2011 Chevrolet Cruze: recalls and complaints

NHTSA lists 7 recall campaigns for the 2011 Chevrolet Cruze. The newest campaign is 16V502000. NHTSA received the report on 5 Jul 2016. The NHTSA record gives the component Electrical System / Ignition. NHTSA has 2 complaints on file for this model year. 2 NHTSA investigations name this model year.

The NHTSA recall file shows no do-not-drive advisory and no park-outside advisory on these campaigns.

This page cannot show if a recall applies to one vehicle. The NHTSA VIN lookup shows the unrepaired recalls of one vehicle.

Remedy of the newest campaign, 16V502000, in the NHTSA record

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.

NHTSA VIN lookup

Complaint information entered into NHTSA’s Office of Defects Investigation vehicle owner's complaint database is used with other data sources to identify safety issues that warrant investigation and to determine if a safety-related defect trend exists.
NHTSA publishes these words. Source: NHTSA Datasets and APIs, section Complaints, read on 1 Oct 2026. Complaint file through 29 Mar 2018. Recall file through 30 Sep 2026.

Since the last update

No tracked figure of this page changed in a data update. What the log tracks

All updates to the register

Recall campaigns

7 campaigns, newest first. 998,952 units in total.

16V5020005 Jul 2016Electrical System / Ignition
13V36000015 Aug 2013Service Brakes, Hydraulic / Power Assist
12V28800022 Jun 2012Engine and Engine Cooling
12V28900022 Jun 2012Fuel System, Gasoline / Storage / Tank Assembly / Mounting
11V2730006 May 2011Power Train / Automatic Transmission / Gear Position Indication (Prndl)
11V2700006 May 2011Steering / Gear Box / Shaft Sector
11V2210006 Apr 2011Steering / Column

16V502000Received 5 Jul 2016. 8,367 units.
Electrical System / Ignition
Defect, in the NHTSA record
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."
Consequence, in the NHTSA record
If the key is removed without the transmission in PARK, the vehicle may rollaway as occupants are exiting, increasing the risk of injury.
Remedy, in the NHTSA record
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.
Report filed by General Motors LLC. Manufacturer campaign number 50490, 50491. Owner notification date in the NHTSA record: 14 Oct 2016.
13V360000Received 15 Aug 2013. 292,879 units.
Service Brakes, Hydraulic / Power Assist
Defect, in the NHTSA record
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.
Consequence, in the NHTSA record
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.
Remedy, in the NHTSA record
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.
Report filed by General Motors LLC. Manufacturer campaign number 12213. Owner notification date in the NHTSA record: 7 Oct 2013.
12V288000Received 22 Jun 2012. 413,148 units.
Engine and Engine Cooling
Defect, in the NHTSA record
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.
Consequence, in the NHTSA record
Either condition could result in an engine compartment fire, possibly causing injury or death.
Remedy, in the NHTSA record
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.
Report filed by GENERAL MOTORS LLC. Manufacturer campaign number 12081. Owner notification date in the NHTSA record: 10 Jul 2012.
12V289000Received 22 Jun 2012. 53,239 units.
Fuel System, Gasoline / Storage / Tank Assembly / Mounting
Defect, in the NHTSA record
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.
Consequence, in the NHTSA record
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.
Remedy, in the NHTSA record
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.
Report filed by GENERAL MOTORS LLC. Manufacturer campaign number 12133. Owner notification date in the NHTSA record: 9 Jul 2012.
11V273000Received 6 May 2011. 100,308 units.
Power Train / Automatic Transmission / Gear Position Indication (Prndl)
Defect, in the NHTSA record
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.
Consequence, in the NHTSA record
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.
Remedy, in the NHTSA record
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.
Report filed by GENERAL MOTORS LLC. Manufacturer campaign number 11142. Owner notification date in the NHTSA record: 17 May 2011.
11V270000Received 6 May 2011. 128,911 units.
Steering / Gear Box / Shaft Sector
Defect, in the NHTSA record
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.
Consequence, in the NHTSA record
This could allow the shafts to separate, resulting in the loss of steering. Loss of steering control may increase the risk of a crash.
Remedy, in the NHTSA record
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.
Report filed by GENERAL MOTORS LLC. Manufacturer campaign number 11149. Owner notification date in the NHTSA record: 23 May 2011.
11V221000Received 6 Apr 2011. 2,100 units.
Steering / Column
Defect, in the NHTSA record
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.
Consequence, in the NHTSA record
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.
Remedy, in the NHTSA record
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.
Report filed by GENERAL MOTORS CORP.. Manufacturer campaign number 11094. Owner notification date in the NHTSA record: 7 Apr 2011.

The campaign number opens the NHTSA record. Each quotation is the text of the NHTSA recall file.

Recall campaign: One recall in the NHTSA recall file, with one campaign number. A campaign can name many makes, models and model years.

Units: The number of vehicles or products that a recall can include. The manufacturer or the firm reports the number to the agency.

Complaints by component

2 complaints, 2 component mentions.

A complaint can name more than one component. Each component that a complaint names is one component mention. This model year has fewer than 50 component mentions, so the table shows the number of mentions only.

2011 Chevrolet Cruze: component mentions in complaints
Component		Mentions
Seat Belts		1
Seats		1

Complaints that report a crash: 0
Complaints that report a fire: 0
Injuries in the complaints: 0
Deaths in the complaints: 0
Date of the newest complaint: 20 Oct 2010

These figures are the entries of the persons who sent the complaints.

Complaint: A report about a possible safety problem that a person sends to NHTSA. This site shows the number of complaints and not their text.

Complaints about the 2011 Chevrolet Cruze, by the year NHTSA received them. The largest year is 2010, with 2 complaints.

Investigations

NHTSA investigations that name the 2011 Chevrolet Cruze
Number	Type	Subject	Component	Opened	Closed	Campaign
AQ12002	Audit query	Chapman Chevrolet / Cruze Engine Recall	Engine and Engine Cooling / Engine / Gasoline	15 Oct 2012	20 Oct 2014
PE12010	Preliminary evaluation	Engine compartment fire	Engine	28 Mar 2012	19 Jul 2012	12V288000

Investigation: A study of a possible safety defect by the NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation. An investigation with no closing date in the NHTSA file is open.

Other model years

The number under each year is the number of recall campaigns.

A year without a link has fewer than 2 campaigns and fewer than 25 complaints. It has no page.

Follow by RSS:Chevrolet recallsVehicle recalls

Official channels

NHTSA VIN lookupNHTSA shows the unrepaired recalls of one vehicle from its VIN or its license plate.
NHTSA: report a safety problemThe NHTSA form for a complaint about a vehicle, a tire, a child seat or equipment.
NHTSA page of the 2011 Chevrolet CruzeThe recalls, the complaints and the investigations that NHTSA shows for this model year.

Cite this page

Recall Register. 2011 Chevrolet Cruze: recalls and complaints. https://recallregister.com/vehicle/chevrolet/cruze/2011/. Source: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation, recall, complaint and investigation files. Data through 30 Sep 2026.

Sources

Source: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation
Licence: US government work, public domain
Recall file through: 30 Sep 2026
Complaint file through: 29 Mar 2018
First complaint in the file: 1 Jan 1995
Manufacturer in the recall file: General Motors LLC

The NHTSA record is the authority. A complaint count is the number of different complaint numbers for the make, the model and the model year. How the register is made. Report an error.

Questions

How many units are in the recall campaigns for the 2011 Chevrolet Cruze?: 998,952 units in 7 campaigns. A campaign can name other models and model years, and its units include them.
How many recall campaigns does the Chevrolet Cruze have for all model years?: NHTSA lists 26 recall campaigns for the Chevrolet Cruze, model years 2011 to 2019. 7 of them name the 2011 model year.
Which component do the complaints about the 2011 Chevrolet Cruze name most often?: Seat Belts: 1 of 2 component mentions.
Is an NHTSA investigation of the 2011 Chevrolet Cruze open?: No. Each of the 2 investigations that name this model year has a closing date in the NHTSA file.