THE CAR WAS IN MOTION ON A HIGHWAY. WHEN ACCELERATING THE CAR SPUTTERED A BIT THEN THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT STARTED TO BLINK AND TRACTION LIGHT CAME ON. ALSO MADE A CERTAIN WHINING NOISE. A MESSAGE POPPED UP STATING STABILITRAK SERVICE.
2013 Chevrolet Cruze
Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations
More warning signs than most Cruze years
Owner complaints for the 2013 Chevrolet Cruze are substantially higher than the model-year median of 250.
About this comparison →How this year compares
Owner complaints by model year
Compare all Cruze 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
417 reports with mileage · 169 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 211 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Electrical System. Review the 121 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Power Train. Review the 112 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.
Engine complaints
211 reportsCHIRPING NOISE PCV VALVE IS BAD. *TR
THIS ISSUE HAS BEEN ONGOING SINCE LAST YEAR. I HAVE BEEN GETTING MESSAGES ON MY DASH WITH ERRORS SUCH AS SERVICE TRACTION CONTROL/SERVICE STABILITRAK. THE CAR SLOWS DOWN TO 5 SPEED AND IT STALLS /JERK WHEN DRIVING. THIS IS NOT SAFE AND I ALMOST GOT INTO AN ACCIDENT BECAUSE OF IT. THIS VEHICLE IS NOT SAFE. TOOK MY CAR TO THE DEAL…
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THIS ISSUE HAS BEEN ONGOING SINCE LAST YEAR. I HAVE BEEN GETTING MESSAGES ON MY DASH WITH ERRORS SUCH AS SERVICE TRACTION CONTROL/SERVICE STABILITRAK. THE CAR SLOWS DOWN TO 5 SPEED AND IT STALLS /JERK WHEN DRIVING. THIS IS NOT SAFE AND I ALMOST GOT INTO AN ACCIDENT BECAUSE OF IT. THIS VEHICLE IS NOT SAFE. TOOK MY CAR TO THE DEALERSHIP FOR A DIAGNOSIS CHECK AND WAS TOLD NOTHING SHOWED UP BUT A LOW BATTERY. I GOT THAT FIXED AND THE CAR IS STILL HAVING THE SAME ISSUE. WHEN DRIVING ON THE HIGHWAY/STREETS/EXPRESSWAYS WHEN ALL OF A SUDDEN MY CAR DECELERATED AND I GOT THE MESSAGE ENGINE POWER HAS BEEN REDUCED/SERVICE TRACTION CONTROL/SERVICE STABILITRAK AS WELL AS MY CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON. BECAUSE OF THIS, I WAS FORCED TO PULLOVER WHILE ALMOST BEING HIT BY OTHER VEHICLES. THIS WAS EXTREMELY DANGEROUS AND SCARY FOR ME BECAUSE I HAVE NO IDEA WHAT HAPPENED AND IT COULD HAVE COST ME MY LIFE, AS WELL AS OTHERS. I HAVE TAKEN THE VEHICLE TO CHEVY AND FIRESTONE AUTO COMPLETE AND NO ONE KNOWS WHY THIS IS HAPPENING. *TR
I HAVE TAKEN THE CAR MULTIPLE TIMES TO GET IT FIXED. AS I AM DRIVING THE CAR THE RADIO TURNS OFF. THEN THE ENGINE ITSELF TURNS OFF. NOT ONLY THAT, AS I AM DRIVING IT THE STEERING WHEEL STOPS WORKING AND THE CAR COMPLETELY SHUTS OFF. I HAVE SPENT OVER 7,000 DOLLARS IN REPAIRS AND I CAN NO LONGER AFFORD FOR REPAIRS. NO ONE SEEMS T…
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I HAVE TAKEN THE CAR MULTIPLE TIMES TO GET IT FIXED. AS I AM DRIVING THE CAR THE RADIO TURNS OFF. THEN THE ENGINE ITSELF TURNS OFF. NOT ONLY THAT, AS I AM DRIVING IT THE STEERING WHEEL STOPS WORKING AND THE CAR COMPLETELY SHUTS OFF. I HAVE SPENT OVER 7,000 DOLLARS IN REPAIRS AND I CAN NO LONGER AFFORD FOR REPAIRS. NO ONE SEEMS TO KNOW WHAT THE PROBLEM IS. I WOULD REALLY LIKE TO OPEN AN INVESTIGATION ON THIS CAR AS MY LIFE SEEMS TO BE THREATENED AND NO ONE CAN TELL ME WHY THE CAR GOES ON AND OFF WHILE IN DRIVE. I ALMOST GOT IN A MAJOR HIGHWAY ACCIDENT BECAUSE IT TURNED OFF WHILE I WAS DRIVING 60 MILES PER HOUR ON A BUSY HIGHWAY. PLEASE LOOK INTO THIS PROBLEM AND HELP ME GET BACK TO A NORMAL CAR. THIS HAS BEEN HAPPENING FOR ALMOST A 2 YEARS NOW. *TR
I HAVE HAD NOTHING BUT ISSUES WITH THE CAR SINCE I'VE HAD IT AND FIXED EVERYTHING THAT WAS WRONG WITH IT THE PALM CHEVROLET DEALERSHIP THAT SAID WAS WRONG WITH IT AND YET NOTHING HAS BEEN RESOLVED MY STABILITRAK CONTROL SERVICE SYSTEM LIGHT CAME ON ALONG WITH THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT AS THEY ARE FLASHING. I'M HAVING A VERY HARD T…
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I HAVE HAD NOTHING BUT ISSUES WITH THE CAR SINCE I'VE HAD IT AND FIXED EVERYTHING THAT WAS WRONG WITH IT THE PALM CHEVROLET DEALERSHIP THAT SAID WAS WRONG WITH IT AND YET NOTHING HAS BEEN RESOLVED MY STABILITRAK CONTROL SERVICE SYSTEM LIGHT CAME ON ALONG WITH THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT AS THEY ARE FLASHING. I'M HAVING A VERY HARD TIME GETTING TRACTION I HAVE A 1 YEAR OLD DAUGHTER AND I DON'T FEEL THAT THIS CAR IS SAFE FOR HER. I WANT THIS ISSUE LOOKED INTO I HAVE SPENT MONEY THAT I DON'T HAVE TO JUST TRY TO RESOLVE THE PROBLEM AND YET IT'S NOT FIXED. *TR
THE INTAKE MANIFOLD BECAME CRACKED AND I HAVE RESEARCHED IT HAS BEEN AN ISSUE FOR MANY CHEVY CRUZE BETTWEEN THE YEARS OF 2011-2014. THE VEHICLE HAS A INCREASED AIR FLOW THE RESULTS IN A POOR AIR TO FUEL MIXTUE INSIDE THE COMBUSTION CHAMBER, ALSO ALLOWS OIL TO BLOWBY. THE ISSUE WITH THE INTAKE HAS CAUSED INCREASED OIL CONSUMPTIO…
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THE INTAKE MANIFOLD BECAME CRACKED AND I HAVE RESEARCHED IT HAS BEEN AN ISSUE FOR MANY CHEVY CRUZE BETTWEEN THE YEARS OF 2011-2014. THE VEHICLE HAS A INCREASED AIR FLOW THE RESULTS IN A POOR AIR TO FUEL MIXTUE INSIDE THE COMBUSTION CHAMBER, ALSO ALLOWS OIL TO BLOWBY. THE ISSUE WITH THE INTAKE HAS CAUSED INCREASED OIL CONSUMPTION/ BURNING, RESULTED IN A LOSS OF POWER UPON FIRST TAKE OFF FROM STOP LIGHT. THIS ISSUE HAS CAUSED THE COMPUTER TO ADJUST THE TIMING MORE THAN THE MANUFACTURER ALLOWED LIMIT WHICH HAS RESULTED IN A BENT VALVE AND BAD TIMING
MY SCREEN FOR THE RADIO STARTS TO FLICKER, AND THE ENTIRE CAR SHUTS DOWN. AFTER WAITING FOR 5 OR 10 MINUTES THE CAR POWERS BACK UP AND STARTS. ANOTHER TIME, WHILE I WAS STILL PARKED THE RADIO STARTS TO FLICKER AGAIN. SO I TURN OFF THE CAR, BUT THE KEY IS STUCK IN THE IGNITION AND WHEN YOU TURN THE KEY YOU GET NOTHING. IT DOESN'T…
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MY SCREEN FOR THE RADIO STARTS TO FLICKER, AND THE ENTIRE CAR SHUTS DOWN. AFTER WAITING FOR 5 OR 10 MINUTES THE CAR POWERS BACK UP AND STARTS. ANOTHER TIME, WHILE I WAS STILL PARKED THE RADIO STARTS TO FLICKER AGAIN. SO I TURN OFF THE CAR, BUT THE KEY IS STUCK IN THE IGNITION AND WHEN YOU TURN THE KEY YOU GET NOTHING. IT DOESN'T START AND YOU GET NO POWER. AFTER WAITING A FEW MINUTES AGAIN THE CAR POWERS UP ON ITS OWN WHILE KEY IS STILL IN THE IGNITION. THIS ALSO HAPPENED ONCE WHILE I WAS DRIVING. LUCKILY I WAS JUST TAKING OFF, SO I WASN'T GOING VERY FAST.
WHILE DRIVING AND IN MOTION THE VEHICLE SHUTS OFF. AFTER SHUTTING OFF THE ABS MALFUNCTIONS AND THE STEERING MALFUNCTIONS. THIS HAS HAPPENED TWICE NOW, BOTH ON CITY STREETS. ONCE DISABLED THE VEHICLE WILL NOT RESTART ON IT'S OWN; IT DOESN'T EVEN TURN OVER. THE VEHICLE WILL, HOWEVER, RESTART IF JUMP STARTED. THE FIRST OCCURRENCE P…
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WHILE DRIVING AND IN MOTION THE VEHICLE SHUTS OFF. AFTER SHUTTING OFF THE ABS MALFUNCTIONS AND THE STEERING MALFUNCTIONS. THIS HAS HAPPENED TWICE NOW, BOTH ON CITY STREETS. ONCE DISABLED THE VEHICLE WILL NOT RESTART ON IT'S OWN; IT DOESN'T EVEN TURN OVER. THE VEHICLE WILL, HOWEVER, RESTART IF JUMP STARTED. THE FIRST OCCURRENCE PRESENTED WITH A CHECK ENGINE LIGHT THAT CODED AS A FAULTY CAM SHAFT SENSOR. THIS WAS REPLACED AND THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT WENT AWAY. THE SECOND OCCURRENCE PRESENTED WITH NO LIGHTS OR WARNINGS. BOTH THE BATTERY AND ALTERNATOR WERE TESTED AND ARE FUNCTIONING.
THE SENSOR STATED TURN OFF THE AC DUE THE ENGINE TEMPERATURE , THE MOTOR FAN RUNS AS IF THE CAR IS RUNNING HOT
BEEN HEARING TICKING NOISE COMING FROM THE ENGINE. CHECK ENGINE LIGHT IS ON. CODE P0234
Official recalls
516V502000 · Electrical System:ignition; Power Train:automatic Transmission:control Module (tcm/pcm/tecm)
Jul 5, 2016
General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2016-2017 Buick Verano and 2016 Chevrolet Malibu as the electronic park lock lever may allow the ignition key to be removed without the transmission being in PARK. Also, certain 2013 Buick Encore, 2011 Buick Regal, 2013-2014 Buick Verano, 2011-2016 Chevrolet Cruze, 2010-2013 Chevrolet Equinox 2013-2015 Chevrolet Malibu, and 2011-2013 GMC Terrain vehicles may have been serviced with similar defective replacement electronic park lock levers. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 114, "Theft Protection and Rollaway Prevention."
Consequence & remedy
Consequence: If the key is removed without the transmission in PARK, the vehicle may rollaway as occupants are exiting, increasing the risk of injury.
Remedy: GM will notify owners, and dealers will inspect and if necessary replace the key cylinder lock housing, free of charge. The recall began on October 14, 2016. Owners may contact Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020, Buick 1-800-521-7300, and GMC 1-800-462-8782. GM's number for this recall is 50490 and 50491.
Additional source detail variants (2)
Electrical System:ignition
General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2016-2017 Buick Verano and 2016 Chevrolet Malibu as the electronic park lock lever may allow the ignition key to be removed without the transmission being in PARK. Also, certain 2013 Buick Encore, 2011 Buick Regal, 2013-2014 Buick Verano, 2011-2016 Chevrolet Cruze, 2010-2013 Chevrolet Equinox 2013-2015 Chevrolet Malibu, and 2011-2013 GMC Terrain vehicles may have been serviced with similar defective replacement electronic park lock levers. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 114, "Theft Protection and Rollaway Prevention."
Consequence: If the key is removed without the transmission in PARK, the vehicle may rollaway as occupants are exiting, increasing the risk of injury.
Remedy: GM will notify owners, and dealers will inspect and if necessary replace the key cylinder lock housing, free of charge. The recall began on October 14, 2016. Owners may contact Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020, Buick 1-800-521-7300, and GMC 1-800-462-8782. GM's number for this recall is 50490 and 50491.
Power Train:automatic Transmission:control Module (tcm/pcm/tecm)
General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2016-2017 Buick Verano and 2016 Chevrolet Malibu as the electronic park lock lever may allow the ignition key to be removed without the transmission being in PARK. Also, certain 2013 Buick Encore, 2011 Buick Regal, 2013-2014 Buick Verano, 2011-2016 Chevrolet Cruze, 2010-2013 Chevrolet Equinox 2013-2015 Chevrolet Malibu, and 2011-2013 GMC Terrain vehicles may have been serviced with similar defective replacement electronic park lock levers. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 114, "Theft Protection and Rollaway Prevention."
Consequence: If the key is removed without the transmission in PARK, the vehicle may rollaway as occupants are exiting, increasing the risk of injury.
Remedy: GM will notify owners, and dealers will inspect and if necessary replace the key cylinder lock housing, free of charge. The recall began on October 14, 2016. Owners may contact Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020, Buick 1-800-521-7300, and GMC 1-800-462-8782. GM's number for this recall is 50490 and 50491.
14V417000 · Equipment:electrical
Jul 2, 2014
General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2013-2014 Buick Encore all-wheel-drive vehicles manufactured August 23, 2012, to September 9, 2013; Verano vehicles manufactured August 8, 2012, to June 20, 2013; Chevrolet Cruze vehicles manufactured August 7, 2012, to August 16, 2013, and 2012-2014 Chevrolet Sonic vehicles manufactured May 10, 2011, to August 16, 2012 equipped with a Calix oil pan/block heater. In cold temperatures, the insulation on the engine block heater cord can become damaged, allowing the wires to be exposed.
Consequence & remedy
Consequence: Exposed wires increase the risk of electrical shock and personal injury if the cord is handled while it is plugged in.
Remedy: GM will notify owners, and dealers will replace the engine oil pan/block heater cord with a new cord that is rated for temperatures of minus 40 degree Celsius. The recall began in August 2014. Owners may contact Buick customer service at 1-800-521-7300 or Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020. GM's number for this recall is 14257.
14V372000 · Air Bags
Jun 26, 2014
General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2013-2014 Chevrolet Cruze vehicles. In the affected vehicles, the driver's front air bag inflator may have been manufactured with an incorrect part.
Consequence & remedy
Consequence: In the event of a crash necessitating deployment of the driver's air bag, the air bag's inflator may rupture and the air bag may not inflate. The rupture could cause metal fragments to strike and potentially seriously injure the vehicle occupants. Additionally, if the air bag does not inflate, the driver is at an increased risk of injury.
Remedy: GM will notify owners, and dealers will replace the driver side air bag, free of charge. The recall began on June 28, 2014. Owners may contact Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020. GM's number for this recall is 14305.
14V151000 · Power Train:axle Assembly:axle Shaft
Mar 31, 2014
General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2013 and 2014 Chevrolet Cruze vehicles equipped with a 1.4L turbo engine, and manufactured between November 28, 2012, and March 7, 2014. On the affected vehicles, the right front half shaft may fracture and separate.
Consequence & remedy
Consequence: If the half shaft fractures and separates while driving, the vehicle would lose power and coast to a stop. If a vehicle with a fractured half shaft is parked without the parking brake applied, the vehicle could move unexpectedly. Either condition increases the risk of a crash.
Remedy: GM will notify owners, and dealers will inspect and replace the right half shaft, as needed, free of charge. Parts for the remedy are not currently available. GM will send an interim letter to owners in May 2014. A second owner letter will be mailed when parts are available. Owners may contact Chevrolet at 1-866-694-6546. GM's number for this recall is 14079. This is an expansion of recall 13V-452. NOTE: Some vehicles subject to this recall were subject to the recall campaign initiated in 2013. Some of those vehicles were repaired using defective parts. Those owners will be advised that they must have their vehicles remedied again under this campaign and that having the earlier recall completed did not remedy their vehicles.
13V452000 · Power Train:axle Assembly:axle Shaft
Sep 23, 2013
General Motors (GM) is recalling certain model year 2013 and 2014 Chevrolet Cruze vehicles equipped with manual transmissions (MF3/MR5) and manufactured January 24, 2013, through August 1, 2013. On the affected vehicles, the right front half shaft may fracture and separate.
Consequence & remedy
Consequence: If the half shaft fractures and separates while driving, the vehicle would lose power and coast to a stop. If a vehicle with a fractured half shaft is parked without the parking brake applied, the vehicle could move unexpectedly. Either condition increases the risk of a crash.
Remedy: General Motors has notified owners. Dealers will replace the half shaft assembly, free of charge. The safety recall began on October 15, 2013. Owners may contact General Motors at 1-800-521-7300. This is General Motors campaign number 13276.
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.
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