IllustrationAIR BAG LIGHT KEEPS COMING ON AND THE DASH BOARD IS SHOWING THE WORD CHECK AIR BAGS
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
What owners actually said
106 reportsI OWN A 2012 BUICK VERANO WITH ONLY 48K ON IT, OWNERSHIP TRANSFERRED OVER FROM MY FATHER IN LAW WHO BOUGHT THIS VEHICLE BRAND NEW. CAR HESITATES, DOES NOT PICK UP SPEED AFTER SLOWING/STOPPING WHICH WE NOTICED AT 36K, BURNS THROUGH A LOT OF OIL- OIL LIGHT DOES NOT GO ON WHEN LOW, REAR BRAKES AND ROTORS WERE ALREADY COMPROMISED AT…
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I OWN A 2012 BUICK VERANO WITH ONLY 48K ON IT, OWNERSHIP TRANSFERRED OVER FROM MY FATHER IN LAW WHO BOUGHT THIS VEHICLE BRAND NEW. CAR HESITATES, DOES NOT PICK UP SPEED AFTER SLOWING/STOPPING WHICH WE NOTICED AT 36K, BURNS THROUGH A LOT OF OIL- OIL LIGHT DOES NOT GO ON WHEN LOW, REAR BRAKES AND ROTORS WERE ALREADY COMPROMISED AT LESS THAN 45K, AND JUST RECENTLY LOST BRAKES COMPLETELY WHILE DRIVING A MONTH AGO DUE TO A BAD CALIPER. CAR ALSO ACCELERATES SOMETIMES WHEN APPLYING THE BRAKE. THE BRAKE LIGHT HAS NEVER COME ON AT ANY POINT DURING ANY OF THIS, THOUGH THE LOW WINDSHIELD WASHER FLUID LIGHT COMES ON EVEN THOUGH IT IS NOT LOW. ALSO DOWNSHIFTS PRETTY ROUGH.
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2012 BUICK VERANO. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE FRONT PASSENGER AIR BAG WARNING INDICATOR FLASHED ON AND OFF. THE FAILURE OCCURRED INTERMITTENTLY. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE DEALER AND MANUFACTURER WERE NOT CONTACTED. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 90,482.
MY 2012 BUICK VERANO HAS STALLED OUT AND DIED SEVERAL TIMES WHILE DRIVING ON HIGHWAY AND WHEN ACCELERATING FROM STOPS. MY VERANO HAS 64,000 MILES AND IS WELL KEPT AND MAINTENANCED BUT CONTINUES TO STALL OVER AND OVER. I HAVE SEEN SEVERAL COMPLAINTS FROM OTHER 2012 VERANO OWNERS WHO HAVE EXPERIENCED THE SAME PROBLEM AND HAVE COME…
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MY 2012 BUICK VERANO HAS STALLED OUT AND DIED SEVERAL TIMES WHILE DRIVING ON HIGHWAY AND WHEN ACCELERATING FROM STOPS. MY VERANO HAS 64,000 MILES AND IS WELL KEPT AND MAINTENANCED BUT CONTINUES TO STALL OVER AND OVER. I HAVE SEEN SEVERAL COMPLAINTS FROM OTHER 2012 VERANO OWNERS WHO HAVE EXPERIENCED THE SAME PROBLEM AND HAVE COME TO THE CONCLUSION THAT GM HAS SOLD US A FAULTY PRODUCT THAT CAN CAUSE DEATH OR A SERIOUS INJURY. BEING THAT I AM A INDIVIDUAL WHO LIVES PAYCHECK TO PAYCHECK I CANT AFFORD TO THROW MONEY INTO A 7 YR OLD CAR WITH LESS THAN 70,000 MILES THAT IM STILL MAKING PAYMENTS ON AND I HOPE THAT GM WILL BE HELD ACCOUNTABLE FOR SELLING A FAULTY, DANGEROUS VEHICLE THAT IS NOT SAFE TO BE ON THE ROAD! PLEASE INVESTIGATE BEFORE SOMEONE IS KILLED!
ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON. TEST SHOWED THAT IT WAS A TIMING PROBLEM. TIMING CHAIN WAS REALLY LOOSE. MECHANIC CHANGED OUT, FIX PROBLEM. COSTED. 1700.0. DOLLAARS.
EXTREME OIL CONSUMPTION
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2012 BUICK VERANO. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE VEHICLE STALLED WHILE DRIVING VARIOUS SPEEDS. THE CONTACT WAS ABLE TO PUSH THE START ENGINE BUTTON AND REGAIN NORMAL FUNCTION. ALSO, THE ENGINE WARNING INDICATOR ILLUMINATED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO PATRICK BUICK GMC & USED CAR SUPERCENTER (4700 W HENRIETTA R…
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TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2012 BUICK VERANO. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE VEHICLE STALLED WHILE DRIVING VARIOUS SPEEDS. THE CONTACT WAS ABLE TO PUSH THE START ENGINE BUTTON AND REGAIN NORMAL FUNCTION. ALSO, THE ENGINE WARNING INDICATOR ILLUMINATED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO PATRICK BUICK GMC & USED CAR SUPERCENTER (4700 W HENRIETTA ROAD, HENRIETTA, NY 14467, (585) 359-2200). THE DEALER PERFORMED A DIAGNOSTIC TEST AND REPLACED AN UNKNOWN PART IN THE ENGINE. THE REPAIR DID NOT CORRECT THE FAILURE AND THE VEHICLE SHOOK AND STALLED WHILE THE CONTACT ATTEMPTED TO REVERSE OUT OF A PARKING AREA. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT CONTACTED. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 68,000.
SES LIGHT PERIODICALLY KEEPS COMING ON BEGINNING AT 49,000 MILES IN 2015. IT IS ALWAYS REGARDING PROBLEM CAMSHAFT POSITION ACTUATOR SOLENOID/SENSOR CODE: P0014. IT CAME ON AGAIN LAST YEAR AT AROUND 82,000 MILES AND THEN CAME ON AGAIN 10 DAYS LATER. LAST YEAR DEALERSHIP MECHANIC AT LEAST KNEW SOMETHING ABOUT ENGINES AND SOME PART…
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SES LIGHT PERIODICALLY KEEPS COMING ON BEGINNING AT 49,000 MILES IN 2015. IT IS ALWAYS REGARDING PROBLEM CAMSHAFT POSITION ACTUATOR SOLENOID/SENSOR CODE: P0014. IT CAME ON AGAIN LAST YEAR AT AROUND 82,000 MILES AND THEN CAME ON AGAIN 10 DAYS LATER. LAST YEAR DEALERSHIP MECHANIC AT LEAST KNEW SOMETHING ABOUT ENGINES AND SOME PARTS TO CHANGE INSTEAD OF JUST LETTING A COMPUTER TELL HIM WHAT PARTS SO CHANGED TIMING KIT AND WATER PUMP KIT FOR LOOSE CHAINS. HUMAN FIX WAS NOT THE END OF THE PROBLEM EITHER AS SAME PROBLEM HAPPENED THIS YEAR NOV-13-2018 AT 92,000. USUALLY WHEN IT HAPPENS VEHICLE RUNS ROUGH WHEN IDLING OR STALLS OUT ON ACCEL, BLOCKING THE ROADWAY UNTIL YOU CAN GET THE VEHICLE IN MOTION AGAIN. THIS YEAR DID NOT STALL OUT BUT MADE FUNNY TAPPING NOISE ON ACCEL/DECEL AND ALMOST ALL OF THE OIL WAS GONE, YET THE "LOW OIL LIGHT" NEVER CAME ON. SES DOES NOT COME ON UNTIL IT'S ALMOST TOO LATE. SEEMS LIKE THE PROBLEMS ARE FELT OR NOISES HEARD THE SLOWER THE VEHICLE IS MOVING. WITH AS OFTEN AS THIS PROBLEM OCCURS, I NOW BELIEVE SOME OTHER PART MUST BE MAKE THE CAMSHAFT SOLENOID GO BAD WHEN THE REPLACEMENT PARTS ARE ALSO GOING BAD. MAYBE THE ENTIRE ENGINE NEEDS TO BE RECALLED IF GM CANNOT DETERMINE THE PROBLEM.
EXTREME OIL CONSUMPTION WITHOUT WARNING. OIL LEVEL WAS STILL AT 60% AND OIL CHANGE WAS NOT YET INDICATED BY THE MILEAGE. I NOTICED THE ENGINE WAS RUNNING ROUGHLY AND TOOK THE CAR TO MY MECHANIC. THE DIPSTICK WAS DRY.
TAKATA RECALL ENGINE RODS BANGED TO MADE A HOLE IN ENGINE. THE ENGINE IS MADE FROM ALUMINUM AND WAS GOING TO HAPPEN ANY WAY. MUFFLING SOUNDED LIKE HOLE IN MUFFLER BUT WAS THE ENGINE
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.