2013 Chevrolet Cruze buying guide

A data-driven checklist for buying a used 2013 Chevrolet Cruze, built from 585 owner complaints, 5 recall campaigns, 1,881 service bulletins and federal safety records — not opinions.

Know before you buy

5 recall campaigns affect this model year. Check each one and confirm the repairs were done — recall work is free at any authorized dealer.
Main problem areas: engine (210), electrical system (121), power train (112), steering (74), electronic stability control (esc) (62).
Symptoms owners describe: overheating (57), check engine light (50), stalling (32), loss of power (25), hesitation / surging (16), vibration / shaking (11). Test-drive with these in mind.
Reported incident mileage: among 398 complaints with a usable odometer reading, half were filed between 21,625 and 90,000 miles (median 53,652). If the car you’re looking at is near that range, ask for service records covering it.
Crash-test rating: 5/5 stars overall from NHTSA. Full safety record.
Fuel economy: 26–30 MPG combined (EPA; engines: 1.4L 4-cyl, 1.8L 4-cyl).

When problems get reported

Reported incident mileage among 398 complaints with usable odometer readings.

under 20k		90
20–40k		64
40–60k		61
60–80k		57
80–100k		46
100–150k		71
150k+		9

Before you hand over money

Run the VIN through our free VIN decoder to confirm the exact build.
Check open recalls by VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls — a recall that was never fixed is a free repair you can claim.
Get a pre-purchase inspection focused on the problem areas listed above.

This guide is generated from official NHTSA, EPA and FARS records. Complaints are unverified owner reports and raw counts are not adjusted for sales volume.