IllustrationFRONT END MAKES CLUNKING NOISE OVER ROAD IMPERFECTIONS, CAR WANDERS WILDLLY. GM CLAIMS IT'S NORMAL. *TR
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
What owners actually said
113 reportsIN MAY, STARTED TO FEEL A VIBRATION/SHIMMY OF SOME SORT WHEN ACCELERATING IN ALL SORTS OF SPEEDS. TOOK VEHICLE TO DEALERSHIP AND THEY COULD NOT DUPLICATE. VIBRATION/SHIMMY CONTINUED AND GRADUALLY BECOME MORE FREQUENT SO TOOK VEHICLE BACK TO DEALERSHIP IN JUNE IN WHICH THE TECH TEST DROVE AND WAS ABLE TO DUPLICATE THE ISSUE. W…
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IN MAY, STARTED TO FEEL A VIBRATION/SHIMMY OF SOME SORT WHEN ACCELERATING IN ALL SORTS OF SPEEDS. TOOK VEHICLE TO DEALERSHIP AND THEY COULD NOT DUPLICATE. VIBRATION/SHIMMY CONTINUED AND GRADUALLY BECOME MORE FREQUENT SO TOOK VEHICLE BACK TO DEALERSHIP IN JUNE IN WHICH THE TECH TEST DROVE AND WAS ABLE TO DUPLICATE THE ISSUE. WAS TOLD HE WAS NOT THE TRANSMISSION EXPERT SO THEY HAD THE SO CALLED TRANSMISSION EXPERT TEST DRIVE AND HE WAS UNABLE TO DUPLICATE THE PROBLEM. TOOK MY CAR BACK TO THE DEALERSHIP THE VERY NEXT DAY AND IT WAS DETERMINED TO BE THE TORQUE CONVERTER. THE TRANSMISSION HAD TO BE FLUSHED DUE TO METAL SHAVINGS IN THE TRANSMISSION. I HAVE HAD CONTINUOUS PROBLEMS WITH THE TRANSMISSION SINCE THE TORQUE CONVERTER WAS REPLACED. THE TRANSMISSION IS HESITATING WHEN ATTEMPTING TO INCREASE SPEED, IT SLAMS INTO GEAR, DOWNSHIFTS WHEN ITS NOT SUPPOSE TO AND THE VIBRATION IS SLOWLY STARTING TO COME BACK. DEALERSHIP IS CLAIMING THIS IS NORMAL FOR THE TYPE OF TRANSMISSION I HAVE AND ITS OPERATING AS DESIGNED. *TR
WHILE THE VEHICLE IS BEING DRIVEN, AND DURING GRADUAL ACCELERATION, THE VEHICLE HESITATES AND BEGINS TO SHUDDER WHEN IT ATTEMPTS TO SHIFT INTO THE NEXT GEAR. THIS SHUDDER OCCURS AT MULTIPLE SPEEDS, USUALLY AROUND 31MPH, 42MPH AND 53MPH. THE SHUDDERING ONLY SEEMS TO OCCUR DURING GRADUAL INCREASES IN SPEED, AND IS NOT NOTICED WH…
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
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2012 CHEVROLET CAMARO. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING 50 MPH, THE VEHICLE STALLED WITHOUT WARNING. THE CONTACT WAS ABLE TO RESTART THE VEHICLE. THE MANUFACTURER WAS CONTACTED AND HAD THE VEHICLE TOWED TO A LOCAL DEALER. THE DEALER RESET THE COMPUTER BUT THE REPAIR DID NOT REMEDY THE ISSUE. THE CONTA…
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TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2012 CHEVROLET CAMARO. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING 50 MPH, THE VEHICLE STALLED WITHOUT WARNING. THE CONTACT WAS ABLE TO RESTART THE VEHICLE. THE MANUFACTURER WAS CONTACTED AND HAD THE VEHICLE TOWED TO A LOCAL DEALER. THE DEALER RESET THE COMPUTER BUT THE REPAIR DID NOT REMEDY THE ISSUE. THE CONTACT TOOK THE VEHICLE BACK TO THE DEALER WHERE THE DEALER RESET THE COMPUTER A SECOND TIME. THE DEALER ALSO DROVE THE VEHICLE FOR ONE HUNDRED MILES AND COULD NOT DUPLICATE THE STALLING ISSUE. THE VEHICLE CONTINUED TO STALL SPORADICALLY. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 4,200.
AT RPM'S APPROXIMATELY 1200-2000 CAR STUTTERS, LIKE IT NEEDS TO DOWNSHIFT. HAPPENS AT VARIOUS SPEEDS WHEN APPLYING GRADUAL ACCELERATION. DEALER SERVICE SAYS NO ERROR CODES FOUND, THAT THIS IS "NORMAL" ON THE 6 SPEED TRANSMISSION & THAT BECAUSE OF ALL OF THE COMPUTER COMPONENTS, THE TRANSMISSION NATURALLY LAGS. SEEMS TO BE PRO…
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AT RPM'S APPROXIMATELY 1200-2000 CAR STUTTERS, LIKE IT NEEDS TO DOWNSHIFT. HAPPENS AT VARIOUS SPEEDS WHEN APPLYING GRADUAL ACCELERATION. DEALER SERVICE SAYS NO ERROR CODES FOUND, THAT THIS IS "NORMAL" ON THE 6 SPEED TRANSMISSION & THAT BECAUSE OF ALL OF THE COMPUTER COMPONENTS, THE TRANSMISSION NATURALLY LAGS. SEEMS TO BE PROBLEM IN THE TORQUE CONVERTER? *TR
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2012 CHEVROLET CAMARO LS . THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE IN REVERSE, THE VEHICLE STALLED. THE VEHICLE WAS RESTARTED AFTER THE FAILURE AND WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER TWICE. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 1,000 AND THE CURRENT MILEAGE WA…
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TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2012 CHEVROLET CAMARO LS . THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE IN REVERSE, THE VEHICLE STALLED. THE VEHICLE WAS RESTARTED AFTER THE FAILURE AND WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER TWICE. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 1,000 AND THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 7,794. ...UPDATED 10/17/12 *BF THE CONSUMER STATED THE VEHICLE STALLED WHILE PULLING OUT INTO TRAFFIC. UPDATED 10/17/12
THE REVERSE CAMERA IN THE REAR VIEW MIRROR,WILL NOT GO OFF WHEN PUT IN DRIVE. IT TAKES AWHILE AND WHEN I FIRST GOTTHE CAR THE MINUTE YOU PUT IT IN DRIVE THE CAMERA SHUT OFF THE WAY IT SHOULD AS ITS DANGEROUS WHEN YOU ARE IN DRIVE AND CANT LOOK IN THE MIRROR! *TR *JS
BRAKE FLUID RESERVOIR CAP LEAKS BRAKE FLUID. WE HAVE HAD 4 CAMAROS AND THE TWO WE HAVE NOW AND OUR PREVIOUS TWO ALL LEAKED WITH THOUSANDS OF OTHERS ON THE ROAD. GM TSB SAYS REPLACE THE CAP.THEY KEEP USING SAME CAPS AND THEY STILL LEAK!MY DEALER ELKINS CHEVROLET IN NEW JERSEY ,THEY EVEN CANCELLED AN APPOINTMENT I MADE,THEY COULD…
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BRAKE FLUID RESERVOIR CAP LEAKS BRAKE FLUID. WE HAVE HAD 4 CAMAROS AND THE TWO WE HAVE NOW AND OUR PREVIOUS TWO ALL LEAKED WITH THOUSANDS OF OTHERS ON THE ROAD. GM TSB SAYS REPLACE THE CAP.THEY KEEP USING SAME CAPS AND THEY STILL LEAK!MY DEALER ELKINS CHEVROLET IN NEW JERSEY ,THEY EVEN CANCELLED AN APPOINTMENT I MADE,THEY COULD CARE LESS AND GAVE ME TROUBLE ORDERING A NEW ONE! *TR
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2012 CHEVROLET CAMARO. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE VEHICLE WOULD SHAKE ABNORMALLY AND THE RPMS INCREASED BETWEEN 1500 AND 2500. IN ADDITION, THE VEHICLE WOULD NOT ACCELERATE. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER SEVERAL TIMES FOR THE FAILURE WHERE A DIAGNOSTIC WAS PERFORMED BUT THE TECHNICIAN WAS UNABLE LOC…
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TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2012 CHEVROLET CAMARO. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE VEHICLE WOULD SHAKE ABNORMALLY AND THE RPMS INCREASED BETWEEN 1500 AND 2500. IN ADDITION, THE VEHICLE WOULD NOT ACCELERATE. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER SEVERAL TIMES FOR THE FAILURE WHERE A DIAGNOSTIC WAS PERFORMED BUT THE TECHNICIAN WAS UNABLE LOCATE A FAILURE CODE. THE VEHICLE WAS TEST DRIVEN BUT TO NO AVAIL. THE COMPUTER WAS REPROGRAMMED BUT THE FAILURE WAS NOT CORRECTED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT FURTHER REPAIRED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 11,446 AND THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 15,569.
I WAS TURNING THE CAR TO LEAVE A PARKING LOT AND WHEN I WENT DOWN THE SLIGHT SLOPE THE STRUTS ON THE FRONT MADE SUCH A NOISE I THOUGH SOMETHING SNAPPED. I HAVEN'T HAD IT CHECKED YET BUT WOW POOR QUALITY! *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.