Chevrolet Cruze Years to Avoid — and the Years to Buy
Every Chevrolet Cruze model year from 2010 to 2019, benchmarked against each other with 5,772 federal complaints, 26 recall campaigns, and the odometer readings owners put in their reports.
Avoid: 2011–2014. These years top the Cruze's complaint rankings by volume and severity.
Safer bets: 2018–2019 — the quietest years with at least four years on the road.
The method in one line: every NHTSA complaint for this model is counted, weighted for crashes, fires, injuries, and deaths, and each year is measured against the Cruze's own worst year — full methodology.
The trouble strip
One cell per model year. The whole answer in one glance — click any year for the full report.
The defining problem
Engine tops the Chevrolet Cruze file with 1,396 complaints, concentrated in the 2011–2014 model years, most often reported around 68,000 miles. The year pages break down what fails and when.
Every year, ranked
| Year | Verdict | Complaints | Recalls | Top problem | Trouble index |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | Better year | 30 | 2 | — | 4 |
| 2018 | Better year | 166 | 3 | Engine | 16 |
| 2017 | Typical | 295 | 2 | Engine | 22 |
| 2016 | Typical | 391 | 4 | Engine | 31 |
| 2015 | Typical | 383 | 4 | Engine | 30 |
| 2014 | Avoid | 1,103 | 10 | Engine | 96 |
| 2013 | Avoid | 934 | 5 | Engine | 76 |
| 2012 | Avoid | 1,353 | 7 | Engine | 100 |
| 2011 | Avoid | 1,115 | 7 | Engine | 89 |
| 2010 | Few reports | 2 | 0 | — | 0 |
Technical service bulletins
Beyond complaints and recalls, 13,376 manufacturer communications — service bulletins, service campaigns, warranty extensions — are on file for the Chevrolet Cruze. A TSB is factory repair guidance, not a recall — the repair is not automatically free.
Browse the Chevrolet Cruze TSB list by year →
Questions buyers ask
What Chevrolet Cruze years should I avoid?
Federal complaint records point to 2011–2014 as the Chevrolet Cruze years to avoid — they drew the highest volume of serious complaints relative to the model's other years.
What is the most common Chevrolet Cruze problem?
Engine tops the Chevrolet Cruze file with 1,396 complaints, concentrated in the 2011–2014 model years, most often reported around 68,000 miles.
What are the best Chevrolet Cruze years to buy used?
The quietest Chevrolet Cruze years in federal records are 2018–2019 — each with at least four years on the road and well-below-average complaint volume for this model.
Every number on this page is a count of records in the federal complaint, recall, and investigation files published by NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation. Counts cover the Chevrolet Cruze only, scored against this model's own worst year — not against other models. Check any specific vehicle's open recalls by VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.