IllustrationTHE AIR CONDITIONING DOES NOT WORK OR THE HEATER AND WHEN YOU DRIVE MORE THAN 70 SPEED THE STEERING WHEEL CAN'T BE CONTROLLED GOOD
2012 Chevrolet Camaro
Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations
More warning signs than most Camaro years
Owner complaints for the 2012 Chevrolet Camaro are substantially higher than the model-year median of 32.
About this comparison →How this year compares
Owner complaints by model year
Compare all Camaro 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
360–25K
1525–50K
1450–75K
1175–100K
5100–150K
3150K+
84 reports with mileage · 29 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.
- Electrical System. Review the 27 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Engine. Review the 26 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Air Bags. Review the 22 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.
10 crash reports4 fire reports6 injury reports
Steering complaints
8 reports(STATIONARY) I HAD PROBLEMS RECENTLY WITH THE STABILITITRAK, I STOPPED AT THE RED LIGHT AND THE CAR STARTED TO SHAKE TOO MUCH AND IT WENT OUT, THE LIGHT OF STABILITI TRAK WARNING WENT ON !! IT HAS HAPPENED 3 TIMES. (IN MOTION) THE OTHER PROBLEM I HAD WAS THE POWER STEERING, EVERY TIME I TURNED THE WHEEL OF THE CAR, IT SOUNDED L…
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(STATIONARY) I HAD PROBLEMS RECENTLY WITH THE STABILITITRAK, I STOPPED AT THE RED LIGHT AND THE CAR STARTED TO SHAKE TOO MUCH AND IT WENT OUT, THE LIGHT OF STABILITI TRAK WARNING WENT ON !! IT HAS HAPPENED 3 TIMES. (IN MOTION) THE OTHER PROBLEM I HAD WAS THE POWER STEERING, EVERY TIME I TURNED THE WHEEL OF THE CAR, IT SOUNDED LIKE OPENING AN OLD DOOR. I HAD TO GO TO THE DEALER AND HAVE IT REPAIRED. (IN MOTION) ANOTHER PROBLEM THAT I HAVE IS IN THE WHEELS, THEY HAVE A SOUND LIKE THEY HAVE A PINK CAN. BUT IT IS ONLY HEARD SOMETIMES NOT ALWAYS. I WENT TO THE DEALER TO SOLVE THAT PROBLEM BUT THE SOUND LEFT.
SUDDEN DECELERATION, LOSS OF ABILITY TO STEER VEHICLE, RESULTING IN REAR END COLLISION WITH 3 FATALITIES. ...UPDATED 05/11/15 *BF UPDATED 9/16/2015*JS *TR
CAR DECELERATED, STEERING LOST, RESULTING IN CRASH WITH 3 FATALITIES. AIR BAGS DID NOT DEPLOY ANY TIME. *TR
WHILE DRIVING WITH TRAFFIC ON 6 LANE ROAD WITH 45 MPH SPEED LIMIT, THE VEHICLE, A 2012 CHEVROLET CAMARO CONVERTIBLE, WAS STRUCK FROM THE REAR BY A BOX TRUCK AT SPEED CAUSING A SIGNIFICANT DELTA-V EVENT. UPON INITIAL IMPACT, THE STEERING WHEEL, AIRBAG, IGNITION LOCK, TURN SIGNAL AND WIPER SWITCH ASSEMBLY, SPLINE SHAFT AND METAL C…
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WHILE DRIVING WITH TRAFFIC ON 6 LANE ROAD WITH 45 MPH SPEED LIMIT, THE VEHICLE, A 2012 CHEVROLET CAMARO CONVERTIBLE, WAS STRUCK FROM THE REAR BY A BOX TRUCK AT SPEED CAUSING A SIGNIFICANT DELTA-V EVENT. UPON INITIAL IMPACT, THE STEERING WHEEL, AIRBAG, IGNITION LOCK, TURN SIGNAL AND WIPER SWITCH ASSEMBLY, SPLINE SHAFT AND METAL CYLINDER FROM THE TILT/TELESCOPING ASSEMBLY SEPARATED FROM THE VEHICLE AS A SINGLE ASSEMBLY. THE STEERING WHEEL ASSEMBLY STRUCK THE DRIVER IN THE CHEST AND JAW, BREAKING THE MANDIBLE IN MULTIPLE PLACES. DRIVER ALSO SUSTAINED COMPRESSION FRACTURE OF THE T12 VERTEBRA AMONG OTHER INJURIES. THE VEHICLE CONTINUED MOVING FORWARD AFTER THE INITIAL IMPACT BUT DRIVER COULD NOT STEER WITH THE SEPARATED STEERING WHEEL. VEHICLE DRIFTED OFF THE RIGHT SIDE OF THE ROAD STRIKING A 6? I-BEAM SUPPORTING A ROAD SIGN. ELECTRICAL CONNECTIONS TO THE AIRBAG AND IGNITION SEPARATED DURING THE INITIAL IMPACT. DRIVER WAS THE SOLE OCCUPANT OF THE CAMARO AND WAS USING SEAT BELTS AT THE TIME OF THE ACCIDENT. *TR
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2012 CHEVROLET CAMARO. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING 45 MPH, THE STEERING WHEEL BECAME HARD TO MANEUVER. AFTER INSPECTING THE VEHICLE HE NOTICED THAT THE POWER STEERING FLUID WAS LOW. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC WHERE THE TECHNICIAN DIAGNOSED THAT THE RACK AND PINION WAS LEAKIN…
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TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2012 CHEVROLET CAMARO. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING 45 MPH, THE STEERING WHEEL BECAME HARD TO MANEUVER. AFTER INSPECTING THE VEHICLE HE NOTICED THAT THE POWER STEERING FLUID WAS LOW. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC WHERE THE TECHNICIAN DIAGNOSED THAT THE RACK AND PINION WAS LEAKING. AS A RESULT, THE RACK AND PINION NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 51,000 AND THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 54,779.
I HAVE BEEN HAVING A LOT OF PROBLEMS WITH MY STEERING ON THIS VEHICLE. I WAS DRIVING MY CAR AND WAS IN A TURN WHEN THE STEERING WHEEL KICKED BACK THE OPPOSITE DIRECTION I WAS TURNING AND I NEARLY WENT OFF THE ROAD. THE FORCE WAS SO GREAT THAT IT ACTUALLY INJURED MY SHOULDER WHEN THE STEERING WHEEL KICKED BACK. THE STEERING IN TH…
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I HAVE BEEN HAVING A LOT OF PROBLEMS WITH MY STEERING ON THIS VEHICLE. I WAS DRIVING MY CAR AND WAS IN A TURN WHEN THE STEERING WHEEL KICKED BACK THE OPPOSITE DIRECTION I WAS TURNING AND I NEARLY WENT OFF THE ROAD. THE FORCE WAS SO GREAT THAT IT ACTUALLY INJURED MY SHOULDER WHEN THE STEERING WHEEL KICKED BACK. THE STEERING IN THE CAR HAS SINCE BEEN SO SLOPPY THAT I AM SCARED TO DRIVE IT, THE CAR IS ALL OVER THE ROAD. I TOOK THE CAR TO THE DEALER AND WAS TOLD THE VEHICLE NEEDED TO BE ALIGNED. I TOOK THE VEHICLE TO MY LOCAL TIRE STORE AND THEY CHECKED THE ALIGNMENT WHICH WAS ALL IN FACTORY SPECS. TOOK THE VEHICLE BACK TO THE DEALER TEST DROVE WITH A TECHNICIAN WHO DROVE WITH ME AND HE STATED IT WAS DEFINITELY NOT AN ALIGNMENT PROBLEM. I LEFT THE VEHICLE AT THE DEALER FOR 3 DAYS AND GOT A CALL THAT IT WAS READY TO BE PICKED UP. WHEN ASKED WHAT WAS DONE I WAS TOLD NOTHING...THE CAR NEEDS TO BE ALIGNED. I HAD THEM ALIGN THE VEHICLE WHICH BY THE WAY DID NOT FIX THE PROBLEM. PLEASE HELP BEFORE THIS CAR KILLS ME OR SOMEONE ELSE. *TR*LN
FRONT END MAKES CLUNKING NOISE OVER ROAD IMPERFECTIONS, CAR WANDERS WILDLLY. GM CLAIMS IT'S NORMAL. *TR
Official recalls
414V447000 · Seats:front Assembly:power Adjust
Jul 23, 2014
General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2011-2012 Buick LaCrosse, Regal and Chevrolet Camaro, as well as certain 2010-2012 Cadillac SRX, Chevrolet Equinox and GMC Terrain vehicles, equipped with power height adjustable driver and passenger seats. In the affected vehicles, the bolt that secures the driver's and passenger's power front seat height adjuster may fall out causing the seat to drop suddenly to the lowest vertical position.
Consequence & remedy
Consequence: If the driver's seat unexpectedly drops, the distraction and altered seat position may affect the drivers' control of the vehicle, increasing the risk of a crash.
Remedy: GM will notify owners, and dealers will replace the height adjuster shoulder bolts, free of charge. The manufacturer distributed interim letters to owners on September 11, 2014. The recall began on December 26, 2014. Owners may contact GM customer service at 1-800-521-7300 (Buick), 1-800-458-8006 (Cadillac), 1-800-222-1020 (Chevrolet), or 1-800-462-8782 (GMC). GM's number for this recall is 14271.
14V346000 · Electrical System:ignition
Jun 20, 2014
General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling all 2010-2014 Chevrolet Camaro vehicles manufactured December 3, 2008 to May 23, 2014. In the affected vehicles, the driver may accidentally hit the ignition key with their knee, unintentionally knocking the key out of the run position, turning off the engine.
Consequence & remedy
Consequence: If the key is not in the run position, the air bags may not deploy if the vehicle is involved in a crash, increasing the risk of injury. Additionally, a key knocked out of the run position could cause loss of engine power, power steering, and power braking, increasing the risk of a vehicle crash.
Remedy: GM will notify owners, and dealers will remove the key blade from the original flip key/RKE transmitter assemblies, and provide two new keys and two key rings per key. The recall began August 25, 2014. Owners may contact Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020. GM's number for this recall is 14294. Note: Until the recall has been performed, it is very important that drivers adjust their seat and steering column to allow clearance between their knee and the ignition key.
14V300000 · 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.
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.