2011 Chevrolet Cruze problems
Owners have filed 1,116 complaints with NHTSA about the 2011 Chevrolet Cruze. Engine is the most reported problem area, at 27% of complaints. After that come drivetrain & axles (16%) and electrical system (9%).
At a glance
- Complaints
- 1,116 filed with NHTSA
- Most reported
- Engine 27% of complaints
- Crashes and fires
- 67 and 30
- Injuries and deaths
- 64 and 4
- Typical mileage
- 57,000 miles 886 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 | 182 |
| 20k to 40k miles | 118 |
| 40k to 60k miles | 169 |
| 60k to 80k miles | 124 |
| 80k to 100k miles | 113 |
| 100k to 120k miles | 70 |
| 120k to 140k miles | 59 |
| 140k to 160k miles | 27 |
| 160k to 180k miles | 15 |
| 180k to 200k miles | 3 |
| 200k+ miles | 6 |
What the data shows
Among the 886 complaints that report mileage, the typical (median) problem appeared at about 57,000 miles. For engine specifically, the median reported mileage is about 63,000 miles (231 complaints with mileage).
Safety-related details: 67 complaints mention a crash; 30 complaints mention a fire; 64 injuries reported; 4 deaths reported.
Looking only at complaints filed within five years of the model year (so older and newer years are comparable), the 2011 ranks 3rd most-complained-about out of 9 model years of the Chevrolet Cruze with enough data (734 complaints in that window). It is also covered by 7 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.
On october 19,2018 my in laws were traveling north on route 61 in pennsylvania. They can to a red light and ran into the back of a minivan and the airbags deployed. Then we dont know what happened, but the car accelerated and went the length of a football field and they hit a pole and my mother in law died instantly and my father in law died at 5:10 am.my concern is why isn't it an industry standard that once the airbags are deployed the throttle doesn't shut down.
Direct impact with 1200 pound cow while driving on a state highway, the airbag did not deploy. Entire car engulfed in flames as the engine immediately started fire. Totalled. Why didn't the airbag deploy? Serious injury. Serious safety issue. I have purchased 2 cruze's because of the safety features. This is so not safe and so unacceptable
Heater at first did not work; dealer removed air bubbles and topped off radiator. The dealer mechanics mentioned that typically the thermostats or temperature sensors have gone in the cruzes. 2 weeks later - sure enough, back at dealership - need 2 temperature sensors now. Based on blog activities - it seems like these warrant a recall.
Stability trac and traction control light appears, vehicle experiences immediate loss of power. Experienced while driving on freeway attempting to change lanes. Due to the sudden loss of power I was nearly struck by a big rig. Dealer can not identify codes only code that appeared was po171,fuel trim lean code was addressed by dealer, dealer claims original complaint was tied to the p0171 code. While driving home experienced sudden loss of power and rough shifting. No warning lights or indicators appeared.