2013 Chevrolet Cruze Problems

What owners report

Owners of the 2013 Chevrolet Cruze most often describe coolant loss and overheating that recurs after thermostat, hose or water pump repairs, and many complaints involve check engine, StabiliTrak and traction control warnings together with rough running or stalling. A second large group describes intermittent electrical problems, such as the dash going blank, the key sticking in the ignition, and the car shutting itself down and later restarting. Reports arrive at widely varying mileages, from under 20,000 to beyond 150,000.

1. 1
   Engine

   Coolant leaks and repeated overheating

   • 143 complaints (24%)
   • median 89,000 mi at 5.7 yrs old (85 state mileage)
   • 7 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • owner-quoted repair $1,800 (median of 10 quotes)
   • filed 2014–2026

   Owners describe a 'A/C off due to high engine temp' message, coolant level falling every few days, smoke or steam from under the hood and a recurring overheating warning after driving a short while. Many say thermostats, hoses, water pumps and coolant sensors were replaced, sometimes more than once, and the problem returned. Some complaints say the vehicle stalled or went into a limp-like condition when the temperature rose, and that the dealer could not find the cause because the message cleared quickly. Spread from roughly 60,000 to 150,000 miles, with many reports clustering above 85,000 miles; several describe the message appearing within minutes of driving.

   2 related service bulletins

   What to check: Check the coolant reservoir level cold and look for residue or dye trails at the thermostat housing, hoses, water pump and surge tank; ask for repair receipts showing how often the cooling system has been serviced.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “Engine overheating after 10 minutes of driving, car engine used to stop while driving and have multiple repairs to fix vehicle after my mom passed. I have spent over $5,000 in repairs easily for this vehicle and same issue and not even chevy dealership able to fix”

   NHTSA complaint #11355347, filed 2020-09, 123,000 miles

   “My car kept saying AC off due to high engine heat even though my car was not reading hot while driving down the road. Then the car would start smoking and blow a hose and liquid would be everywhere. I had a brand new thermostate put in and it still does the same thing. Also a previous recall about how the tire could seprate tire rod is still doing it again. I had 3 transaxle seals and a transmission seal, a motor blower for the a.c all replaced within the first year (still under warrenty) of owning this car. …”

   NHTSA complaint #11365663, filed 2020-10, 120,000 miles
2. 2
   Engine

   Engine stalling, power loss and rough running

   • 101 complaints (17%)
   • median 88,200 mi at 5.9 yrs old (66 state mileage)
   • 5 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • owner-quoted repair $1,400 (median of 6 quotes)
   • filed 2014–2026

   Owners report sudden loss of power, the engine running poorly with white smoke from the exhaust in some cases, and stalling while driving that is sometimes restarted after waiting. Some complaints point to a failed engine control module or turbo-related parts, and a few describe an engine or catalytic converter replacement. Several say repeated dealer visits and repairs did not resolve the symptom. Mostly between about 60,000 and 145,000 miles, at both city and highway speeds.

   Recall 13V452000Recall 14V1510002 related service bulletins

   What to check: Ask for service records covering the turbo, intake manifold, coils and ECM, and check whether oil changes have been kept up; a road test including a hard acceleration up an incline can reveal hesitation or smoke.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “I have a 2013 chevy Cruze 1.4l turbo. The past month or so when I am driving on an incline or hill it loses power and the traction control light and stability control light comes on and the check engine light flashes. About a week ago I was coming home from class and my car lost power and almost got smashed by a semi and today it lost power and almost got rear ended. Have had several mechanics look at it and they can find the problem.”

   NHTSA complaint #11406347, filed 2021-04, 138,000 miles

   “I was driving on a residential street and noticed my check engine light appear and went and got a check engine diagnosis done and popped as a code p2076 which is the intake manifold tuning valve position sensor/ switch circuit range/performance. Which isn't the first time this has came on. When I first bought the car from the dealership it happened twice before and was covered by the warranty but now I'm surpassed the warranty and just feel like this shouldn't be an issue once again.”

   NHTSA complaint #11405169, filed 2021-03, 106,306 miles
3. 3
   Electronic stability control

   StabiliTrak and traction control warnings with poor running

   • 79 complaints (13%)
   • median 66,500 mi at 4.8 yrs old (58 state mileage)
   • 6 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • filed 2014–2025

   Complaints describe 'Service StabiliTrak' and 'Service Traction Control' messages appearing together with a flashing check engine light, the engine shaking, sputtering or losing power, and the transmission shifting harshly or the vehicle stalling. Several owners report ignition coils failing repeatedly, and some say the dealer found nothing beyond a low battery or replaced the ECM without resolving the symptom. Typically reported between about 85,000 and 140,000 miles, often while accelerating or driving at highway speed.

   What to check: During a test drive, watch the dash for any stability or traction warning and any flashing check engine light, and have any stored codes read; ask whether coils, the battery and the ECM have been replaced.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “I have had nothing but issues with the car since I've had it and fixed everything that was wrong with it the palm Chevrolet dealership that said was wrong with it and yet nothing has been resolved my stabilitrak control service system light came on along with the check engine light as they are flashing. I'm having a very hard time getting traction I have a 1 year old daughter and I don't feel that this car is safe for her. …”

   NHTSA complaint #11328021, filed 2020-06, 140,000 miles

   “This issue has been ongoing since last year. I have been getting messages on my dash with errors such as service traction control/service stabilitrak. The car slows down to 5 speed and it stalls /jerk when driving. This is not safe and I almost got into an accident because of it. This vehicle is not safe. Took my car to the dealership for a diagnosis check and was told nothing showed up but a low battery. I got that fixed and the car is still having the same issue. …”

   NHTSA complaint #11329542, filed 2020-06, 110,000 miles
4. 4
   Electrical system

   Intermittent electrical shutdown and key stuck in ignition

   • 115 complaints (20%)
   • median 44,400 mi at 3.9 yrs old (85 state mileage)
   • 5 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • filed 2013–2026

   Complaints describe the radio screen going blank, warning chimes falling silent, the key staying stuck in the ignition and the car losing all power before coming back to life after several minutes. Some owners say the car started itself repeatedly while parked with the key left in the ignition, and others report that dealers replaced the ignition cylinder or could not find a fault. Reported from a few thousand miles up to roughly 130,000 miles, in parked and driving situations alike.

   Recall 16V502000

   What to check: Try removing the key from the ignition and confirm the ignition and accessory positions work smoothly; ask whether the ignition cylinder or lock components have been replaced.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “At random times, my stereo will go blank, no sound, no blinker sounds, nothing. At the same time, the service traction control, service stabitrax will start flashing on and off. My power steering will cut off as well. This will happen a few times while driving then it will not happen again. Then randomly on a different day, it will happen again.”

   NHTSA complaint #11406478, filed 2021-04, 55 miles

   “I left my keys in the ignition one night, went to bed, and woke up to my headlights turning on and off. I thought someone was trying to steal my car, but when I ran outside, the car was literally starting itself, turning itself off, turning back on, and back off. I'm not sure how long it had been doing that, but then I started it up myself, and turned it off, then removed the keys from the ignition. It was in the park position.”

   NHTSA complaint #11320522, filed 2020-04, 122,000 miles
5. 5
   Steering

   Power steering loss tied to electrical faults

   • 70 complaints (12%)
   • median 45,950 mi at 3.6 yrs old (56 state mileage)
   • 5 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • filed 2013–2025

   Owners describe the power steering cutting out during a turn or while driving, sometimes for around half a minute, and in other reports together with a power steering warning and traction control light. Some say the steering became very heavy or seized while moving, and that the fault was intermittent and hard to reproduce at the dealer. Reported across a wide range, from under 10,000 miles to over 100,000 miles.

   What to check: Test the steering at low speed and full lock and watch for a power steering warning; ask whether the steering column or electronic control module has been serviced.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “For about 5 miles the warning for power steering was on I would like to report this as others are asking for a recall on this at the time I did not have a problem driving but I am concerned if this happens again the traction light was on at the same time”

   NHTSA complaint #10735085, filed 2015-07, 36,900 miles

   “The stability control goes off due to a air leak in the air valve causing lose of steering power which has occured while driving the steering wheel becomes impossible to steer when this happens”

   NHTSA complaint #11348535, filed 2020-08, 103,495 miles

Buying note. A 2013 Cruze is worth a careful mechanical inspection focused on the cooling system, engine and electrical behavior, since owners frequently report recurring problems that were only partially repaired. Ask for full service records, check open recall status by VIN, and budget for potential cooling and engine-related repairs.

Summary written with AI from a sample of 60 NHTSA complaints for this model year (picked at random, with complaints that state a mileage and recent ones taken first), then checked automatically against the source records. Where a problem shows a complaint count, every complaint for this model year was matched with fixed keyword rules (written with AI and tested against the sample), and the mileage, age and repair figures are calculated from those complaints; owners' figures are as stated, not verified. Other counts refer to the sample. The excerpts come from NHTSA's public complaint records and are unverified; capitalisation is normalised, NHTSA staff notes are removed, and shortened text ends with “…”. Something wrong? Request a correction.