2011 Chevrolet Cruze problems & reliability
731 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for the 2011 Chevrolet Cruze, alongside 7 safety recall campaigns. Last verified Aug 7, 2026. Complaints are unverified reports submitted by owners to the federal Office of Defects Investigation.
Each complaint is counted once (by NHTSA case number), even when it names several vehicles.
30 complaints report injuries (39 injured, 2 deaths reported).
Federal crash records (FARS 2020–2023): 2011 Chevrolet Cruze vehicles were involved in 86 fatal crashes with 49 occupant deaths. Involvement counts are not adjusted for how many are on the road and do not imply fault or a vehicle defect.
Most reported problems
| Component | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Engine | 257 | 35% |
| Power Train | 193 | 26% |
| Electrical System | 96 | 13% |
| Electronic Stability Control (esc) | 75 | 10% |
| Unknown OR Other | 75 | 10% |
| Vehicle Speed Control | 69 | 9% |
| Service Brakes | 61 | 8% |
| Steering | 48 | 7% |
| Air Bags | 40 | 5% |
| Engine and Engine Cooling | 39 | 5% |
Component groups as classified by NHTSA. A complaint can name more than one component, so shares may sum to more than 100%.
Common symptoms owners describe
Keyword analysis of complaint narratives; one complaint can describe several symptoms.
Mileage when problems occurred
Half of the failures with a reported odometer reading occurred by 58,000 miles (middle 50% between 28,000 and 91,000 miles), based on 549 complaints that included mileage.
Complaints by incident year
What owners report
“i’m unsure if the person i bought this vehicle from had the codes wiped before selling to me, but there were NO lights on dash for 3 days after minimal driving only to work and back, then all of a sudden the check engine light came on, and in the info box it would pop up saying “service stability system” - i took to…”
Power Train · filed Jun 19, 2026
“I purchased my car in 2020 and have had this issue recently come up. I have coolant that is vanishing from my car but not dripping to the floor. I've learned since then that there was a recall on my car for my water pump which causes this exact issue which has caused a related check engine light to appear. It seems…”
Unknown OR Other · filed May 26, 2026
“Odometer Fraud. The contact purchased a 2011 Chevrolet Cruze. It was discovered that there was a mileage discrepancy. The vehicle was a private in April 12th 2026. At the time of purchase, the vehicle mileage was 135,000 The contact stated that the next day when retrieving the title they noticed the mileage…”
Electrical System · filed May 22, 2026
Verbatim excerpts from complaints filed with NHTSA. Reports are not independently verified.
Federal defect investigations
- Chapman Chevrolet / Cruze Engine Recall
Audit Query AQ12002 · opened Oct 15, 2012 · closed Oct 20, 2014
- Engine compartment fire
Preliminary Evaluation PE12010 · opened Mar 28, 2012 · closed Jul 19, 2012 · led to recall 12V288000
Technical service bulletins
1,657 manufacturer communications (TSBs, service campaigns, warranty extensions) are on file with NHTSA for the 2011 Chevrolet Cruze. The 10 most recent:
This preliminary information communicates information about how to determine if a wheel and tires size change is available.
PIT3271Q · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Apr 1, 2026
This Preliminary information communicates the steps on how to save a GDS2 Session Log and upload to a Technical Assistance Case in CX Connect.
PIP6104 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Mar 9, 2026
This preliminary information advises a dealer on how to email GDS2 session logs into Technical Assistance.
PIP4902V · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Mar 9, 2026
This preliminary information advises a dealer on how to email GDS2 session logs into Technical Assistance.
PIP4902U · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jan 8, 2026
This Preliminary Information communication provides information to the technician about vehicles that have had multiple repair attempts that are being performed on customer’s vehicles that exhibit vibration conditions…
PIT5214G · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Nov 20, 2025
This engineering informational bulletin provides process for a GM engineering study on curtain Takata Airbag Steering Wheel Modules and needs the used Takata airbags to be returned to GM.
PIE0877 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Oct 31, 2025
New Vehicle Monitoring Programs Section in IVH
13598 · Other · issued Sep 9, 2025
This preliminary information advises a dealer on how to email GDS2 session logs into Technical Assistance.
PIP4902T · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Aug 14, 2025
This Preliminary Information communication provides information to the technician about vehicles that have an intermittent no crank, no start, or start stall concern with the security light coming on. Technician may…
PIC5650M · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Aug 7, 2025
This preliminary information advises a dealer on how to email GDS2 session logs into Technical Assistance.
PIP4902S · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jun 9, 2025
TSBs are repair guidance manufacturers send to dealers — they are not recalls and repairs are not automatically free. Full documents are available on NHTSA’s site.
Safety recalls
The 2011 Chevrolet Cruze has 7 NHTSA recall campaigns — recall repairs are free at franchised dealers regardless of the vehicle’s age.
Check whether your specific vehicle is affected
Recall campaigns often cover only certain VIN ranges. Enter your VIN on the official NHTSA site to confirm whether your vehicle is included and whether the repair is still open.
Check VIN on NHTSA →Buying a used 2011 Chevrolet Cruze?
- · Decode the seller’s VIN with our free VIN decoder to confirm the exact year, engine and trim.
- · Check for unrepaired recalls by VIN on NHTSA’s official lookup — recall repairs are free.
- · Owners most often reported problems around 58,000 miles — budget accordingly if the car is approaching that mileage.