2012 Buick Verano problems
The 2012 Buick Verano has 146 complaints on file with NHTSA. The largest share (34%) concerns engine. Next are air bags (18%) and electrical system (11%).
At a glance
- Complaints
- 146 filed with NHTSA
- Most reported
- Engine 34% of complaints
- Crashes and fires
- 9 and 2
- Injuries and deaths
- 4 and 0
- Typical mileage
- 56,000 miles 103 complaints with mileage
Source: NHTSA owner complaints
Where the complaints are
Share of this model year's complaints by the part of the car involved. One complaint can name more than one part, so the shares can add up to more than 100%.
When problems show up
View the numbers
| Mileage | Complaints |
|---|---|
| 0k to 20k miles | 22 |
| 20k to 40k miles | 12 |
| 40k to 60k miles | 20 |
| 60k to 80k miles | 29 |
| 80k to 100k miles | 8 |
| 100k to 120k miles | 7 |
| 120k to 140k miles | 3 |
| 140k to 160k miles | 1 |
| 160k to 180k miles | 1 |
| 180k to 200k miles | 0 |
| 200k+ miles | 0 |
What the data shows
Of the 103 complaints that include odometer readings, half describe a problem before roughly 56,000 miles. For engine specifically, the median reported mileage is about 65,000 miles (32 complaints with mileage).
Safety-related details: 9 complaints mention a crash; 2 complaints mention a fire; 4 injuries reported.
Looking only at complaints filed within five years of the model year (so older and newer years are comparable), the 2012 ranks 3rd most-complained-about out of 5 model years of the Buick Verano with enough data (70 complaints in that window). It is also covered by 3 safety recall campaigns.
What owners wrote
A few complaints as filed, shortened and with personal details removed. The first ones are among the most serious reports for this model year; the rest are typical.
Tl* the contact owns a 2012 buick verano. While driving at an unknown speed, the contact was involved in a crash and the air bags failed to deploy. The vehicle struck a pole, spun around, and sustained damages on both sides. The vehicle was destroyed. The contact was taken to the hospital and placed in a coma for three days. The passenger received stitches. A police report was filed. The failure mileage was 20,000. Updated 6/30/15
Tl* the contact owns a 2012 buick verano. While driving 55 MPH, the contact struck a deer and the air bags failed to deploy. There were no warning indicators illuminated. A police report was filed. The contact sustained injuries to the neck, shoulder, and upper back that required medical attention. The vehicle was not taken to an independent mechanic or dealer to have the air bag deployment failure diagnosed or repaired.
Hit black ice on 2 lane highway, rate of speed about 40 MPH. Car impacted concrete barriers causing the front end to be demolished as well as both front tires to be turned upward. Front and side airbags did not deploy. This car is not on a recall list but perhaps there are more owners out there who have had the same issue with 2012 buick verano. I am far from an expert but I assume due to damage on the front end the air bags should have deployed.
I was at a stop sign and when it was my turn to go I started to drive and realized my car was not accelerating, I had the gas peddle all the way to the floor as a tractor trailer was fastly approaching my rear bumper, luckly I was able to coast to median. Took to dealer and they said there was a switch that needed to be replaced. My entire dashboard lights and radio went out, which dealership had to replace twice.
Tl* the contact owns a 2012 buick verano. While inspecting the vehicle, it was discovered that the engine oil was very low. The contact indicated that the oil was last changed in october of 2017. There was no warning message displayed indicating that the oil was low. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who was unable to determine the cause of the failure. The local dealer (axelrod buick in parma, ohio) and the manufacturer were both notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 66,256.