Selling a Chevy Cruze that won't run

The first-generation Cruze, 2011 to 2014, collected most of the complaints and most of GM's warranty extensions. Run your VIN through NHTSA's recall search before you sell, since a few repairs are still free.

Two generations, both from Lordstown

GM built the first Cruze at Lordstown, Ohio, as a replacement for the Cobalt. Limited production started in July 2010 and full production on September 8, 2010. US buyers got a 1.8-liter four or a new 1.4-liter turbo, and a 2.0-liter diesel with a six-speed automatic joined for 2014. When the new car arrived in 2016, the old one stayed on as the Cruze Limited, sold to fleets and rental companies, without the diesel.

The second generation ran from 2016 to 2019. Sedans still came from Lordstown and hatchbacks from Ramos Arizpe, Mexico. The gas engine was a 153-horsepower 1.4 turbo, and a 1.6-liter diesel came with a nine-speed automatic or a six-speed manual. EPA rates the 2017 diesel automatic at 47 mpg on the highway. The last sedan left Lordstown on March 6, 2019, and Chevrolet now steers sedan buyers toward the Trax.

What goes wrong, and what GM covered

The 1.4 turbo's cooling system, 2011-2014

Engine complaints lead every Cruze year from 2011 to 2017. On the 2012, NHTSA's online search shows 304 engine or cooling complaints out of 849, and 103 of those mention coolant, the water pump, overheating or the thermostat.

GM's answer was Special Coverage 14371B, from January 2015. It covers 2011-2014 Cruzes and 2012-2014 Sonics with the 1.4 engine, where the pump "may leak from the weep reservoir or from the water pump shaft seal." A leaking pump gets replaced at no charge within a decade or 150,000 miles of the car's in-service date, no matter who owns it now. A second program, N202299080 from July 2020, covers a cracked ventilation diaphragm in the 1.4's camshaft cover for 10 years or 120,000 miles; it spans about 810,404 US vehicles across the Cruze, Sonic, Trax and Buick Encore.

Two more extensions apply to first-generation cars: 14232A for electric power steering that sticks and slips (2011-2014, 10 years or 150,000 miles) and 38170 for accelerator pedal stalks that crack (2010-2016, 10 years or 120,000 miles). Time has run out on most cars under all four.

First-generation recalls

NHTSA's file has seven campaigns for the 2011. Three of them deal with steering, shifting and the fuel tank. Recall 11V270 checked a steering shaft bolt that may not have been installed right, which could cost steering on 128,911 cars. Recall 11V273 adjusted shift linkage on 100,308 automatics that could roll away after the driver got out. Recall 12V289 dealt with missing welds on fuel tank strap brackets on 2011-2012 cars.

Two more cover 2011-2012 cars. Recall 12V288 covered 413,148 cars where oil, such as a spill from an oil change, can pool in the engine shield near hot parts and catch fire. Recall 13V360 replaced a switch on 292,879 cars with the 1.4 turbo and 6T40 automatic, because the electric vacuum pump might not run and brake assist could drop out.

For 2013-2014, the right front half shaft can snap and leave the car coasting: recall 13V452 on 3,161 manual cars and 14V151 on 174,046 cars with the 1.4 turbo. Recall 14V372 replaced driver air bags on 29,019 cars built with a wrong inflator part. The 2014's roof-rail air bag inflators can rupture at the weld and throw metal, which has taken three campaigns so far, 23V674, 23V870 and 25V764, each shared with the Buick Verano.

Transmission trouble shows up too: of 723 complaints on the 2011 in the online search, 89 mention the transmission, and one owner says the car won't shift and then jerks back into gear.

The diesels

The 2014-2015 2.0 diesel got two GM extensions of 10 years or 120,000 miles: 29400 for the exhaust fluid tank, whose warning light can come on from a sensor offset, and 16018 for the exhaust particulate sensor, which sets codes P24AE, P24AF, P24C6 or P24C7.

Second generation, 2016-2019

These cars draw far fewer complaints. Recall 18V304 covers 111,966 Cruze LS gas models from 2016-2018 that came with a tire inflator kit instead of a spare: they may leak fuel after a rear crash followed by a rollover. Recall 20V668 checks the start/stop accumulator endcap on 2018-2019 Cruzes and other GM models, 194,105 vehicles, because missing bolts can leak fluid and cost drive. On 2016-2017 cars, water getting into the rear battery tub could ruin the DC/DC converter; GM's two programs for it ended in 2019 and 2021.

Complaints and recalls, 2011 to 2019

We tallied these Cruze rows on October 10, 2026, using the agency's own download files, and left out the two complaints NHTSA files under a 2010 Cruze. A recall can cover more than one year, and some list other GM models.

Should you fix it?

On a compact sedan this age, one big repair can cost more than the running car would bring. Work through it in order.

1. Look for free work first. A recall search on the VIN takes a minute, and a Chevy service desk can say whether any GM coverage still applies.
2. Overheated 1.4? A leaking pump is one part. A warped head or a seized engine is a different job, so get a diagnosis and a written price. Our blown engine guide helps with that call.
3. Won't move? On a 2013-2014, rule out the half shaft recall before you assume the transmission is gone. If it is the transmission, read bad transmission.
4. Compare. Hold the quote up against listings for running Cruzes with similar miles. If the repair would swallow most of that value, selling it unrepaired is the cleaner choice.

Selling a Cruze whole

1. Gather the VIN from the windshield corner, the odometer reading and the car's symptoms.
2. Get an offer online, or call (877) 421-6008.
3. Tell us where it sits, whether it rolls, and if the keys are lost.
4. Leave it complete. Missing parts, like a pulled catalytic converter, change the offer, so mention anything already gone.
5. When it's loaded, the signed title and your ID go with the driver. Plate and insurance steps change from state to state; after you sell lays them out.

No title? See the no-title guide. Looking at other small Chevrolets? Try the Sonic, the Cobalt or every Chevrolet on the site.