IllustrationVEHICLE STALLED AT RED LIGHT ON CITY STREET. VEHICLE ENDED UP NEEDED 4 QUARTS OF OIL WHICH CAUSED A BROKEN TIMING CHAIN AND COMPLETE ENGINE REPLACEMENT. ENGINE WAS THE 2.4L ECOTEC, WHICH HAS BULLETINS FOR OIL CONSUMPTION ISSUES. THE LOW OIL LIGHT DID NOT COME ON IN THE VEHICLE.
2012 Buick Verano
Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations
Similar to other model years
Owner complaints for the 2012 Buick Verano do not stand out strongly from the model-year median of 80.
About this comparison →How this year compares
Owner complaints by model year
Compare all Verano years →Counts vary with age, sales and reporting. They are not failure rates.
What owners reported most
All reported categories
Tap a category to read its complaints. One report may name several components.
When problems were reported
Mileage at the reported incident
210–25K
1025–50K
2250–75K
1175–100K
10100–150K
1150K+
75 reports with mileage · 31 unknown
NHTSA’s mileage field refers to the reported incident, not necessarily the filing date. This shows report counts, not the likelihood of a failure.
What to inspect
Issues worth paying extra attention to based on owner reports.
- Engine. Review the 48 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Air Bags. Review the 27 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Electrical System. Review the 16 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.
8 crash reports1 fire reports3 injury reports
Fuel/propulsion System complaints
3 reportsOUR BUICK VERANO 2012 DID NOT PASS INSPECTION LAST YEAR. WHEN THE BATTERY WAS CHANGED, THE DATE AND TIME WENT BACK TO THAT WHEN THE CAR WAS MADE. THE DATE AND TIME WERE ADJUSTED TO TRUE DATE AND TIME. DURING INSPECTION, THE MALFUNCTION INDICATOR LAMP WAS ON ALL THE TIME WHILE STATIONARY & IN MOTION. WE WERE TOLD TO DRIVE IT …
Read full complaint
OUR BUICK VERANO 2012 DID NOT PASS INSPECTION LAST YEAR. WHEN THE BATTERY WAS CHANGED, THE DATE AND TIME WENT BACK TO THAT WHEN THE CAR WAS MADE. THE DATE AND TIME WERE ADJUSTED TO TRUE DATE AND TIME. DURING INSPECTION, THE MALFUNCTION INDICATOR LAMP WAS ON ALL THE TIME WHILE STATIONARY & IN MOTION. WE WERE TOLD TO DRIVE IT A LONG DISTANCE TO CLEAR ITSELF. IT CLEARED & IT PASSED INSPECTION AFTER DRIVING IT FOR HUNDREDS OF MILES. THEN THE NOT EVEN ONE YEAR OLD BATTERY STARTED DRAINING ITSELF WITHOUT REASON BECAUSE THE LIGHTS ARE ON AUTOMATIC. WE JUMPED IT WHEN NOT HOME AND CHARGED IT WHEN HOME. THIS YEAR IT WOULD NOT PASS INSPECTION SAYING FUEL SYSTEM NOT READY, EVAPORATIVE SYSTEM NOT READY. THE MALFUNCTION INDICATOR LAMP CAME ON AGAIN AND DISAPPEARED AFTER DRIVING IT HUNDREDS OF MILES. THERE IS ONLY ONE ERROR MESSAGE NOW ABOUT FUEL SYSTEM. MILEAGE NOW IS 29,449. WE HAVE USED A LOT OF GAS DRIVING IT JUST FOR THE TEST AS IT STARTED WITH 29,065. IT DOES NOT MAKE SENSE THAT WE HAVE TO DRIVE IT JUST TO CLEAR IT WHILE WE POLLUTE THE ENVIRONMENT. SOMETHING MUST BE WRONG SOMEWHERE EITHER THE TESTING MACHINE AS IT WAS DOWN THE FIRST TIME WE WENT FOR INSPECTION OR THE COMPUTER SYSTEM OF THE CAR. THE INSPECTION FAILURE HAPPENED 02/2017 THE FIRST TIME & 02/2018 & 04/2018 THE LAST TIMES. THE DRAINING OF THE BATTERY HAPPENED BEFORE THE LAST YEAR'S INSPECTION. EVERY NOW AND THEN IT GETS DRAINED AGAIN! WE HAVE TO PAY FOR ANOTHER INSPECTION BECAUSE WE EXCEEDED THE TIME LIMIT ALLOWED FOR THE FIRST FEE.
BROUGHT CAR FROM CARMAX THEY SOLD ME A CAR WITH A MESSED UP MOTHERBOARD WHENEVER ONSTAR COMES THROUGH THE CAR IT PUT THE CAR IN CRUISE CONTROL ABOUT 50 OR LESS MPH. IT STAYS ON 24/7 AND NOW ITS DRAINING MY BATTERY AND NOW THE CAR COMPLETELY CUTS OFF WHILE IM DRIVING OR IT WONT EVEN START.
Official recalls
314V300000 · Air Bags
Jun 6, 2014
General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2012 Buick Verano vehicles manufactured December 2, 2011 to July, 16, 2012, Chevrolet Cruze vehicles manufactured December 7, 2011 to July 25, 2012, Chevrolet Sonic vehicles manufactured December 5, 2011 to August 2, 2012, and Chevrolet Camaro vehicles manufactured December 1, 2011 to June 11, 2012. The driver side frontal air bag has a shorting bar which may intermittently contact the air bag terminals.
Consequence & remedy
Consequence: If the bar and terminals are contacting each other at the time of a crash necessitating deployment of the driver's frontal air bag, that air bag will not deploy, increasing the driver's risk of injury.
Remedy: GM will notify owners, and dealers will replace the steering wheel air bag coil, free of charge. The recall began on July 25, 2014. Chevrolet owners may contact GM at 1-800-222-1020. Buick owners may contact GM at 1-800-521-7300. Note: This is an expansion of recalls 12V-522 and 13V-023.
13V023000 · Air Bags
Jan 24, 2013
General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2012 Chevrolet Camaro, Cruze and Sonic, and model year 2012 Buick Verano vehicles. The driver side frontal air bag has a shorting bar which may intermittently contact the air bag terminals.
Consequence & remedy
Consequence: If the bar and terminals are contacting each other at the time of a crash necessitating deployment of the driver's frontal air bag, that air bag will not deploy, increasing the driver's risk of injury.
Remedy: GM will notify owners, and dealers will replace the steering wheel air bag coil, free of charge. The safety recall began on February 13, 2013. Owners may contact General Motors at 1-800-521-7300.
12V522000 · Air Bags
Oct 31, 2012
General Motors is recalling certain model year 2012 Buick Verano, Chevrolet Cruze, and Chevrolet Sonic vehicles. The driver side frontal air bag has a shorting bar which may intermittently contact the air bag terminals.
Consequence & remedy
Consequence: If the bar and terminals are contacting each other at the time of a crash necessitating deployment of the driver's frontal airbag, that airbag will not deploy, increasing the driver's risk of injury.
Remedy: General Motors will notify owners, and dealers will replace the steering wheel airbag coil, free of charge. The safety recall began on January 11, 2013. Owners may contact General Motors at 1-800-521-7300.
Model-level recall history does not show whether a particular VIN is affected or has received a repair. Check a VIN with NHTSA ↗
NHTSA investigations
1RQ13002 · Air Bag Non-deployment
Opened May 31, 2013 · Closed Jul 9, 2014
Status: closed (inferred from source dates) · Air Bags; Air Bags:frontal; Air Bags:frontal:driver Side:inflator Module
General Motors (GM) has initiated a safety recall of 31,520 model year (MY) 2012 Buick Verano and Chevrolet Camaro, Cruze and Sonic vehicles to address a defect condition that could result in the primary or secondary stage air bag not deploying.These vehicles are a small percentage of all MY 2012 vehicles and were built on several specific production dates broadly ranging from December 1, 2011 to August 2, 2012 (see NHTSA recall 14V-300 for more information).Also, see attached additional report for more information.This investigation was opened to evaluate the scope of two uninfluenced safety recalls (NHTSA recalls 12V-522 and 13V-023) of certain MY 2012 Verano, Camaro, Cruze and Sonic vehicles.These recalls involved the same defect issue as the new recall mentioned above.Accordingly, this investigation is closed based on the recall actions GM is undertaking.
Additional source detail variants (6)
Air Bags:frontal:driver Side:inflator Module
General Motors (GM) has initiated a safety recall of 31,520 model year (MY) 2012 Buick Verano and Chevrolet Camaro, Cruze and Sonic vehicles to address a defect condition that could result in the primary or secondary stage air bag not deploying.These vehicles are a small percentage of all MY 2012 vehicles and were built on several specific production dates broadly ranging from December 1, 2011 to August 2, 2012 (see NHTSA recall 14V-300 for more information).Also, see attached additional report for more information.This investigation was opened to evaluate the scope of two uninfluenced safety recalls (NHTSA recalls 12V-522 and 13V-023) of certain MY 2012 Verano, Camaro, Cruze and Sonic vehicles.These recalls involved the same defect issue as the new recall mentioned above.Accordingly, this investigation is closed based on the recall actions GM is undertaking.
Air Bags:frontal:driver Side:inflator Module
General Motors (GM) has initiated a safety recall of 31,520 model year (MY) 2012 Buick Verano and Chevrolet Camaro, Cruze and Sonic vehicles to address a defect condition that could result in the primary or secondary stage air bag not deploying.These vehicles are a small percentage of all MY 2012 vehicles and were built on several specific production dates broadly ranging from December 1, 2011 to August 2, 2012 (see NHTSA recall 14V-300 for more information).Also, see attached additional report for more information.This investigation was opened to evaluate the scope of two uninfluenced safety recalls (NHTSA recalls 12V-522 and 13V-023) of certain MY 2012 Verano, Camaro, Cruze and Sonic vehicles.These recalls involved the same defect issue as the new recall mentioned above.Accordingly, this investigation is closed based on the recall actions GM is undertaking.
Air Bags:frontal
General Motors (GM) has initiated a safety recall of 31,520 model year (MY) 2012 Buick Verano and Chevrolet Camaro, Cruze and Sonic vehicles to address a defect condition that could result in the primary or secondary stage air bag not deploying.These vehicles are a small percentage of all MY 2012 vehicles and were built on several specific production dates broadly ranging from December 1, 2011 to August 2, 2012 (see NHTSA recall 14V-300 for more information).Also, see attached additional report for more information.This investigation was opened to evaluate the scope of two uninfluenced safety recalls (NHTSA recalls 12V-522 and 13V-023) of certain MY 2012 Verano, Camaro, Cruze and Sonic vehicles.These recalls involved the same defect issue as the new recall mentioned above.Accordingly, this investigation is closed based on the recall actions GM is undertaking.
Air Bags:frontal
General Motors (GM) has initiated a safety recall of 31,520 model year (MY) 2012 Buick Verano and Chevrolet Camaro, Cruze and Sonic vehicles to address a defect condition that could result in the primary or secondary stage air bag not deploying.These vehicles are a small percentage of all MY 2012 vehicles and were built on several specific production dates broadly ranging from December 1, 2011 to August 2, 2012 (see NHTSA recall 14V-300 for more information).Also, see attached additional report for more information.This investigation was opened to evaluate the scope of two uninfluenced safety recalls (NHTSA recalls 12V-522 and 13V-023) of certain MY 2012 Verano, Camaro, Cruze and Sonic vehicles.These recalls involved the same defect issue as the new recall mentioned above.Accordingly, this investigation is closed based on the recall actions GM is undertaking.
Air Bags
General Motors (GM) has initiated a safety recall of 31,520 model year (MY) 2012 Buick Verano and Chevrolet Camaro, Cruze and Sonic vehicles to address a defect condition that could result in the primary or secondary stage air bag not deploying.These vehicles are a small percentage of all MY 2012 vehicles and were built on several specific production dates broadly ranging from December 1, 2011 to August 2, 2012 (see NHTSA recall 14V-300 for more information).Also, see attached additional report for more information.This investigation was opened to evaluate the scope of two uninfluenced safety recalls (NHTSA recalls 12V-522 and 13V-023) of certain MY 2012 Verano, Camaro, Cruze and Sonic vehicles.These recalls involved the same defect issue as the new recall mentioned above.Accordingly, this investigation is closed based on the recall actions GM is undertaking.
Air Bags
General Motors (GM) has initiated a safety recall of 31,520 model year (MY) 2012 Buick Verano and Chevrolet Camaro, Cruze and Sonic vehicles to address a defect condition that could result in the primary or secondary stage air bag not deploying.These vehicles are a small percentage of all MY 2012 vehicles and were built on several specific production dates broadly ranging from December 1, 2011 to August 2, 2012 (see NHTSA recall 14V-300 for more information).Also, see attached additional report for more information.This investigation was opened to evaluate the scope of two uninfluenced safety recalls (NHTSA recalls 12V-522 and 13V-023) of certain MY 2012 Verano, Camaro, Cruze and Sonic vehicles.These recalls involved the same defect issue as the new recall mentioned above.Accordingly, this investigation is closed based on the recall actions GM is undertaking.