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2016 Chevrolet Cruze: engine and transmission complaints

VERY HIGH COMPLAINT SIGNAL
63%
140 of 222 relevant owner complaints are about the engine, transmission or fuel system

63% of relevant owner complaints filed with NHTSA on the 2016 Chevrolet Cruze are about the engine, transmission or fuel system. Well over half of everything owners reported is the drivetrain. That is a severe model-level pattern; every model year we track at this level has a documented failure behind it.

Worse than 84% of the 1,230 model years we track (2010–2023).

Excludes 27 airbag, lighting and seat-belt recall complaints that would otherwise mask the signal (unadjusted: 56%).

NHTSA data checked September 13, 2026
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Drivetrain complaints
140
engine, transmission, fuel
Total complaints
249
this model year
Fires reported
6
owner-reported
Recall campaigns
4
19 crashes · 14 injuries

Complaints by component

ENGINE102 · 41%
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM58 · 23%
UNKNOWN OR OTHER43 · 17%
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM35 · 14%
POWER TRAIN31 · 12%
AIR BAGS21 · 8%

The years either side

2010
too few complaints
2011
64%
443 of 732
2012
50%
412 of 865
2013
61%
325 of 586
2014
53%
323 of 702
2015
57%
131 of 251
2016
63%
140 of 249
2017
58%
106 of 201
2018
52%
49 of 109
2019
too few complaints
2020
no data
2021
no data
2022
no data
2023
no data

Manufacturers fix things mid-generation. A bad year next to a clean one is common; the fix usually arrived in between.

Cleaner alternatives

Other compact cars with no elevated signal in 2016

The percentage is each model year's drivetrain complaint share. No elevated signal describes the model year, not any one car; a well-kept example of a flagged model can still be the right buy, and any of these still needs an inspection.

What owners reported

STEERING,VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL,ENGINE02/13/2021CRASH1 INJURED
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
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM02/08/2017CRASH1 INJURED
APPROACHED A CURVE IN ROAD AT APPROXIMATELY 50MPH, TOOK FOOT OFF THE GAS AND ACCELERATOR DID NOT DISENGAGE AND CONTINUED AT FULL SPEED SO FAST COULD NOT NEGOTIATE THE CURVE AND WENT OFF THE CURVE AND CRASHED INTO RAVINE BELOW. THIS OCCURED ONE DAY AFTER THE CAR HAD BEEN SERVICED BY A GM GARAGE ON 1/31/17 ABOUT A COMP…
SERVICE BRAKES,ENGINE,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM08/27/2026
car has been overheating run while i take the keys out doors will lock with keys in the ignition lots of lights will come on car will slow way down constantly adding antifreeze in it heat and air will stop working i have had trouble ever since i bought this a year ago

Three of 140 drivetrain complaints. The full report shows more, with quotes about the engine in the car you are looking at first.

Recall campaigns on this model year (4)

FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE
General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2016-2018 Chevrolet Cruze LS vehicles, equipped with a gasoline engine and a tire inflator kit instead of a spare tire. The …
SEATS:FRONT ASSEMBLY:HEAD RESTRAINT
General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2016-2017 Chevrolet Cruze vehicles. A bracket used in the driver or front passenger seat-back recliner mechanism may have be…
EXTERIOR LIGHTING:HEADLIGHTS
General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2016 Cruze vehicles manufactured November 5, 2015, to May 26, 2016. The headlight assemblies are not marked with …

This does not say whether a particular car has an open, unrepaired recall. That depends on the VIN.

Before you buy a 2016 Chevrolet Cruze

Have the VIN?Paste it and get the full report for that car. First report free, then a 30-day pass covers a whole car search.

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Experimental model-level information. This is not a vehicle inspection, vehicle-history report, financial advice or purchase recommendation. It describes patterns across a model year, not the condition of any individual vehicle. Combined across 2 body styles NHTSA files separately.