2014 Chevrolet Cruze
Problems, recalls and owner-reported issues
Engine is the leading concern among 702 owner complaints filed for this model year. This is the 3rd highest complaint count among 10 Cruze model years with reports.
Of the 2014 reports, 70 involved a crash and 17 involved a fire. 57 people were injured.
What owners report most often
Recalls and investigations
Air bags, side/windowNov 6, 2025
General Motors, LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2014 Buick Verano and Chevrolet Cruze vehicles. The left and/or right-side roof-rail air bag (RRAB) inflators located on the roof rails above the headliner, may rupture at the inflator weld joint.
An inflator that ruptures may partially inflate the air bag and cause sharp metal fragments to enter or exit the vehicle, increasing the risk of an injury.
Dealers will replace the left and/or right-side RRAB modules, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed December 5, 2025. Owners may contact Buick customer service at 1-800-521-7300 or Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020. GM's number for this recall is N252530830. This recall is an expansion of previous NHTSA recall numbers 23V674 and 23V870.
Campaign 25V764000 on NHTSA.gov
Air bags, side/windowDec 21, 2023
General Motors, LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2014 Buick Verano and Chevrolet Cruze vehicles. The left and/or right-side roof-rail air bag (RRAB) inflators may rupture at the inflator weld joint. This recall is an expansion of Recall 23V-674.
An inflator that ruptures may partially inflate the air bag and cause sharp metal fragments to enter or exit the vehicle, increasing the risk of an injury.
Dealers will replace the left and/or right-side RRAB modules as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed July 22, 2024. Owners may contact Buick customer service at 1-800-521-7300 and Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020. GM's number for this recall is N232425640.
Campaign 23V870000 on NHTSA.gov
Air bags, side/windowSep 20, 2023
General Motors, LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2014 Buick Verano and Chevrolet Cruze vehicles. The left and/or right-side roof-rail air bag (RRAB) inflators located on the roof rails above the headliner, may rupture at the inflator weld joint.
An inflator that ruptures may partially inflate the air bag and cause sharp metal fragments to enter or exit the vehicle, increasing the risk of an injury.
Dealers will replace the left and/or right-side RRAB modules, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed July 12, 2024. Owners may contact Buick customer service at 1-800-521-7300 or Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020. GM's number for this recall is N232408490.
Campaign 23V674000 on NHTSA.gov
Electrical system, ignitionJul 5, 2016
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."
If the key is removed without the transmission in PARK, the vehicle may rollaway as occupants are exiting, increasing the risk of injury.
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.
Campaign 16V502000 on NHTSA.gov
SteeringJul 10, 2015
General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2014-2015 Chevrolet Cruze vehicles manufactured November 8, 2013, to March 12, 2015, and 2015 Chevrolet Volt vehicles manufactured April 11, 2014. In the affected vehicles, the inner tie rod may not be tightened to specification allowing the tie rod to separate from the steering gear.
Separation of the tie rod from the steering gear could result in the loss of steering, increasing the risk of a crash.
GM will notify owners, and dealers will replace the steering gear assembly, free of charge. The recall began on July 28, 2015. Owners may contact Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020. GM's number for this recall is 15386.
Campaign 15V442000 on NHTSA.gov
Equipment, electricalJul 2, 2014
General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2013-2014 Buick Encore all-wheel-drive vehicles manufactured August 23, 2012, to September 9, 2013; Verano vehicles manufactured August 8, 2012, to June 20, 2013; Chevrolet Cruze vehicles manufactured August 7, 2012, to August 16, 2013, and 2012-2014 Chevrolet Sonic vehicles manufactured May 10, 2011, to August 16, 2012 equipped with a Calix oil pan/block heater. In cold temperatures, the insulation on the engine block heater cord can become damaged, allowing the wires to be exposed.
Exposed wires increase the risk of electrical shock and personal injury if the cord is handled while it is plugged in.
GM will notify owners, and dealers will replace the engine oil pan/block heater cord with a new cord that is rated for temperatures of minus 40 degree Celsius. The recall began in August 2014. Owners may contact Buick customer service at 1-800-521-7300 or Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020. GM's number for this recall is 14257.
Campaign 14V417000 on NHTSA.gov
Air bagsJun 26, 2014
General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2013-2014 Chevrolet Cruze vehicles. In the affected vehicles, the driver's front air bag inflator may have been manufactured with an incorrect part.
In the event of a crash necessitating deployment of the driver's air bag, the air bag's inflator may rupture and the air bag may not inflate. The rupture could cause metal fragments to strike and potentially seriously injure the vehicle occupants. Additionally, if the air bag does not inflate, the driver is at an increased risk of injury.
GM will notify owners, and dealers will replace the driver side air bag, free of charge. The recall began on June 28, 2014. Owners may contact Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020. GM's number for this recall is 14305.
Campaign 14V372000 on NHTSA.gov
Power train, axle assembly, axle shaftMar 31, 2014
General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2013 and 2014 Chevrolet Cruze vehicles equipped with a 1.4L turbo engine, and manufactured between November 28, 2012, and March 7, 2014. On the affected vehicles, the right front half shaft may fracture and separate.
If the half shaft fractures and separates while driving, the vehicle would lose power and coast to a stop. If a vehicle with a fractured half shaft is parked without the parking brake applied, the vehicle could move unexpectedly. Either condition increases the risk of a crash.
GM will notify owners, and dealers will inspect and replace the right half shaft, as needed, free of charge. Parts for the remedy are not currently available. GM will send an interim letter to owners in May 2014. A second owner letter will be mailed when parts are available. Owners may contact Chevrolet at 1-866-694-6546. GM's number for this recall is 14079. This is an expansion of recall 13V-452. NOTE: Some vehicles subject to this recall were subject to the recall campaign initiated in 2013. Some of those vehicles were repaired using defective parts. Those owners will be advised that they must have their vehicles remedied again under this campaign and that having the earlier recall completed did not remedy their vehicles.
Campaign 14V151000 on NHTSA.gov
Power train, automatic transmissionFeb 21, 2014
General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2014 Buick Regal, LaCrosse, Verano, and Enclave, and Chevrolet Impala, Malibu, Cruze, and Traverse, and GMC Acadia vehicles equipped with automatic transmissions. In the affected vehicles, the transmission shift cable adjuster may disengage from the transmission shift lever. As such, these vehicles do not conform to Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 102, "Transmission Shift Lever Sequence, Starter Interlock, and Transmission Braking Effect." They also fail to conform to FMVSS number 114, "Theft Protection and Rollaway Prevention."
If a vehicle's shift cable disengages from the transmission shift lever, a driver may be unable to shift gear positions and the indicated shift position may not represent the gear position the vehicle is in. Should a disengagement occur while the vehicle is being driven, when the driver goes to stop and park the vehicle, the driver may be able to shift the lever to the "PARK" position, but the vehicle transmission may not be in the "PARK" gear position. If the vehicle is not in the "PARK" position there is a risk the vehicle will roll away as the driver and other occupants exit the vehicle or anytime thereafter. A vehicle rollaway increases the risk of injury to exiting occupants and bystanders.
General Motors will notify owners, and dealers will inspect and replace any affected transmission shift cable adjusters, free of charge. The recall began on April 10, 2014. Chevrolet owners may contact General Motors at 1-800-222-1020, Buick owners at 1-800-521-7300, and GMC owners at 1-800-462-8782. General Motors' number associated with this recall is 14048.
Campaign 14V092000 on NHTSA.gov
Power train, axle assembly, axle shaftSep 23, 2013
General Motors (GM) is recalling certain model year 2013 and 2014 Chevrolet Cruze vehicles equipped with manual transmissions (MF3/MR5) and manufactured January 24, 2013, through August 1, 2013. On the affected vehicles, the right front half shaft may fracture and separate.
If the half shaft fractures and separates while driving, the vehicle would lose power and coast to a stop. If a vehicle with a fractured half shaft is parked without the parking brake applied, the vehicle could move unexpectedly. Either condition increases the risk of a crash.
General Motors has notified owners. Dealers will replace the half shaft assembly, free of charge. The safety recall began on October 15, 2013. Owners may contact General Motors at 1-800-521-7300. This is General Motors campaign number 13276.
Campaign 13V452000 on NHTSA.gov
Representative owner complaints: engine
233 reports, newest first. Show all
Engine and engine cooling, Mar 1, 2024
The contact owns a 2014 Chevrolet Cruze. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, she heard an abnormal sound emanating from the engine compartment, prompting her to pull to the shoulder of the roadway. After a visual inspection of the engine compartment, the contact observed that the coolant level was abnormally low, and an unknown fluid was leaking. The high engine temperature warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer or an independent mechanic. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure but provided no assistance. The failure mileage was 160,000.
Engine, Fuel/propulsion system, Lane departure, Feb 28, 2024
NOTE: 628 SAFETY COMPLAINTS has been submitted to the NHTSA. Major Complaints submitted by several consumers for the VIN: [XXX] ; 2014; CHEVROLET CRUZE and this vehicle has NOT been removed from circulation. This vehicle should be considered a SEVERE Safety Violation and removed from the road. My son-in-law purchased this vehicle for his daughter back in Aug 2023 and within the first week the car ran hot and couldn't be driven. The car was taken back to the dealer but the dealer refused to take it because there was no warranty added to the purchase. It has been sitting parked because we were told the engine was so bad it should be totally replaced. We're positive the dealer was well aware of the vehicles condition (there was NO visual indication) the vehicle was in such poor condition. The dealer even had an on site mechanic who assured the buyer that the car was in good condition but they both the (owner and mechanic) decided to take advantage selling the car anyway. Can you direct us to whom ever can assist us in getting help in resolving this issue. Regarding the following questions, I feel is irrelevant as all past 628 complaints has been submitted in your system. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
Power train, Engine, Fuel/propulsion system, Feb 15, 2024
The car would randomly stop working while driving. One of the times it stopped, it stopped while driving on the freeway.
Exterior lighting, Engine, Feb 8, 2024
So yesterday night I was at walmart and I had the car idling while putting stuff in the car the interior lights dimmed and there was a rattle that came from underneath the car right after the car stalled out twice, I had interior lights on but no power to the engine just sitting and once I started driving it didn't stall out on highway, but there is a possibility of this happening at a stop sign or traffic light, but again no check engine light, wondering if you can research into this? seems to be a reoccurring situation.
Other or unspecified, Engine, Feb 6, 2024, fire
At [XXX] am on [XXX] the alarm sounded on my car that was parked beside my front porch. I was confused ; as I never locked my car and did not understand why my alarm would be going off. I opened the front door and the front of the car and underneath the engine was in flames. It was burning under the hood and burning and sparking behind the passenger side front tire It was very close to my home so I woke my son and we grabbed a few belongings and went out the back door. I was sure the fire would consume my car and our home. I immediately called 911 and the local fire department arrived and put it out but not before the windshield and all the tires exploded. This could have been deadly. There is absolutely no reason for my car to catch on fire. The police dept was notified and they reached out to me asking if I had full coverage insurance on my car that had burned. Unfortunately I did not. The car was paid for and I had liability insurance so I totally lost my car for an unknown reason. I looked for recalls , I called the Chevrolet company and asked if they could do an investigation but no they did not. There are recalls on earlier models of this car for combustion fires but not this model year. I wanted to sue the company as this was very traumatic and if this car had been in the garage it would have been a terrible disaster. I did not have time or money to spend on a lawsuit at the time I am writing this now because this needs to be on a public forum for other owners of this make and model car. I have lost trust in the Chevrolet company and will never ever buy another GM product. Two years later I still have no answers and nobody seemed to care that my car caught on fire for no reason in the early morning hours while we were sleeping during a rainy cold February morning and had not been driven since 9 pm the night before. Thank you INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
Engine, Jan 13, 2024
i have a feeling their is an issue with the head gasket for many reasons, smoke is coming out of the vehicle of the hood and has a burning smell to it. i checked online and it said some 2013 and 2014 versions of the Chevy cruze have been recalled due to not long lasting head gaskets, and i see how theirs no recalls on the vehicle but it seems theirs an issue with the head gasket and its a 2014 so im assuming this vehicle is a recall. i dont want anything serious to happen to this vehicle as this is my life and i need this car to goto my job and do the things i need to do.
Engine, Jan 8, 2024
PVC issue on 2014 Cruze. You need to include all years and VINs for this issue. Mine has been in the shop for 4 years straight trying to find the engine issue. It is always a PVC and engine runs rough. I can provide years of receipts trying to fix issue.
Engine and engine cooling, Nov 13, 2023
The contact owns a 2014 Chevrolet Cruze. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the check engine warning light illuminated. The contact heard a knocking sound, and the vehicle was not accelerating as intended. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic and diagnosed with a failed catalytic converter. The contact was informed that the catalytic converter needed to be replaced. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and advised the contact to report the failure to NHTSA Hotline. The failure mileage was approximately 119,534.
Engine, Oct 7, 2023
I have had a coolant leak issue with my car, which I bought brand new, multiple times. My mechanic has had to replace the water pump and or fix coolant issues multiple times. It happens every year around the same time. I called Chevrolet a couple years ago begging them to research for a recall. If you look online, there are multiple forums, webpages, and discussions of the same issue with the same make and model. Costing consumers hundreds and thousands of dollars for repairs, repeat repairs. Please address this! Chevrolet offers no help!
Engine and engine cooling, Aug 23, 2023
The contact owns a 2014 Chevrolet Cruze. The contact stated that while the vehicle was parked, there was coolant leaking onto the ground. The vehicle was diagnosed by an independent mechanic however, the cause of the failure could not be determined. The vehicle had not been repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and confirmed that the vehicle was not included in a recall. The failure mileage was approximately 101,000.
Engine and engine cooling, Aug 22, 2023
The contact owns a 2014 Chevrolet Cruze. The contact stated while driving approximately 35 MPH, the vehicle unintendedly accelerated. The contact stated no warning light was illuminated. The contact had taken the vehicle to an independent mechanic who diagnosed and determined that the catalytic converter and the up and down screen sensors needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. Additionally, the vehicle had started to overheat. The contact stated that the temperature gauge was in the red zone. The contact stopped the vehicle and became aware that the coolant reservoir was almost empty. The contact added almost a gallon of coolant. The contact stated that the coolant leaked out onto the driveway. The contact had taken the vehicle to a dealer, and it was determined that the water pump needed to be replaced. The water pump was replaced. The contact had taken the vehicle to another dealer where it was diagnosed with a defective water pump and by appearance the pump had not been replaced. The vehicle had not been repaired. The contact researched online and related the failure to TSB Number: 14371B - Engine Coolant Leak from the Water Pump (Engine and Engine Cooling). The manufacturer had been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was 105,481.
Engine, Fuel/propulsion system, Aug 22, 2023
car lost power
Engine, Aug 6, 2023
Water pump constantly leaking through seap hole weather or not u get a new water pump or not can't get it to stop leaking .ac cut off due to heat engine .it will not stop dripping i have changed water pumps 3 times and it never has stopped dripping this has costed us alot of money and time if ww only new this we would have bought something else.we have been through 2 computers ecm ans a motor replaced this thing has been in the shop every year since we had this car once for 9 months
Engine, Aug 1, 2023
I’m reporting a engine failure in my 2014 Chevy Cruze due to anti-freeze leak I took my vehicle the the Jefferson Chevrolet dealership for repair and they charge me over $3,700 in repairs and then told I had engine failure now my vehicle sitting in the driveway non-repaired. Also being dealing with the dealership every since January 31, 2023
Engine, Jul 31, 2023
The exact scenario discussed in the 2015 NHTSA Service Bulletin No 14371B, also happened to my 2014 Chevrolet Cruze with a 1.8L engine rather than the 1.4L engine referenced. The original manufacturer water pump was confirmed to be the source of the coolant leak by an independent service center. The part is available for inspection upon request. No engine lights went off, I personally observed the leaking fluid on the ground because of the previous incident noted below. These repairs cost thousands and have done an unknown amount of damage to the engine. A previous coolant leak issue was identified 1 year prior with the thermostat housing. This caused a significant rise in the temperature of the car's engine, which ultimately led to the car being unsafe to drive as it would begin to overheat within minutes of beginning to drive. The warning sign "Engine Hot, AC Off" message appeared, the chiming sound was heard, and I was luckily able to pull into my driveway only 5 minutes later. If I had not been close to home, I would have been forced to pull off on the side of the interstate which is exceptionally unsafe and illegal. The alerts did not appear until the engine was on the brink of overheating. This was confirmed by an independent service center and the part is no longer in my possession.
Engine, Jun 29, 2023
On dash it says 1. engine overheated; idle engine 2. A/c off due to high engine temp 3. Fan will spin in high speed and stays on when you turn off the car
Engine, May 9, 2023
both cataltic converters are cracked. There was a recall on some 2014 chevy cruze for higher tempatures in exhaust that might cause this issue.
Electrical system, Engine, May 5, 2023
i believe it is the ignition switch, my car has been chugging or hesitating while driving and you can also feel it when you are sitting idling and while one the park position. i’ve also read that there are several others that own a cruze and have this issue. Sometimes as well you stick the key in the ignition and there is no connection no noise as like it’s trying to turn over you have to continue to turn the key off and on to finally get a connection and sometimes when you drive and then park and turn the key off the car tries to restart by it’s self. i believe these are issues that seriously need fixed by gm or chevy- no one should have to pay the price of a car for this to occur! i also do all recommended maintenance as suggested to my vehicle. i am taking the vehicle to be fixed on 5-9-23
Engine, Apr 12, 2023
When I took my vehicle to the dealer on 2-24-23 they inform me my head gasket failed the my engine wasn’t any good due to overheating the coolant was leaking inside the engine. I took the vehicle to the dealer when antifreeze wouldn’t stay in the reservoir and white smoke from the exhaust and as 4-12-23 my vehicle is still at the dealer.
Engine, Apr 12, 2023
I had tried to enter my address is in Canada not the states… I have had to fix my car couple times and issue has not been resolved as I would get a dashboard warning that the oil pressure is low and to turn off the vehicle. The coolant overheat to the point it’s boiling. There is a recall for this issue however not sure why this vehicle does not qualify as it’s a safety hazard
Air bags, Seat belts, Engine, Feb 13, 2023, crash
Air bags did not deploy in a serious wreck, also with the seat belts not properly securing. First week I bought it. It shut off on the interstate because it was overheating. Ac compressor was broke so it got replace. The fan motor does not spin right. When my air/heater is on my engine make a LOUD noise (since the day I bought it). Cooling system has been replaced 4 times. Overall terrible car and everything needs to be recalled on it. Not safe to drive.
Engine, Jan 24, 2023
Our 2014 Chevy Cruze is once again having the catalytic convertor fail. We took the car in on 12/04/19 as the maintenance light came on and the dealership said the catalytic convertor was failing and needed to be replaced otherwise it would damage the engine. We had it replaced with a "brand new" catalytic convertor at the Chevrolet dealership. Now we are being told by a different repair shop that the catalytic convertor is "failing again". The maintenance light came on about a week ago so we took it in to be diagnosed. Again catalytic convertor failing. This is very dangerous as our young daughter now drives that car and drives back and forth to college. Should this fail and cause the vehicle to stop on a busy highway this will put her and her passengers in grave danger. This is one of many online articles that state a catalytic convertor should last 10 years. If not properly replaced by Chevrolet then we will have to put on the 3rd part in less than 9 years: https://www.cars.com/articles/how-often-should-i-replace-my-catalytic-converter-1420683869829/ Chevrolet gives a 8-year/80,000 miles: https://www.cruzetalk.com/threads/8-year-80-000-mile-warranty.235259/ This is the second replacement of the same part, obviously GM part suppliers are installing sub-par and unsafe equipment on their vehicles.
Engine, Jan 23, 2023
The car was inspected the engine head gasket is failing
Engine, Nov 28, 2022
My vehicle had a leak in the turbo coolant return line also my vehicle ran hot so I couldn’t drive and cause me two days from work. I had the vehicle inspected by an independent service center. Coolant would leak on the ground.
Steering, Electrical system, Engine, Nov 17, 2022, crash
I financed my car through drivetime in june 2019 and from the time i got the car i have been having electrical issues. My car has also been in a really bad accident prior to me purchasing it and when i tried to return it. They just kept telling me to go to pep boys because I had a 60 day warranty to fix any issues. I should not have had to take my car to any mechanic if I got it from a dealership. I now have really mad transmissin issues and I havent even had the car for 3 years. I believe this company sold me a lemon and i dont know how to prove it. I dont have the money to fix all the issues.