2012 Chevrolet Camaro Problems, Complaints & Recalls

Source: NHTSA · Updated Jul 23, 2026 · 113 owner complaints analyzed

Compared with other Camaro years
More complaints than other years 11th of 23 for complaints
NHTSA crash rating
5 out of 5 stars

Owners have filed 113 complaints with NHTSA about the 2012 Chevrolet Camaro. That ranks 11th out of 23 Camaro model years for complaints. The most reported problem area is electrical system (27 complaints, 24%), typically at around 41,250 miles. Complaints mention 10 crashes, 4 fires, 7 injuries. There are 4 safety recalls covering this model year. NHTSA has opened 1 defect investigation involving it.

Chevrolet Camaro
2010 Camaro. Representative photo; appearance varies by model year. Photo: Nick Ares from Auburn, CA, United States, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

Complaints are unverified owner reports and are not adjusted for sales volume.

Compare with another car

Most common 2012 Chevrolet Camaro problems

Complaints grouped by the part of the car owners reported, with the median mileage when the problem happened.

Electrical System27 · ~41,250 mi
Engine26 · ~63,150 mi
Air Bags22 · ~40,000 mi
Power Train15 · ~8,200 mi
Structure11 · ~17,500 mi
Steering8 · ~18,625 mi
Service Brakes7 · ~3,000 mi
Unknown or Other7 · ~56,839 mi
Visibility/wiper7 · ~56,208 mi
Suspension6 · ~14,164 mi
Problem areaComplaintsShareMedian milesOwners mention mostTypical repair cost
Electrical System2724%41,250——
Engine2623%63,150——
Air Bags2219%40,000——
Power Train1513%8,200——
Structure1110%17,500——
Steering87%18,625——
Service Brakes76%3,000——
Unknown or Other76%56,839——
Visibility/wiper76%56,208——
Suspension65%14,164——
Seats54%82,000——
Exterior Lighting33%44,000——
Fuel/propulsion System33%23,200——
Vehicle Speed Control33%88,000——
Electronic Stability Control (esc)22%150,000——
Equipment Adaptive/mobility22%19,971——
Tires22%3,100——
Wheels22%———
Seat Belts11%———
Visibility11%2,200——

One complaint can list several problem areas, so shares can add up to more than 100%.

Complaints by year received

Peak: 2014, with 17 complaints
2012: 152012152013: 13132014: 172014172015: 992016: 8201682017: 442018: 122018122019: 10102020: 6202062021: 332022: 3202232023: 442024: 3202432025: 112026: 520265

n = 113 complaints · Source: NHTSA

2012 Chevrolet Camaro recalls (4)

Tap a recall to see the problem, the risk and the fix.

Seats:front assembly:power adjustJul 23, 2014 · NHTSA campaign 14V447000 · 414,333 vehicles

Problem: General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2011-2012 Buick LaCrosse, Regal and Chevrolet Camaro, as well as certain 2010-2012 Cadillac SRX, Chevrolet Equinox and GMC Terrain vehicles, equipped with power height adjustable driver and passenger seats. In the affected vehicles, the bolt that secures the driver's and passenger's power front seat height adjuster may fall out causing the seat to drop suddenly to the lowest vertical position.

Risk: If the driver's seat unexpectedly drops, the distraction and altered seat position may affect the drivers' control of the vehicle, increasing the risk of a crash.

Fix: GM will notify owners, and dealers will replace the height adjuster shoulder bolts, free of charge. The manufacturer distributed interim letters to owners on September 11, 2014. The recall began on December 26, 2014. Owners may contact GM customer service at 1-800-521-7300 (Buick), 1-800-458-8006 (Cadillac), 1-800-222-1020 (Chevrolet), or 1-800-462-8782 (GMC). GM's number for this recall is 14271.

Electrical system:ignitionJun 20, 2014 · NHTSA campaign 14V346000 · 464,712 vehicles

Problem: General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling all 2010-2014 Chevrolet Camaro vehicles manufactured December 3, 2008 to May 23, 2014. In the affected vehicles, the driver may accidentally hit the ignition key with their knee, unintentionally knocking the key out of the run position, turning off the engine.

Risk: If the key is not in the run position, the air bags may not deploy if the vehicle is involved in a crash, increasing the risk of injury. Additionally, a key knocked out of the run position could cause loss of engine power, power steering, and power braking, increasing the risk of a vehicle crash.

Fix: GM will notify owners, and dealers will remove the key blade from the original flip key/RKE transmitter assemblies, and provide two new keys and two key rings per key. The recall began August 25, 2014. Owners may contact Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020. GM's number for this recall is 14294. Note: Until the recall has been performed, it is very important that drivers adjust their seat and steering column to allow clearance between their knee and the ignition key.

Air bagsJun 6, 2014 · NHTSA campaign 14V300000 · 31,520 vehicles

Problem: General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2012 Buick Verano vehicles manufactured December 2, 2011 to July, 16, 2012, Chevrolet Cruze vehicles manufactured December 7, 2011 to July 25, 2012, Chevrolet Sonic vehicles manufactured December 5, 2011 to August 2, 2012, and Chevrolet Camaro vehicles manufactured December 1, 2011 to June 11, 2012. The driver side frontal air bag has a shorting bar which may intermittently contact the air bag terminals.

Risk: If the bar and terminals are contacting each other at the time of a crash necessitating deployment of the driver's frontal air bag, that air bag will not deploy, increasing the driver's risk of injury.

Fix: GM will notify owners, and dealers will replace the steering wheel air bag coil, free of charge. The recall began on July 25, 2014. Chevrolet owners may contact GM at 1-800-222-1020. Buick owners may contact GM at 1-800-521-7300. Note: This is an expansion of recalls 12V-522 and 13V-023.

Air bagsJan 24, 2013 · NHTSA campaign 13V023000 · 4,167 vehicles

Problem: General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2012 Chevrolet Camaro, Cruze and Sonic, and model year 2012 Buick Verano vehicles. The driver side frontal air bag has a shorting bar which may intermittently contact the air bag terminals.

Risk: If the bar and terminals are contacting each other at the time of a crash necessitating deployment of the driver's frontal air bag, that air bag will not deploy, increasing the driver's risk of injury.

Fix: GM will notify owners, and dealers will replace the steering wheel air bag coil, free of charge. The safety recall began on February 13, 2013. Owners may contact General Motors at 1-800-521-7300.

To see whether a specific car still has an open recall, enter its VIN on NHTSA's official recall lookup. You can also decode a VIN here.

NHTSA defect investigations

  • Air Bag Non-deployment (RQ13002) — opened May 31, 2013, closed Jul 9, 2014, led to recall 13V023000.

Recent owner reports

Short excerpts of the latest complaints filed with NHTSA, with personal details removed. Full reports can be searched on NHTSA.gov.

The contact owns a 2012 Chevrolet Camaro. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the accelerator pedal was depressed; however, the vehicle failed to accelerate as intended. The contact stated that the engine seized with several unknown warning lights illuminated. The vehicle…

Electrical System · received Jul 23, 2026 · NHTSA complaint 11752387

The contact owns a 2012 Chevrolet Camaro. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed and making a left turn, the contact’s knee hit the ignition key and the vehicle shutoff and drove over into an oncoming lane. The contact was able to restart the vehicle, and the vehicle was…

Electrical System · received Jul 21, 2026 · NHTSA complaint 11751815

I purchased this vehicle July of this year and just drove it to find it pulled extremely to the right. I was told it was an alignment issue which they attempted to fix which seems successful in July coming off the offramp after first time on the highway and applying the brakes, the car shook side…

Structure · received Jul 15, 2026 · NHTSA complaint 11750591

Parking brake failed because crimped stopper at end of cable coming from interior lever failed. The stopper appears to be made of very soft metal and does not have much contact area with wire rope portion of cable. According to the dealership this is a very common failure, however, Chevrolet has…

Service Brakes · received Jun 14, 2026 · NHTSA complaint 11744021

Odometer Fraud. The contact purchased a 2012 Chevrolet Camaro. It was discovered that there was a mileage discrepancy. The vehicle was a private sale. At the time of purchase, the vehicle mileage was 90,480, and at the time of registration, it was discovered that the mileage was 141,510.

Electrical System · received Jan 20, 2026 · NHTSA complaint 11712090

Other Chevrolet Camaro years

← 2011 Camaro · 2013 Camaro →

See all Chevrolet Camaro problems by year, every Chevrolet model, or the Chevrolet VIN decoder.

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Frequently asked questions

What are the most common problems with the 2012 Chevrolet Camaro?

Owners most often report electrical system, engine, air bags problems. The top one, electrical system, accounts for 27 complaints.

Was there a recall on the 2012 Chevrolet Camaro?

Yes, 4 safety recalls. Enter your VIN at NHTSA.gov to check whether the repairs were done on your car.

Was the 2012 Chevrolet Camaro a good year?

Complaint data can't fully answer that, because counts aren't adjusted for sales. Compared with other Camaro model years, the 2012 has more complaints than most years, and NHTSA rates it 5 out of 5 stars overall in crash tests. Always get a pre-purchase inspection and check the VIN for open recalls.