2013 Chevrolet Cruze problems
Owners have filed 939 complaints with NHTSA about the 2013 Chevrolet Cruze. Engine is the most reported problem area, at 25% of complaints. After that come electrical system (13%) and drivetrain & axles (12%).
At a glance
- Complaints
- 939 filed with NHTSA
- Most reported
- Engine 25% of complaints
- Crashes and fires
- 90 and 15
- Injuries and deaths
- 51 and 0
- Typical mileage
- 51,000 miles 650 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 | 166 |
| 20k to 40k miles | 103 |
| 40k to 60k miles | 90 |
| 60k to 80k miles | 90 |
| 80k to 100k miles | 78 |
| 100k to 120k miles | 54 |
| 120k to 140k miles | 44 |
| 140k to 160k miles | 16 |
| 160k to 180k miles | 7 |
| 180k to 200k miles | 1 |
| 200k+ miles | 1 |
What the data shows
Among the 650 complaints that report mileage, the typical (median) problem appeared at about 51,000 miles. For engine specifically, the median reported mileage is about 77,000 miles (143 complaints with mileage).
Safety-related details: 90 complaints mention a crash; 15 complaints mention a fire; 51 injuries reported.
Looking only at complaints filed within five years of the model year (so older and newer years are comparable), the 2013 ranks 4th most-complained-about out of 9 model years of the Chevrolet Cruze with enough data (610 complaints in that window). It is also covered by 5 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.
I was driving about 35 MPH on a city street when the person in front of me slammed on their brakes the first time I hit the brake and the car stopped the next time I hit the brake it was hard and didn't stop the car causing me to crash into the vehicle in front of me, the air bag did not deploy and I think it should have, causing my head to slam into the steering wheel causing me to bite my tongue in half.
Tl* the contact called on behalf of her son who owns a 2013 chevrolet cruze. The contact stated while her granddaughter was parking the vehicle, when she saw smoke coming from the hood. The contact stated the driver was not aware if any warning lights were illuminated. The driver exited the vehicle and when opened the hood, she saw fire and sustained burns on her right hand. The contact stated the drivers stepfather was able to extinguished the fire with water hose.
I have had nothing but issues with the car since I've had it and fixed everything that was wrong with it the palm chevrolet dealership that said was wrong with it and yet nothing has been resolved my stabilitrak control service system light came on along with the check engine light as they are flashing. I'm having a very hard time getting traction I have a 1 year old daughter and I don't feel that this car is safe for her.
While driving in the city street the check engine light came on and started flashing. The traction control light came on followed by a message in the dashboard stating 'stabilitytack' was not working. The vehicle then began shaking and was not able to shift gears properly. The RPM was having to rev harder than usual to keep the vehicle up to speed. I had to pull over to the side of the street and turn the car off. Neither idling or shutting of the vehicle helped with the problem.