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2017 Chevrolet Cruze: engine and transmission complaints

HIGH COMPLAINT SIGNAL
58%
106 of 182 relevant owner complaints are about the engine, transmission or fuel system

58% of relevant owner complaints filed with NHTSA on the 2017 Chevrolet Cruze are about the engine, transmission or fuel system. That is a model-level pattern, not bad luck.

Worse than 77% of the 1,230 model years we track (2010–2023).

Excludes 19 airbag, lighting and seat-belt recall complaints that would otherwise mask the signal (unadjusted: 53%).

NHTSA data checked September 13, 2026
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Drivetrain complaints
106
engine, transmission, fuel
Total complaints
201
this model year
Fires reported
6
owner-reported
Recall campaigns
2
8 crashes · 5 injuries

Complaints by component

ENGINE73 · 36%
POWER TRAIN39 · 19%
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM33 · 16%
UNKNOWN OR OTHER31 · 15%
SERVICE BRAKES19 · 9%
STRUCTURE16 · 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 2017

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

POWER TRAIN,SERVICE BRAKES,ENGINE08/03/2022FIRE1 INJURED
I should have filed a complaint here after the catastrophic failure. The next time I may not be so lucky and it could cause loss of life. I was driving at approx. 65 MPH on the frwy when bang! An explosion under my hood that caused my car to jump over a lane, I slammed on the breaks, swerved but couldn't push the brak…
POWER TRAIN,ENGINE07/30/20191 INJURED
CAR HAVING MAJOR MISS FIREING AND VERY BAD JERKING BACK AND FOURTH AT HIGH RI RMP.7000 AND DOES IT ALOT WHICH IA CAUSING ME TO HAVE MORE PAIN AND INJURY TO.MY.BACK. AM DISABLE VETERAN. IM IM ALOT OF PAIN AND CAUSINF MY RECENT BACK SURGERY TO HAVE MORE ISSUES DUE TO A @#$%ED UP CAR POOR DESIGN
ENGINE05/20/2026
THE ENGINE HAS EXCESSIVE BLOW BY FROM THE OIL FILLER CAP. HAVING A MISFIRE ON CYLINDER NUMBER 1 AND IDLING ROUGH. THERE ARE SEVERAL THREADS ONLINE CONCERNING THIS ISSUE BEING CAUSED BY WORN PISTONS AND PISTON RINGS.

Three of 106 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 (2)

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…

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

Before you buy a 2017 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.