IllustrationTHE AIR BAG SERVICE LIGHT HAS GONE OFF INDICATING THAT IT CAN EITHER NOT INFLATE IN AN ACCIDENT OR IT CAN INFLATE ON IT'S OWN. I FEEL THIS IS A SERIOUS SAFETY HAZARD THAT CANNOT BE PREVENTED BY PROPER MAINTAINENCE OF THE VEHICLE. THIS VEHICLE ONLY HAS 49K MILES ON IT.
2012 Chevrolet Captiva
Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations
Similar to other model years
Owner complaints for the 2012 Chevrolet Captiva do not stand out strongly from the model-year median of 65.
About this comparison →How this year compares
Owner complaints by model year
Compare all Captiva 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
10–25K
1325–50K
2450–75K
1075–100K
4100–150K
1150K+
53 reports with mileage · 12 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 43 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Engine. Review the 16 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Electronic Stability Control (esc). Review the 8 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.
0 crash reports2 fire reports0 injury reports
Air Bags complaints
3 reportsTL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2012 CHEVROLET CAPTIVA. WHILE THE VEHICLE WAS STATIONARY, THE AIR BAG INDICATOR ILLUMINATED WITHOUT WARNING. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE AIR BAG INDICATOR DISPLAYED "SERVICE AIR BAG". THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 81,000.
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2012 CHEVROLET CAPTIVA. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE FRONT PASSENGER SIDE AIR BAG OFF WARNING INDICATOR ILLUMINATED WITH AN OCCUPANT PRESENT. THE VEHICLE WAS DRIVEN; HOWEVER, THE FAILURE PERSISTED. THE FAILURE RECURRED NUMEROUS TIMES. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED THAT THE AIR B…
Read full complaint
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2012 CHEVROLET CAPTIVA. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE FRONT PASSENGER SIDE AIR BAG OFF WARNING INDICATOR ILLUMINATED WITH AN OCCUPANT PRESENT. THE VEHICLE WAS DRIVEN; HOWEVER, THE FAILURE PERSISTED. THE FAILURE RECURRED NUMEROUS TIMES. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED THAT THE AIR BAG SENSOR WOULD NEED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 45,000.
Official recalls
0No recalls in this snapshot.
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
0No exact-year investigations in this snapshot.