2016 Chevrolet Cruze Problems

What owners report

Owners of the 2016 Chevrolet Cruze most often describe engine and cooling-system trouble: coolant loss, overheating, turbo and intake-manifold faults, and in a number of cases a damaged piston or cylinder wall that ended in engine replacement. Electrical complaints are the next most common, covering flickering displays, door locks cycling on their own, key-fob and push-button start failures, and power steering that drops out. Many reports come in the 50,000–100,000 mile range, and owners frequently say the problems appeared gradually rather than after a single event.

1. 1
   Engine

   Coolant loss and overheating (water pump, thermostat, hoses)

   • 54 complaints (22%)
   • median 66,050 mi at 4.8 yrs old (21 state mileage)
   • 3 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • filed 2016–2026

   Owners describe coolant that keeps disappearing, sometimes with a visible puddle under the car and sometimes with no obvious leak in the engine bay. The temperature gauge climbs or an overheating message appears, and several report coolant spraying out or the reservoir running low again within a day. Complaints mention water pump, thermostat housing and coolant hose replacement, sometimes more than once, and dealers often charging a diagnostic fee before repeating the same repair. Some owners note coolant reaching the spark plugs and cylinders after a burst housing. Mostly reported between roughly 55,000 and 100,000 miles, with a few at much lower mileage.

   1 related service bulletin

   What to check: Ask for coolant and water pump service records, check the reservoir level and look for dried coolant residue around the pump, hoses and thermostat housing. Note that a service bulletin addresses flushing the cooling system and replacing contaminated parts when oil is found in the coolant.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “My cars cam shaft was replaced six months ago, and it was still under warranty. Now I'm having a bunch of other issues some of the problems are because the chevy dealership, that replaced it my cam shaft wheel they had to to take parts off and back on to fix it now those parts they took off and now bad plus other bottoms up. It won't keep coolant. …”

   NHTSA complaint #11385959, filed 2020-12, 40,000 miles

   “The vehicle has had overheating issues since I bought it. Repaired it twice and is experiencing problems again. I have changed all components of the cooling system to no avail. I have come across countless complaints about this. Why hasn't there been a recall for this yet?”

   NHTSA complaint #11349365, filed 2020-08, 85,474 miles
2. 2
   Engine

   Turbo, intake manifold and valve cover faults with check

   • 28 complaints (11%)
   • median 67,240 mi at 4.7 yrs old (13 state mileage)
   • 1 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • filed 2019–2026

   Complaints describe the check engine light coming on, often with codes for lean fuel trim or turbo underboost, and a rough or shaking idle. Owners report the intake manifold sensor blowing out, valve covers leaking oil around the spark plugs, and repeated replacement of the valve cover and intake manifold with the code returning soon after. Some say the dealer found a turbo leak but gave few specifics, and others describe poor acceleration or stalling at low speed. Typically reported from about 45,000 to 115,000 miles, appearing at both city and highway driving.

   2 related service bulletins

   What to check: Have a pre-purchase scan done for stored codes and check for oil residue around the valve cover and spark plug wells. Ask whether the intake manifold or valve cover has already been replaced, and note that a service bulletin covers poor engine performance and charge-air-cooler icing in very cold weather.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “My valve cover has went bad and started leaking oil around my spark plugs. Upon further investigation of my own I have found out that this is a common issue for many year models of the chevy Cruze. My valve cover is an updated version of the plastic on the 2015 and older and is now a metal one. I spoke with a local mechanic who informed me he has replaced 75 new valve covers that general motors has built a new valve cover to replace the metal one on my car. …”

   NHTSA complaint #11339423, filed 2020-07, 123,000 miles

   “The intake manifold blew out it's sensor. Not like it just went out, but some how pressure built up and blew it out of the manifold. This is exactly what the representative at the dealership just told me over the phone. Car is at the service department because of the ongoing issues with the turbo and the missing bolts and the fact that this engine was obviously a faulty build, as GM has already acknowledged. I am terrified to drive this car and I still owe on it. …”

   NHTSA complaint #11383926, filed 2020-12, 81,000 miles
3. 3
   Engine

   Damaged piston or cylinder causing misfire and engine

   • 18 complaints (7%)
   • median 90,000 mi at 4.5 yrs old (13 state mileage)
   • 1 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • filed 2017–2022

   Owners describe shaking and sputtering, a flashing stability-control or check engine light, and loss of power or stalling while driving. Diagnosis in these complaints points to low compression in one cylinder, a damaged piston or a cracked cylinder wall, and in several cases the recommended repair was a complete engine replacement. Some report the dealer confirmed the diagnosis while quoting a large repair cost, and others say they were not told about a related service bulletin before purchase. Usually reported between about 60,000 and 100,000 miles, sometimes while driving at residential or highway speeds.

   What to check: Listen for a rough idle and ask for a compression or leak-down test before buying; a scan showing misfire codes on a single cylinder is worth investigating. Ask whether any engine or powertrain work has been done and keep service records.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “Second report I'm making about this cars engine problems the stability track and reduced engine power caused my car to stop on the expressway and I almost hit someone ! Please investigate into this issue their are several people under this post from different parts of the world saying the same thing”

   NHTSA complaint #11396071, filed 2021-02, 60,000 miles

   “I own a 2016 Chevrolet Cruze with <100k miles, no accident history, and no previous issues. I bought the car new from the dealership and have been the only owner. I was driving straight on a residential street (<30 MPH) when the car started puttering and shaking. The car suddenly shut off right in the middle of the road, and I had to swerve to the shoulder to avoid crashing. Upon bringing the car to the certified chevy dealership, we learned the car had a damaged piston and cracked cylinder wall. …”

   NHTSA complaint #11338818, filed 2020-07, 90,000 miles
4. 4
   Electrical system

   Stalling at stops and stabilitrak warnings

   • 59 complaints (24%)
   • median 60,128 mi at 3.9 yrs old (40 state mileage)
   • 4 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • filed 2016–2024

   Complaints describe the car shutting off when coming to a stop, especially with the auto-stop feature engaged, requiring a shift to park and restart. Owners report the stabilitrak or service stability message appearing along with the check engine light, slow re-engagement when accelerating from a stop, and hard or delayed shifting. Some say the dealer called it an intermittent problem and made no repair, or replaced the catalytic converter and oxygen sensors without resolving it. Reported from very low mileage up to about 100,000 miles, often in stop-and-go traffic.

   What to check: Test drive in stop-and-go traffic with auto-stop active and note any stumble or shutdown; ask whether the battery and related sensors have been replaced. Have any stored stabilitrak or engine codes read before purchase.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “Stability of driving is off, idling is hard and slips gears with lack of power and electrical is glitchy. Started when I would drive up hill and dealership called it intermediate problem nothing done. Now its all happening daily. Shift is into the red on RPM lack of power and my head lights flicker and randomly trunk opens.”

   NHTSA complaint #11310093, filed 2020-02, 7,500 miles

   “Car while driving suddenly sputters and stalls. I get an error message saying to check airbags. The locks on the doors will unlock and lock and unlock an lock multiple times while driving. Check engine light comes on. When I pump gas the car wont start immediately it sputters and clicks every time.”

   NHTSA complaint #11321775, filed 2020-04, 80,000 miles
5. 5
   Electrical system

   Power steering loss and electrical glitches

   • 41 complaints (16%)
   • median 55,000 mi at 3.0 yrs old (31 state mileage)
   • 4 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • filed 2016–2026

   Owners describe the power steering cutting out mid-turn or while changing lanes, sometimes together with a stabilitrak warning, an inoperable touchscreen, or flickering headlights. Others report the radio cycling off and on, door locks operating on their own, the trunk opening randomly, and the car failing to start with a "no key fob detected" message. A few reports mention a shorted battery cable that cut power while driving. Ranges widely, from under 30,000 up to about 90,000 miles, and often described as intermittent.

   Recall 16V5020002 related service bulletins

   What to check: Check that steering assist feels consistent at low speed and during parking maneuvers, and test all electronics including the fob, locks, displays and push-button start. A service bulletin covers diagnosing the LIN bus, which several of these symptoms involve.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “Negative battery cable shorted out, failing a main fuse and the starter. Car turned off while driving down I-5. We were able to get the car to restart one time, then once we were to a safe place to pull over turned off the car and the electrical in the car would not turn off (stereo, lights, etc..) push button start in car. Once we finally got everything to turn off the car would not start again and was towed to the repair shop.”

   NHTSA complaint #11375261, filed 2020-11, 80,000 miles

   “I just purchased this car and several times while I'm driving on the freeway the radio shuts of then turns back on numerous times. Then I usually get a stability's error message. Then the best part. The power steering will completely go out while changing lanes or in mid turn. I have been driving through a round about and also while making sharp turns to get on and off the freeway. This is so dangerous! I see that so many people are reporting the same exact problem! Something needs to be done about this! I called onstar 3 times in one trip. …”

   NHTSA complaint #11343767, filed 2020-08, 36,000 miles

Buying note. The most consistent themes in owner complaints for this model year are coolant loss and engine-internal damage, so a compression check, cooling-system inspection and service history matter more than cosmetics. Also test the electronics and steering thoroughly on a test drive, and confirm with a dealer whether any open recalls apply to the specific vehicle.

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.