-800-462-8782. GM's number for this recall is 50490 and 50491.
SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC13V3600002013-08-15292,879 affected
Defect
General Motors (GM) is recalling certain model year 2011-2012 Chevrolet Cruze vehicles equipped with 1.4L DOHC gasoline turbo engines and 6T40 front wheel drive automatic transmissions and equipped with an electric vacuum pump to provide supplemental vacuum for brake assist, when needed. In the affected vehicles,…
Consequence
A loss of braking assistance will require extra pedal force and/or distance to bring the vehicle to a stop, increasing the risk of a crash.
Remedy
General Motors will notify owners, and dealers will replace a microswitch in the power brake vacuum pipe assembly, free of charge. The recall began on October 7, 2013. Owners may contact Chevrolet at 1-800-222-1020. GM's recall number is 12213.
GENERAL MOTORS (GM) IS RECALLING CERTAIN MODEL YEAR 2011 AND 2012 CHEVROLET CRUZE VEHICLES MANUFACTURED FROM OCTOBER 2, 2009, THROUGH MAY 14, 2012. ATTACHMENT WELDS FOR THE FUEL TANK STRAP SECONDARY BRACKETS MAY HAVE BEEN OMITTED.
Consequence
THE FUEL TANK COULD COME LOOSE IN A CRASH, POSSIBLY ALLOWING FUEL TO LEAK FROM THE TANK. A FUEL LEAK IN THE PRESENCE OF AN IGNITION SOURCE COULD RESULT IN A FIRE.
Remedy
GM WILL NOTIFY OWNERS, AND DEALERS WILL INSPECT THE VEHICLE FOR MISSING WELDS. IF THE VEHICLE IS MISSING WELDS, DEALERS WILL SECURE THE BRACKET ATTACHMENTS WITH FASTENERS. REPAIRS WILL BE PERFORMED FREE OF CHARGE. THE SAFETY RECALL BEGAN ON JULY 9, 2012. OWNERS MAY CONTACT THE CHEVROLET OWNER CENTER AT…
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING12V2880002012-06-22413,148 affected
Defect
GENERAL MOTORS (GM) IS RECALLING CERTAIN MODEL YEAR 2011 AND 2012 CHEVROLET CRUZE VEHICLES MANUFACTURED FROM OCTOBER 2, 2009, THROUGH MAY 31, 2012. SPILLED OR DRIPPING OIL (SUCH AS AFTER AN OIL CHANGE) MAY COLLECT IN THE ENGINE SHIELD (BELLYPAN) NEAR HOT ENGINE OR EXHAUST SYSTEM SURFACES. AS A RESULT, THE OIL AND…
Consequence
EITHER CONDITION COULD RESULT IN AN ENGINE COMPARTMENT FIRE, POSSIBLY CAUSING INJURY OR DEATH.
Remedy
GM WILL NOTIFY OWNERS, AND DEALERS WILL MODIFY THE ENGINE SHIELD TO PREVENT FLUID FROM CONTACTING THE SHIELD. ALSO, ON VEHICLES WITH A MANUAL TRANSMISSION, DEALERS WILL APPLY A PROTECTIVE TAPE TO THE ELECTRONIC POWER STEERING WIRE HARNESS. REPAIRS WILL BE PERFORMED FREE OF CHARGE TO THE OWNER. THE SAFETY RECALL…
STEERING11V2700002011-05-06128,911 affected
Defect
GENERAL MOTORS IS RECALLING CERTAIN MODEL YEAR 2011 CHEVROLET CRUZE VEHICLES MANUFACTURED FROM OCTOBER 2, 2009, THROUGH APRIL 21, 2011. THE BOLT ATTACHING THE INTERMEDIATE STEERING SHAFT TO THE STEERING GEAR INPUT SHAFT MAY NOT HAVE BEEN PROPERLY INSTALLED.
Consequence
THIS COULD ALLOW THE SHAFTS TO SEPARATE, RESULTING IN THE LOSS OF STEERING. LOSS OF STEERING CONTROL MAY INCREASE THE RISK OF A CRASH.
Remedy
DEALERS WILL INSPECT, AND IF REQUIRED, REPAIR THE INTERMEDIATE SHAFT/STEERING GEAR ASSEMBLY TO ASSURE THE BOLT IS FULLY SEATED AND THE SHAFT PROPERLY ASSEMBLED. THIS SERVICE WILL BE PERFORMED FREE OF CHARGE. THE SAFETY RECALL BEGAN ON MAY 23, 2011. OWNERS MAY CONTACT CHEVROLET AT 1-800-630-2438, OR…
POWER TRAIN11V2730002011-05-06100,308 affected
Defect
GENERAL MOTORS IS RECALLING CERTAIN MODEL YEAR 2011 CHEVROLET CRUZE VEHICLES MANUFACTURED FROM OCTOBER 6, 2009, THROUGH APRIL 27, 2011 AND EQUIPPED WITH AN AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION FOR FAILING TO COMPLY WITH FEDERAL MOTOR VEHICLE SAFETY STANDARD NO. 102, 'TRANSMISSION SHIFT LEVER SEQUENCE, STARTER INTERLOCK, AND…
Consequence
THE DRIVER MAY NOT BE ABLE TO RESTART THE VEHICLE AND THE VEHICLE COULD ROLL AWAY AFTER THE DRIVER HAS EXITED THE VEHICLE, RESULTING IN A POSSIBLE CRASH WITHOUT PRIOR WARNING.
Remedy
DEALERS WILL INSPECT THE TRANSMISSION SHIFT LINKAGE FOR CORRECT INSTALLATION AND ADJUST THE SHIFT LINKAGE SYSTEM FREE OF CHARGE. THE SAFETY RECALL BEGAN ON MAY 23, 2011. OWNERS MAY CONTACT CHEVROLET AT 1-800-630-2438, OR WWW.GMOWNERCENTER.COM.
STEERING11V2210002011-04-062,100 affected
Defect
GENERAL MOTORS IS RECALLING CERTAIN MODEL YEAR 2011 CHEVROLET CRUZE VEHICLES. DURING MANUFACTURING THE STEERING WHEEL COULD HAVE BEEN IMPROPERLY FASTENED AND MAY DETACH FROM THE STEERING COLUMN.
Consequence
SHOULD THE STEERING WHEEL DETACH FROM THE STEERING COLUMN WHILE DRIVING, THE DRIVER COULD LOSE THE ABILITY TO STEER THE VEHICLE, INCREASING THE RISK OF A CRASH.
Remedy
DEALERS WILL INSPECT TO ENSURE THAT THE STEERING WHEEL IS ASSEMBLED PROPERLY. THIS SERVICE WILL BE PERFORMED FOR YOU FREE OF CHARGE. THE SAFETY RECALL BEGAN ON APRIL 7, 2011. OWNERS MAY CONTACT CHEVROLET AT 1-800-630-2438, OR AT THE OWNER CENTER AT WWW.GMOWNERCENTER.COM.
Complaints by component
ENGINE
257
5crashes13fires5injuries
POWER TRAIN
173
4crashes2injuries
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
90
4crashes4fires
ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL (ESC)
75
5crashes2fires3injuries
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
75
3crashes8injuries2deaths
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL
68
4crashes2deaths
SERVICE BRAKES
61
9crashes2fires4injuries
STEERING
48
6crashes6injuries
AIR BAGS
38
14crashes1fires11injuries
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM
37
2fires1injuries
Total complaints1,115
What owners report
Verbatim reports filed with NHTSA, lightly edited for readability and with personal
information removed.
“I’m unsure if the person I bought this vehicle from had the codes wiped before selling to me, but there were no lights on dash for 3 days after minimal driving only to work and back, then all of a sudden the check engine light came on, and in the info box it would pop up saying “service…”
“I’m unsure if the person I bought this vehicle from had the codes wiped before selling to me, but there were no lights on dash for 3 days after minimal driving only to work and back, then all of a sudden the check engine light came on, and in the info box it would pop up saying “service…”
“I’m unsure if the person I bought this vehicle from had the codes wiped before selling to me, but there were no lights on dash for 3 days after minimal driving only to work and back, then all of a sudden the check engine light came on, and in the info box it would pop up saying “service…”
“Odometer fraud. The contact purchased a 2011 chevrolet cruze. It was discovered that there was a mileage discrepancy. The vehicle was a private in april 12th 2026. At the time of purchase, the vehicle mileage was 135,000 the contact stated that the next day when retrieving the title they noticed…”
“The contact owns a 2011 chevrolet cruze. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the accelerator pedal was depressed; however, the vehicle failed to accelerate as intended. The contact stated that the traction control warning light was illuminated. The check engine warning…”
“The primary failure is a total loss of engine power and electrical systems while the vehicle is in motion. The dealership (ray skillman southside mitsubishi) has diagnosed this as a failed engine/body control computer system. The vehicle is currently located at the dealership's service center and…”
“The primary failure is a total loss of engine power and electrical systems while the vehicle is in motion. The dealership (ray skillman southside mitsubishi) has diagnosed this as a failed engine/body control computer system. The vehicle is currently located at the dealership's service center and…”
“The primary failure is a total loss of engine power and electrical systems while the vehicle is in motion. The dealership (ray skillman southside mitsubishi) has diagnosed this as a failed engine/body control computer system. The vehicle is currently located at the dealership's service center and…”
Defect investigations
InvestigationAQ12002 Opened 2012-10-15 · closed 2014-10-20
Chapman Chevrolet / Cruze Engine Recall
NHTSA opened AQ12-002 to determine whether Chapman Chevrolet of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania complied with the requirements of the National Traffic and Motor Vehicle Safety Act, 49 U.S.C.Chapter 301 (Safety Act) and its implementing regulations.The Safety Act requires, among other things, that a manufacturer notify its…
InvestigationPE12010 Opened 2012-03-28 · closed 2012-07-19
Engine compartment fire
In a June 21, 2012 letter to NHTSA, General Motors LLC. (GM) submitted a Defect Information Report (DIR) identifying a defect in approximately 413,148 model year (MY) 2011 through 2012 Chevrolet Cruze vehicles manufactured from October 2, 2009 through May 31, 2012 (Recall 12V-288). According to GM, engine oil change…
Recall, complaint, and investigation records from official NHTSA datasets (FLAT_RCL,
FLAT_CMPL, FLAT_INV), synced weekly. Counts reflect NHTSA records for the 2011 Chevrolet Cruze as of
July 5, 2026. Complaint narratives are consumer-submitted and unverified. This page
contains ads and affiliate links. Full methodology.