2011 Chevrolet CRUZE - Ratings, Complaints and Recalls

The 2011 Chevrolet Cruze receives a top safety rating of 5 out of 5 according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). This car excels in all crash test categories including front and side crashes, as well as rollover protection. Additionally, it is equipped with standard electronic stability control for enhanced safety on the road. However, it does not feature forward collision warning or lane departure warning systems.

Despite its high safety rating, it is important to note that this model has received a notable number of complaints, totaling 709, and has been subject to 7 recalls. These numbers indicate that while the Chevrolet Cruze is highly rated for safety, there have been issues reported by consumers that potential buyers should take into consideration.

auto generated summary, may be inaccurate.

Top stats at a glance

Complaint Count

709

Recall Count

7

Investigation Count

2

Safety Rating

5/5

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Safety Features

2011 Chevrolet Cruze 4 DR FWD Safety Features

Here are the safety features that come as standard on the 2011 Chevrolet Cruze 4 DR FWD

Electronic Stability Control (ESC)

ESC is an advanced safety feature in vehicles designed to help drivers maintain control during challenging driving conditions. By continuously monitoring various factors such as steering angle, vehicle speed, and individual wheel speeds, ESC can detect and reduce the risk of skidding or loss of control. It achieves this by automatically applying brakes to specific wheels to stabilize the vehicle.

Standard
Forward Collision Warning (FCW)

Forward Collision Warning (FCW) is a safety feature in vehicles that helps prevent frontal collisions by alerting the driver of an imminent collision with a vehicle or obstacle ahead. Using sensors such as radar or cameras, FCW monitors the distance and speed of vehicles in front, and if it detects a potential collision, it provides visual and/or auditory warnings to prompt the driver to take evasive action.

No
Lane Departure Warning (LDW)

Lane Departure Warning (LDW) is a safety feature in vehicles that alerts drivers when their vehicle unintentionally drifts out of its lane without signaling. Utilizing cameras or sensors to monitor lane markings on the road, LDW detects when the vehicle crosses these lines and triggers visual, auditory, or haptic alerts to notify the driver of potential lane departure.

No

2011 Chevrolet Cruze 4 DR FWD Safety Ratings

Here we have the crash and rollover ratings for the 2011 Chevrolet Cruze 4 DR FWD Where possible we've included the ratings for the oldest and latest models of this car so you can compare how the safety ratings have changed over time.

Frontal Crash Ratings

Combines Driver and Passenger star ratings into a single frontal rating. The frontal barrier test simulates a head-on collision between two similar vehicles, each moving at 35 mph.

Test 2011 Score 2019 Score
Overall Front Crash Rating 5 5
Front Crash Driver Side Rating 5 5
Front Crash Passenger Side Rating 5 5

Side Crash Ratings

Combines Side Barrier and Side Pole Star Ratings into a single side rating.

Test 2011 Score 2019 Score
Overall Side Crash Rating 5 5
Side Crash Drivers Side Rating 5 5
Side Crash Passenger Side Rating 5 4
Combined Side Barrier Pole Rating - Front 5 5
Combined Side Barrier Pole Rating - Rear 5 4
Overall Side Barrier Rating 5 5

Rollover Ratings

The Rollover Resistance test measures the risk of rollover in a single-vehicle, loss-of-control scenario.

Test 2011 Score 2019 Score
Rollover Rating 4 4
Rollover Possibility % 0% 0%
Dynamic Tip Result No Tip No Tip
Side Pole Crash Rating 5 5

Complaints for the 2011 Chevrolet CRUZE

This chart show the number of complaints for each car component. A Higher number of complaints could indicate that this car might have a common fault. Something to look out for when purchasing one.

Component Complaints

Choose a component to see what complaints people have made about them.

Complaint:
"september 21, 2023 had taken my 2011 chevy cruze to a service center because i noticed an oil leak on my garage floor. the service center replaced the intake manifold cover. yesterday october 25, 2023 major oil leak, had to pull over, engine was smoking badly. popped the hood and there was oil all over cover and most components around this area. i was told by a few good samaritans that this oil leaking could potentially cause a fire. no warning lights, only a bad smell and seeing smoke."
Components Involved: ENGINE
Date of incident: 2025-01-10
Complaint:
"the contact owns a 2011 chevrolet cruze. the contact stated that while driving approximately 35 mph, the vehicle started vibrating. the contact took the vehicle to a certified mechanic who changed the engine oil however, the failure persisted. the contact was informed that there might be an engine failure. the vehicle had not been repaired. the manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. the approximate failure mileage was 95,000."
Components Involved: ENGINE
Date of incident: 2021-11-03
Complaint:
"engine failed due to coolant system failure."
Components Involved: ENGINE
Date of incident: 2023-06-01
Complaint:
"engine light and p2099 waste gate actuator pin on the turbo of the cruze has malfunctioned. there was a recall for this exact issue and my vehicle year was included but not my vin number. i have less than 95,000 miles on the car and this part should also be recalled on my vehicle as well. many issues with the car: replaced water pump, replaced hoses, constant smell of coolant that dealership claims doesn't exist. please help! car is not driveable now. https://static.nhtsa.gov/odi/tsbs/2018/mc-10145482-9999.pdf"
Components Involved: ENGINE
Date of incident: 2022-04-07
Complaint:
"valve cover, i’ve had the valve cover replaced 3 times, an yet it keeps needing replaced an oil is getting all over my engine."
Components Involved: ENGINE
Date of incident: 2024-02-08
Complaint:
"i have an oil leak coming from the valve cover gasket ,,it is a brand new genuine cover and gasket so oil is falling on the drive belt which breaks pretty quickly while driving i heard that it might be an issue with the pcv check valve inside the manifold apparently many customers complaints about this issue and no recall yet"
Components Involved: ENGINE
Date of incident: 2022-10-12
Complaint:
"the contact owns a 2011 chevrolet cruze. the contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, there was smoke coming from under the hood and a burning odor was detected. the vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic and diagnosed with oil leakage from the valve cover gasket. the vehicle was not repaired. the contact scheduled an upcoming appointment for diagnosis with the dealer. the vehicle had a manufacturer recall n202299080 (special coverage camshaft cover replacement) performed in 2019. however, the failure recurred. the manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. the failure mileage was approximately 148,000."
Components Involved: ENGINE
Date of incident: 2022-08-10
Complaint:
"the car overheated out of nowhere. oil busted out of the compartment it’s supposed to be held in and got all over my mechanical parts inside the vehicle. my car caught on fire from the bottom where the engine and transmission are. the car started rattling and giving me warnings to get out of the vehicle because the vehicle was unsafe. it gave me the warning that the engine is idle, engine locked up, and also an coolant issue. the car didn’t have issues before this. i literally had to jump out of the car with my family. the warning light for the engine and coolant came on. there hasn’t been in problems prior to this other than changing a sensor. the insurance was notified and don’t have a solution. we’re trying to figure out what to do because it’s not driveable. going to contact chevy dealer or gm as well."
Components Involved: ENGINE
Date of incident: 2023-01-05
Complaint:
"after i did an oil change on my car it began to leak a little and build up on the undercarriage shield of the car then leaving a small puddle"
Components Involved: ENGINE
Date of incident: 2021-06-02
Complaint:
"engine blew on the freeway with everything being looked at and topped off the day before"
Components Involved: ENGINE
Date of incident: 2021-04-10

Recalls for the 2011 Chevrolet CRUZE

Component Recalls

Choose a component to see what recalls people have made about them.

Recall:
"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:
If the key is removed without the transmission in PARK, the vehicle may rollaway as occupants are exiting, increasing the risk of injury.
Remedy:

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.

Component(s) Involved: ELECTRICAL SYSTEM > IGNITION
Date of incident: 2016-07-05

CHEVROLET Overall Complaint Ranking

This table shows the ranking of car manufacturers when it comes to most complaints and recalls. The manufacturer with the most complaints is at the top. However this doesn't necassarily mean they should be avoided. Some manufacturers might just have more popular or affordable cars which a lot of people have bought. Which means there's more scope for a complaint to be made. Use the ranking table below as a part your wider research into buying a car.

CHEVROLET ranks 2 out of 44 in the complaints ranking table.

Manufacturer Complaint Count Recall Count Ranking
FORD 208,358 3,259 1
CHEVROLET 111,306 2,082 2
TOYOTA 81,019 1,852 3
HONDA 61,937 1,268 4
NISSAN 56,226 930 5
DODGE 45,756 827 6
HYUNDAI 44,150 649 7
GMC 34,441 1,410 8
KIA 29,832 501 9
CHRYSLER 27,698 254 10
TESLA 26,230 730 11
BMW 24,890 1,877 12
VOLKSWAGEN 23,125 829 13
MERCEDES-BENZ 19,066 2,925 14
SUBARU 18,513 703 15
MAZDA 10,599 364 16
PONTIAC 10,430 138 17
CADILLAC 9,434 444 18
AUDI 7,865 1,093 19
BUICK 7,851 279 20
SATURN 7,672 84 21
MERCURY 7,374 135 22
LEXUS 6,373 408 23
LINCOLN 5,897 423 24
ACURA 5,722 382 25
MINI 5,585 366 26
INFINITI 4,000 187 27
MITSUBISHI 3,912 397 28
VOLVO 3,875 727 29
PORSCHE 2,646 1,231 30
SUZUKI 2,272 123 31
FIAT 2,205 80 32
SAAB 1,536 76 33
JAGUAR 1,195 198 34
SMART 528 17 35
GENESIS 436 42 36
ISUZU 249 37 37
ALFA ROMEO 161 37 38
MASERATI 76 46 39
BENTLEY 46 159 40
POLESTAR 42 2 41
LUCID 14 6 42
CODA 4 2 43
MAYBACH 0 0 44

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