2011 Chevrolet Cruze Problems, Complaints & Recalls
- Compared with other Cruze years
- Far more complaints than other years 2nd of 10 for complaints
- Safety recalls
- 7 recalls: check your VIN
- NHTSA crash rating
- 5 out of 5 stars
Owners have filed 732 complaints with NHTSA about the 2011 Chevrolet Cruze. That ranks 2nd out of 10 Cruze model years for complaints. The most reported problem area is engine (257 complaints, 35%), typically at around 67,000 miles. Complaints mention 38 crashes, 20 fires, 39 injuries. There are 7 safety recalls covering this model year. NHTSA has opened 2 defect investigations involving it.
- 732owner complaints
- 7safety recalls
- 2NHTSA investigations
- 38complaints mentioning a crash
Complaints are unverified owner reports and are not adjusted for sales volume.
Most common 2011 Chevrolet Cruze problems
Complaints grouped by the part of the car owners reported, with the median mileage when the problem happened.
| Problem area | Complaints | Share | Median miles | Owners mention most | Typical repair cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Engine problems | 257 | 35% | 67,000 | “engine power” (9%) | $590 |
| Power Train problems | 193 | 26% | 57,718 | — | $1,900 |
| Electrical System problems | 96 | 13% | 59,000 | “service traction” (6%) | — |
| Electronic Stability Control (esc) problems | 75 | 10% | 80,000 | “traction control” (29%) | — |
| Unknown or Other | 75 | 10% | 62,758 | — | — |
| Vehicle Speed Control problems | 70 | 10% | 49,000 | “traction control” (20%) | — |
| Service Brakes problems | 61 | 8% | 47,623 | “brakes failed” (16%) | — |
| Steering | 48 | 7% | 55,215 | — | — |
| Air Bags | 40 | 5% | 39,953 | — | — |
| Engine and Engine Cooling | 39 | 5% | 26,206 | — | — |
| Fuel/propulsion System | 37 | 5% | 59,469 | — | — |
| Visibility/wiper | 21 | 3% | 89,250 | — | — |
| Service Brakes, Hydraulic | 15 | 2% | 20,033 | — | — |
| Structure | 14 | 2% | 52,250 | — | — |
| Equipment | 9 | 1% | 400 | — | — |
| Visibility | 9 | 1% | 12,000 | — | — |
| Seats | 8 | 1% | 20,000 | — | — |
| Exterior Lighting | 7 | 1% | 48,000 | — | — |
| Fuel System, Gasoline | 7 | 1% | 12,528 | — | — |
| Tires | 7 | 1% | 18,050 | — | — |
| Seat Belts | 6 | 1% | 43,000 | — | — |
| Equipment Adaptive/mobility | 5 | 1% | 28,686 | — | — |
| Wheels | 5 | 1% | 59,663 | — | — |
| Traction Control System | 4 | 1% | 83,000 | — | — |
| Suspension | 3 | 0% | 55,430 | — | — |
| Child Seat | 1 | 0% | 35,000 | — | — |
| Latches/locks/linkages | 1 | 0% | 65,000 | — | — |
One complaint can list several problem areas, so shares can add up to more than 100%.
Complaints by year received
2011 Chevrolet Cruze recalls (7)
Tap a recall to see the problem, the risk and the fix.
Electrical system:ignition; power train:automatic transmission:control module (tcm/pcm/tecm)
Problem: General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2016-2017 Buick Verano and 2016 Chevrolet Malibu as the electronic park lock lever may allow the ignition key to be removed without the transmission being in PARK. Also, certain 2013 Buick Encore, 2011 Buick Regal, 2013-2014 Buick Verano, 2011-2016 Chevrolet Cruze, 2010-2013 Chevrolet Equinox 2013-2015 Chevrolet Malibu, and 2011-2013 GMC Terrain vehicles may have been serviced with similar defective replacement electronic park lock levers. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 114, "Theft Protection and Rollaway Prevention."
Risk: If the key is removed without the transmission in PARK, the vehicle may rollaway as occupants are exiting, increasing the risk of injury.
Fix: GM will notify owners, and dealers will inspect and if necessary replace the key cylinder lock housing, free of charge. The recall began on October 14, 2016. Owners may contact Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020, Buick 1-800-521-7300, and GMC 1-800-462-8782. GM's number for this recall is 50490 and 50491.
Service brakes, hydraulic:power assist
Problem: General Motors (GM) is recalling certain model year 2011-2012 Chevrolet Cruze vehicles equipped with 1.4L DOHC gasoline turbo engines and 6T40 front wheel drive automatic transmissions and equipped with an electric vacuum pump to provide supplemental vacuum for brake assist, when needed. In the affected vehicles, the pump may not activate, resulting in an intermittent reduction or loss of brake assist.
Risk: A loss of braking assistance will require extra pedal force and/or distance to bring the vehicle to a stop, increasing the risk of a crash.
Fix: General Motors will notify owners, and dealers will replace a microswitch in the power brake vacuum pipe assembly, free of charge. The recall began on October 7, 2013. Owners may contact Chevrolet at 1-800-222-1020. GM's recall number is 12213.
Engine and engine cooling
Problem: General motors (gm) is recalling certain model year 2011 and 2012 chevrolet cruze vehicles manufactured from october 2, 2009, through may 31, 2012. Spilled or dripping oil (such as after an oil change) may collect in the engine shield (bellypan) near hot engine or exhaust system surfaces. As a result, the oil and the engine shield may ignite and burn.
Risk: Either condition could result in an engine compartment fire, possibly causing injury or death.
Fix: Gm will notify owners, and dealers will modify the engine shield to prevent fluid from contacting the shield. Also, on vehicles with a manual transmission, dealers will apply a protective tape to the electronic power steering wire harness. Repairs will be performed free of charge to the owner. The safety recall began on july 10, 2012. Owners may contact the chevrolet owner center at 1-866-694-6546.
Fuel system, gasoline:storage:tank assembly:mounting
Problem: General motors (gm) is recalling certain model year 2011 and 2012 chevrolet cruze vehicles manufactured from october 2, 2009, through may 14, 2012. Attachment welds for the fuel tank strap secondary brackets may have been omitted.
Risk: The fuel tank could come loose in a crash, possibly allowing fuel to leak from the tank. A fuel leak in the presence of an ignition source could result in a fire.
Fix: Gm will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the vehicle for missing welds. If the vehicle is missing welds, dealers will secure the bracket attachments with fasteners. Repairs will be performed free of charge. The safety recall began on july 9, 2012. Owners may contact the chevrolet owner center at 1-866-694-6546.
Steering:gear box:shaft sector
Problem: General motors is recalling certain model year 2011 chevrolet cruze vehicles manufactured from october 2, 2009, through april 21, 2011. The bolt attaching the intermediate steering shaft to the steering gear input shaft may not have been properly installed.
Risk: This could allow the shafts to separate, resulting in the loss of steering. Loss of steering control may increase the risk of a crash.
Fix: Dealers will inspect, and if required, repair the intermediate shaft/steering gear assembly to assure the bolt is fully seated and the shaft properly assembled. This service will be performed free of charge. The safety recall began on may 23, 2011. Owners may contact chevrolet at 1-800-630-2438, or www.gmownercenter.com.
Power train:automatic transmission:gear position indication (prndl)
Problem: General motors is recalling certain model year 2011 chevrolet cruze vehicles manufactured from october 6, 2009, through april 27, 2011 and equipped with an automatic transmission for failing to comply with federal motor vehicle safety standard no. 102, 'transmission shift lever sequence, starter interlock, and transmission braking effect,' and federal motor vehicle safety standard no. 114, 'theft protection.' these vehicles may have been built with a transmission shift linkage that is not properly installed. If the linkage is not properly installed, the prndl shift lever may not accurately reflect the position of the transmission gear. With this condition, the driver could move the shifter to park and remove the ignition key, but the transmission gear may not be in park.
Risk: The driver may not be able to restart the vehicle and the vehicle could roll away after the driver has exited the vehicle, resulting in a possible crash without prior warning.
Fix: Dealers will inspect the transmission shift linkage for correct installation and adjust the shift linkage system free of charge. The safety recall began on may 23, 2011. Owners may contact chevrolet at 1-800-630-2438, or www.gmownercenter.com.
Steering:column
Problem: General motors is recalling certain model year 2011 chevrolet cruze vehicles. During manufacturing the steering wheel could have been improperly fastened and may detach from the steering column.
Risk: Should the steering wheel detach from the steering column while driving, the driver could lose the ability to steer the vehicle, increasing the risk of a crash.
Fix: Dealers will inspect to ensure that the steering wheel is assembled properly. This service will be performed for you free of charge. The safety recall began on april 7, 2011. Owners may contact chevrolet at 1-800-630-2438, or at the owner center at www.gmownercenter.com.
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
- Chapman Chevrolet / Cruze Engine Recall (AQ12002) — opened Oct 15, 2012, closed Oct 20, 2014.
- Engine compartment fire (PE12010) — opened Mar 28, 2012, closed Jul 19, 2012, led to recall 12V288000.
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 2011 Chevrolet Cruze. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds and raising the foot off the accelerator pedal, the vehicle decelerated drastically. Additionally, the vehicle occasionally hesitated while accelerating and failed to immediately accelerate while…
iâm 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 âservice…
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…
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 contact owns a 2011 Chevrolet Cruze. 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 traction control warning light was illuminated. The check engine warning…
Other Chevrolet Cruze years
| Year | Complaints | Recalls |
|---|---|---|
| 2019 Cruze | 23 | 2 |
| 2018 Cruze | 109 | 3 |
| 2017 Cruze | 201 | 2 |
| 2016 Cruze | 250 | 4 |
| 2015 Cruze | 252 | 4 |
| 2014 Cruze | 702 | 10 |
| 2013 Cruze | 587 | 5 |
| 2012 Cruze | 865 | 7 |
| 2011 | 732 | 7 |
| 2010 Cruze | 2 | 0 |
See all Chevrolet Cruze 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 2011 Chevrolet Cruze?
Owners most often report engine, power train, electrical system problems. The top one, engine, accounts for 257 complaints.
Was there a recall on the 2011 Chevrolet Cruze?
Yes, 7 safety recalls. Enter your VIN at NHTSA.gov to check whether the repairs were done on your car.
Was the 2011 Chevrolet Cruze a good year?
Complaint data can't fully answer that, because counts aren't adjusted for sales. Compared with other Cruze model years, the 2011 has far 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.