NHTSA Owner Complaint Log
This page lists owner-reported complaints filed with NHTSA for the 2016 Chevrolet Cruze. Complaints are unverified consumer reports submitted to NHTSA and do not by themselves prove a defect or defect rate.
While driving, I went to make a right turn and the power steering went out making the turn very difficult using manual muscle to complete the turn. Fortunately, it was in a parking lot. After the ignition was turned off for about 45 minutes, I turned it back on and the steering functioned normally. However, I am very concerned if this problem would again happen and I am driving at a speed and this problem would appear, it could possibly cause a serious accident because of the unexpected action that would be required.
The rear brakes lights have a crack causing water to leak through. The water caused damage to the converter output
The contact owns a 2016 Chevrolet Cruze. The contact stated that upon returning to the parked vehicle, while attempting to unlock the doors with the key fob, the doors failed to open. The contact was able to open the door manually using the key. The contact stated that upon entering the vehicle and closing the front driver's side door, the doors locked and failed to unlock. The contact depressed the brake pedal and pressed the Push to Start button, but the vehicle failed to start or unlock. The message "No Key Fob Detected" was displayed. The contact disassembled the key fob and wiped the battery; however, the failure persisted. The contact called his wife, who arrived with another key fob. The vehicle was able to restart after several attempts. The message "Theft Alarm" was displayed. The contact was trapped inside the vehicle for 5 minutes and was sweating due to the temperature inside the vehicle. The contact drove to the residence; however, the instrument panel was partially inoperable. The contact stated that only the RPMs, the speedometer, and the odometer were operable. Upon returning to the residence, the vehicle restarted and operated as needed after several attempts. The dealer and the manufacturer were not notified of the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 56,639.
There has been no accident to report. My check engine light comes on periodically and will remain on for a lengthy time. It is the light that looks like a water spigot. When I have it checked they say it’s either the “Turbo” or “Air Filter” . I can. It get a clear answer as to what it is and why it comes on or how to fix the problem. My car is actually a 2016 Chevy Cruze Premier but that’s not an option to choose.
My husband was driving and noticed smoke coming from the engine so we pulled over and he lifted the hood and when he did we clearly saw a part of the Bosch manifold absolute pressure map sensor had come off and appeared to have melted off. I have taken it to a mechanic and have photos to show the exact parts.
The contact owns a 2016 Chevrolet Cruze. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, an abnormal burning odor was coming from the vehicle. The contact stated that while driving 40 MPH, the temperature gauge indicated that the engine was hot(H). The contact pulled over, added water to the coolant reservoir, and the vehicle returned to normal operation. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and the contact was referred to the NHTSA Hotline to report the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 104,000.
The turbo has gone out twice, it was replaced under an extended warranty policy and it has gone out again and is out of warranty, also the plastic intake manifold has gone bad again. also there is a plastic piece that comes off the engine and distributes coolant to the heater core etc...it has gone bad as well and is common on all 1.4 turbos..
My tire pressure sensor keeps coming on even after I had it worked on. 3 of them shows the pressure level but one shows 2 lines but no pressure level but there’s air in the tire. The other problem I’m having is the check engine light is on. Please advise if any issues are recalls or do I need to take my car to a service center. Thank you
I was driving the car, stopped at a light took my foot off the brake started to move and the car completely shut off. No warning lights went on. I had to start the car again. I took the car to a local dealership to be looked at. They pulled the codes, nothing showed up. I did an internet search for a possible cause, sent my search results to the dealership and I asked them to check the fuel system, they found a bad injector. They then cleaned the fuel system and replaced the bad injector.
I HAVE A 2016 CHEVROLET CRUZE AND THE TURBOCHARGER INTERCOOLER HOSE BASICALLY BROKE FROM WHERE THE END OF THE HOSE STARTS AND A LITTLE BIT DOWN IN THE MIDDLE AREA OF THE END PART OF THE HOSE. AND THIS CAUSED MY ENGINE'S POWER TO BE REDUCED INMENSLY. TO THE POINT THAT I HAD MY FOOT PRESSING ALL THE WAY DOWN ON THE ACCELERATOR AND IT COULD NOT GO ANY FURTHER DOWN, AND MY CAR WAS MOVING SLOWER THAN A TURTLE, AND THIS IS NOT AN EXAGGERATION! AND ALSO, AT TIMES WHEN I HAVE BEEN AT A RED LIGHT MY CAR TURNS OFF. ONE TIME MY CAR TURNED OFF WHILE I WAS DRIVING ON THE STREET WITH CARS BEHIND ME. LUCKILY, I WAS ABLE TO PULL INTO A SHOPPING CENTER. AND THE AIR CONDITIONER IS ALSO FAILING BECAUSE I KEEP PUTTING FREE ON SO IT CAN BE COLDER AND ALL THAT COMES OUT IS HOT AIR. I DID NOT KNOW THAT THIS INTERCOOLER HOSE WAS A MAJOR PART OF MY VEHICLE'S FUNCTION. ALSO, THE TRACTION LIGHT CAME ON, WHEN I ALREADY HAD IT OFF. IF CHEVROLET CRUZE OWNERS DO NOT KNOW ABOUT THIS ISSUE, THEY NEED TO KNOW. BECAUSE THIS ISSUE COULD EVENTUALLY MESS UP THE ENTIRE MOTOR AND POSSIBLE BLOW IT OUT. WHICH WE ALL KNOW A NEW MOTOR IS VERY EXPENSIVE
Component or System Failed/Malfunctioned: The turbocharger has been identified by a GM service center as the component that failed or malfunctioned. It is available for inspection upon request at the service center where the diagnosis was made. Safety Risk: The safety of myself and others was compromised due to the vehicle stalling unexpectedly while driving. This resulted in potential rear-end collisions, as well as the inability to accelerate, posing a risk in traffic situations. Confirmation by Dealer or Independent Service Center: Yes, the issue has been confirmed by a GM service center where the turbocharger was diagnosed as the problem. They provided a repair estimate of $2,170 for the turbocharger replacement. Inspections by Manufacturer, Police, Insurance, etc.: The vehicle has been inspected by a GM service center, but it has not been inspected by police, insurance representatives, or other independent parties beyond the GM service center. Warning Lamps, Messages, Symptoms: Prior to the vehicle stalling, warning messages such as "Service Stabilitrak" appeared on the dashboard. These messages were accompanied by engine shaking, and the car did not respond to acceleration attempts. These symptoms first appeared just before each incident of stalling.
On [XXX], the right front passenger side control arm/ball joint broke as my daughters were driving home. The car was in motion on a major street in Kansas City, KS when the control arm/ball joint broke. My daughter was in the right-hand lane when it broke as the car was in motion. The front of the car forcefully propelled in the air, landed, and jerked my daughter into the side walk. Afterwards, she fought the car over to the left-hand turn lane to stop in a somewhat safer spot on a major street. My oldest daughter driving suffered neck injuries from the seatbelt and my youngest daughter bumped her head. Both were hurt. An independent mechanic diagnosed the issue as well as Hendrick Chevrolet in Shawnee Mission Kansas. The parts are available for inspection. Hendrick Chevrolet failed to properly diagnose this issue when my car was in their care and service department on 06/14/24. I paid for an inspection but Hendrick Chevrolet's technician failed to record play in the broken wheel and if the car was in need of an alignment. This is unacceptable behavior considering the technician had both front tires off to inspect the brakes and was paid to perform a complete inspection on my car as described in Chevy's inspection literature provided by the dealership. He also provided an incorrect brake pad measurement. Through several Chevrolet/Chevy Cruze online forums, Cruze owners have asked several questions and recorded several comments regarding having a broken control arm and having to replace the ball joint bolt. Also, recalls were previously issued with other GM vehicles having a right-front passenger side defective control arm, which potentially could be a GM fabrication issue with control arms. No warning lamps, noises, or messages alerted to this issue. This would have been a fatal incident involving my daughters and other drivers if it occurred on the highway at a higher rate of speed. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
Purchased a 2016 Chevrolet Cruze on [XXX]. [XXX]. As of July 26th I paid $862 on repairs for the car to be smoking this morning on my way to work [XXX]. In total I’ve spent Almost or close to $2,000 in car repairs. This purchase was for my 17 year old daughter as a graduation present and for college. She was driving and car started to run hot and cut off in a busy intersection. She was unable to take the car to North Carolina. The owner blocked me and the staff haven’t been accommodating since this process. Nor will they look at the car. This has put me in a financial burden and the safety conditions this vehicle is under. And damage this could have cause my daughter. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
Defouw Chevrolet was negligent in performing the proper repairs per a GM service bulletin and special coverage. They refused to provide service, falsely claimed that I refused diagnostic, misdiagnosed the vehicle, replaced the wrong part, and were extremely rude and misogynistic. Additionally, they claim the issues were pre-existing while lacking any evidence. As a result, the vehicle now needs $6,400 in repairs, and neither GM nor Defouw will compensate us. Additionally, we have incurred $1,000 in towing costs, among other expenses.
Water leak in trunk. Took car in 3 time to have it fixed after them doing the recall( 84279073 f-lamp kit). Every time it went in they found a leak in a different spot. 15Feb17 they found water leaking from right side of the spoiler retainer holes. Dealer removed spoiler applied double back tape and sealer. Reinstalled spoiler 02Mar17 found pin hole leak in weather strip. Dealer replaced weather strip. 01jan24 start having electrical issues. Hard starting/ running weird and finally dead battery. Had les swabs install battery and remove water in trunk. Car starts but shuts off when driving. 05mar24 Dealer finds leak coming from right side spoiler and now 1 licence plat bolt. Charged me 600.00 . to reseal. Here we go again They could never stop/find the leak before and will not warranty previous work. Isn't this a fire/safty issue? That started the recall in the 1st place. And why wasn't drain plugs required for this yr.car. I believe it was in the newer one. I would like to know how many people had to take their car in multiple times to never have the problem truly fixed. Is this a tactic used to make consumers go away and say they fixed the recall, but never really did.
The contact owns a 2016 Chevrolet Cruze. The contact stated while driving on several occasions at various speeds, the steering wheel pulled to the left forcibly. The contact also stated that the vehicle was oversteered, and the wheel made the vehicle move in a straight line. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed that the inner tie rod had separated from the steering gear and both inner tie rods and tires needed to be replaced. The contact associated the failure with NHTSA Campaign Number: 15V442000 (Steering). The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 61,000.
Hit a buck on highway. When airbags went off I felt sudden sharp pain in my left arm. I was later advised that it most likely was shrapnel from the airbag. It was obvious from the injury something hit my arm with a lot of force. The car was a total loss and in possession of insurance company. Concerned that it could have been my eye.
The contact owns a 2016 Chevrolet Cruze. The contact stated while driving at various speeds, the vehicle inadvertently shut off without warning. The contact stated that soon after the failure, the vehicle independently restarted, and the vehicle resumed normal vehicle operation. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where a diagnostic test was performed and recommended that the fuel system be cleaned. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 33,000.
I was driving down the road when my son said he smelled something and made pull over. There were what I thought were small flames on the floor so i dumped my water on them, then i realized the seat itself was melting and dripping stuff on the floor. then the seat went up. Very shortly after that the car was completely engulfed and is now a total loss.
I have a 2016 cheavy cruise. It keeps overheating I have replaced the thermostat and thermostat housing and still have had issues with it overheating. I have done research and several cruises with this year have had the same issues.
Stability Track came on randomly all of sudden car was stalling, running poorly and smell Gas , sure enough leaking Gas Everywhere, very dangerous. Lucky car did not catch on fire. I am still paying for this car. Just thankful no one got injured. THERE IS NO RECALLS FOR THIS VIN ABSOLUTELY SHOULD BE.
My vehicle gives the message "shift to park" even when it placed in park, making it impossible to lock and possibly causing the battery to run down. Continuing to restart the vehicle and placing in park until the message goes away has been my only resolution. The issue has been reproduced by an independent service center. They were unable to ascertain what was causing the issue. I am aware a recall was issued for this problem in earlier model Chevy Cruzes. It seems my vehicle should have also been included in this recall. It is evident this has been a huge problems in GM vehicles and when it continues to affect later vehicles it should be addressed and corrected by the company.
The contact owns a 2016 Chevrolet Cruze. The contact stated while driving 25 MPH, the front air bag warning light illuminated, and the message "Service Air Bags" was displayed. The vehicle was taken to the dealer that stated that the front passenger side air bags needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 137,000.
I have been taking a burning smell emanating from the vehicle. When I took vehicle in for servicing last week, I was told that the smell was as a result of an engine leak. I was informed that my vehicle was not the first of the same make and model that the service center has seen in recent weeks. Worried that this could be an issue can lead to a fire. Planning on having repairs done, but would like to know whether this is something that can be investigated to determine whether it is a manufacturer defect.
There is currently a recall for Chevrolet Cruzes because of overheating, that is caused by the cooling system and the antifreeze leaking out at the thermostat housing. This is exactly what happened to my 2016 Cruze as we drove down the highway and warning lights and sounds started going off that required it to be put in the shop (Local Chevy Dealer) and have these parts replaced. If you read the safety recall for this issue on the Chevy Cruze and look at my receipt it is almost the same wording. However, the dealer told me that my Chevy Cruze was NOT covered by the recall. I believe the recall should be expanded to include all Cruzes.
System failure…airbag light continues to come on and go off. It says service airbag. If John Elway Chevrolet repairs the airbag system will it impact the integrity of the airbags. The airbag light doesn’t say which airbag is defective. I want to make sure that my family and I are safe when we are in the car.
The contact owns a 2016 Chevrolet Cruze. The contact stated while driving 25 MPH and depressing the brake pedal, the check engine warning light illuminated, and the message "Service Brake System" was displayed simultaneously. The vehicle failed to respond. The contact stated that he applied more pressure to the brake pedal and the vehicle responded. The contact was able to continue driving; however, the failure recurred while driving to the residence. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed that the vacuum pump had seized, which fractured the camshaft. The mechanic diagnosed that the vacuum pump and the camshaft needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The dealer and the manufacturer were not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 108,000. The contact wanted to include the number of the brake pump part of their vehicle - 12662789. The contact also stated that other SUV models of various model years have the same defective part.
Power steering warning keeps coming and going, replaced battery didn't fix saw a lot of complaints about negative battery cable so replaced that and it fixed the issue. cruze's up to 2015 recalled this the 2016 obviously needs it too.
The contact owns a 2016 Chevrolet Cruze. The contact stated that on several occasions while driving at various speeds, the brake pedal was depressed, and the vehicle stalled. The vehicle was restarted after two attempts. The check engine warning light was illuminated during the failure. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where it was diagnosed that the catalytic converter and Oxygen sensor needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 97,800.
When I start my car it will sputter then die, also cuts off while driving. It cuts off but will crank up and die again after so many tries it will drive a while and do it again. The check engine was on and I have fixed the O2 sensor, the mass air flow sensor, Ive replaced the turbo hose it had a big chunk ripped out of it which we have no clue how that happened, I just changed the PCV valves a few weeks ago and the car started but would not go in drive nor reverse put it back in shop and cleaned the throttle body and it ran good the whole day today I started cutting off again.
The contact owns a 2016 Chevrolet Cruze equipped with Continental Tires, Tire Line: Conti Pro Contact, Tire Size: 195/65/R15, DOT Number: P5AEWBNU1018. The contact stated while driving 45 MPH, there was an abnormally loud sound coming from the front and rear passenger’s side tires. Upon visual inspection, that contact found no issues with the tires. The contact stated that the tires were original tires. The cause of the failure was not yet determined. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 89,000.
It suddenly come up with ac off to keep engine feom overheating on message .I have had 4 theromstat housings put on in the last month and it is still leaking around housing and leaking coolant out onto ground and thit has only 73000 miles .Yes it will be available to inspect if in local area afraid to drive to far and i still owe a year on this car.
Keep having the engine light on. First time it was my Catalyst and now my engine light is on again with code P0420 and keeps leaving from the coolant
Paid thousands of dollars into getting a thermostat housing and thermostat leaking antifreeze a couple months ago started leaking antifreeze again just now
The contact owns a 2016 Chevrolet Cruze D2. The contact stated that while driving 20-25 MPH, the contact crashed into another vehicle. The air bags failed to deploy. As a result, the contact had whiplash to the neck and the front seat passenger head hit the windshield and whiplash to the neck. Medical attention was required. A police report was filed. The vehicle was towed to a tow lot. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The dealer nor the manufacturer were not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 58,000.
The contact owns a 2016 Chevrolet Cruze. The contact stated that he noticed that the coolant level was low and added coolant to the reservoir. The contact stated that when he returned, he noticed the coolant had leaked onto the ground. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was 55,070.
The contact owns a 2016 Chevrolet Cruze. The contact stated while inspecting the vehicle, she noticed that the vehicle was low on antifreeze, and added antifreeze. The next day when she returned home from work, she became aware that the antifreeze level was again low. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer to be diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was contacted, and a message was left. The failure mileage was 69,000.
Catalytic Converter , it is a 2016 , it absolutely should not be faulty/defective AT ALL . I checked with Dick Wolstrom Chevy Dealer , if this would be included in the Powertrain Warranty and they said it expired in December . I checked with the other Yearly Recalls for this problem, and it did show this exact same recall for the all the previous years of this make and model of car . It should be fixed , I never heard of a Catalytic Converter be defective like this especially in a newer year car . Can you please help me ? Also, I am having problem with the Fuel pressure Sensor , Air flow intake sensor, Knock sensor , all (3) this is crazy . This is the 2nd time the knock sensor has been replaced . My main concern is the Catalytic Converter , please advise , it should be covered in the powertrain warranty on this car , regardless . It is very expensive to be replaced .
2 issues. 1st is the PCV system. PCV valve will fail regularly 1-3 years. This requires a new intake manifold and valve cover possible new hose and possible sensor replacement. Can cause stability and traction control failure. 2nd is the engine's head gasket. Between 60-70k miles these vehicles get blown head gaskets. Due to this failure, you could experience a total engine failure which will completely shut down all vehicle functions. If not properly observed this vehicle will not only have a complete failure. It will need an entire new engine due to cracked block and head or warped block and head. If it becomes warped you will need to machine both the block and head and or replace the entire engine long before it reaches 100k miles. Rendering the vehicle absolutely useless. Coolant issues with these vehicles are bad as well. Even if all these issues get fixed in a timely manner you will still most likely have a blown head gasket as I did. Engine failures on a busy highway are a big safety concern.
The turbo is messed up my car would not pull when stepping on the gas. Almost got in an accident on the freeway and hood started smoking. Spoke to a mechanic and said it was due to the turbo charger
Was at a red light and my car shut off. It started back up and I was able to get home. I am now afraid my car will just stop while driving and I will crash and die
My 2016 Chevy Cruise heating and cooling system failed. Car engine over heats causing engine to stop in mid drive. Hoses (main) and connections to heating and cooling systems faulty. Main hose to cooling system faulty (dry rotted ).
The car randomly shuts off when driving. It also has problems with accelerating when the AC system is turned on.
While at red light, stop signs, or transitioning turns, the engine shuts off and does not restart. Sometimes it shuts down when driving at extremely low speeds. This is dangerous because I have had to push the car while transitioning in multipile lane intersections. Luckily others stop and help me push the car to shoulder or convenience gas stations. The battery and spark plugs are new, and the car has plenty of fuel.
My car, started to get a messaged saying reduced engine power, after that it started to make a noise I took it to re pair and the car, sometimes makes that noise and I’m driving and out of nowhere the car turns off
Vacume pump failure causing brakes to become very difficult to apply. Pump also brakes inside the valve cover. Causing timing issues and possible camshaft damage.
The contact owns a 2016 Chevrolet Cruze. The contact stated that on several occasions, a strange noise could be heard while the brake pedal was depressed. The contact stated while accelerating above 35 MPH, the Service Stabil Trak and powertrain control module (PCM) warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed that the powertrain control module (PCM) failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The dealer was notified of the failure. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 92,000.
The water pump leaks which will cause the vehicle to heat up. There is a recall on the same vehicles for prior years and it's the same parts. For some reason later years weren't added to the recall, but they are also defective. It is available for inspection, but I need to get it fixed quickly before it harms my engine. It is a 2016 model and have had it fixed once already while under warranty. I have not had any warning lights yet, but I noticed it leaking like the first time it happened. It puts my safety at risk if I get stranded somewhere because I can't drive my car home. I live in the desert and it's 100 degrees out most of the time which can cause heat stroke quickly. I have not taken it to the dealer, but I would rather use non dealer parts at this point or I will have to do this possibly again in a couple of years when it fails again. The vehicle has not been inspected yet, but it's the same thing as the first time. Same place.
My car was brought to the dealership around December of 2021because every time I stop at a red light or stop sign the auto stop would cut the car completely off. The dealership said it was because the throttle body needed cleaning out. That is not the case because I can be driving and the car will cut off out of nowhere while driving. Also at times the car seems as if it doesn’t want to crank.
Vehicle is leaking coolant I've had it fixed and continue to have issues with it. When I go to add coolant it sounds like it is boiling in the motor and car is becoming very hot and smokes from the motor. Was driving through town heard a hissing noise and somehow coolant had sprayed all over the hood and windshield of my car.
Data synced from NHTSA on May 4, 2026