Reliable Auto DB

2015 Chevrolet Cruze reliability

Is it reliable?

NHTSA's file on the 2015 Chevrolet Cruze holds 252 complaints after 12 years, a rate of 20 per year. That is fewer complaints per year than most Cruze years here — under the median of the other years, which is 23. NHTSA has 4 recalls on file, including Ignition, Anchorage, and Steering.

2012 Chevrolet Cruze
Photo by MercurySable99, resized from the original. Wikimedia Commons CC BY-SA 4.0
Complaints

252

Per year

20

Recalls

4

Years on the road

12

What owners report

The complaints owners file most often name Engine (99 of 252), then Electrical system (49) and Powertrain (37). Those filings include 20 that report a crash, 4 that report a fire, and 9 that report an injury.

Next to 2014 and 2016

The 2014 Cruze has 702 complaints, 57 per year, and the 2016 has 250 complaints, 23 per year. The 2015 has fewer complaints per year than the 2014. The 2015 has fewer complaints per year than the 2016.

The complaint rate is complaints filed in this year’s first 3 years on the road, divided by however many of those years have passed. Recalls are a separate count. The numbers are for the US-market 2015 Chevrolet Cruze. How we count. Data as of .

Recalls (4)

Recall electrical system, ignition 2016-07-05 · NHTSA campaign 16V502000
Summary 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."
Remedy 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.
Recall seat belts, front, anchorage 2015-12-23 · NHTSA campaign 15V876000
Summary General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2015 Chevrolet Cruze vehicles manufactured September 24, 2014, to May 29, 2015. In the affected vehicles, one of the driver-side seat belt assembly bolts may not be properly tightened.
Remedy GM will notify owners, and dealers will inspect and tighten the bolts, free of charge. The recall began on January 27, 2016 Owners may contact Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020. GM's number for this recall is 15777.
Recall Steering 2015-07-10 · NHTSA campaign 15V442000
Summary 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.
Remedy 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.
Recall Parking brake 2015-02-27 · NHTSA campaign 15V113000
Summary General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2015 Chevrolet Cruze vehicles manufactured February 4, 2015, to February 9, 2015. The left-rear or right-rear parking brake cable brackets may not have been properly fastened during the assembly process. As a result, the fastening bolts may back out completely, causing the parking brake bracket to separate and the parking brake to not hold the vehicle in place. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) No. 135, "Light Vehicle Brake Systems."
Remedy GM will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the left-rear and right-rear parking brake brackets bolts, tightening them as necessary, free of charge. The recall began in March 24, 2015. Owners may contact Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020. GM's number for this recall is 15135.

Complaints by component (252 total)

Engine
99
Electrical system
49
Powertrain
37
Electronic stability control (ESC)
30
Steering
24
Fuel and propulsion system
23
Air bags
20
Service brakes
17
Speed control
10
Visibility and wipers
7
Engine and engine cooling
5
Seat belts
4
Structure
4
Exterior lighting
2
Hydraulic brakes
2
Visibility
2
Wheels
2
Forward collision avoidance
1
Suspension
1
Show 11 more Show less
Crash-flagged

20

Fire-flagged

4

Injury reports

9

Death reports

0

Complaints filed per year

162015182016272017362018562019292020172021192022192023520246202542026
Excerpts from recent NHTSA complaint filings
  • "It started over heating and I had to replace multiple coolant lines/hoses from the thermostat, heater core, the reservoir, radiator. Ive replace the intake diaphragm. Thought since all the pieces that got hot and…"
    Unknown or other, Engine · filed 2026-09-20
  • "I have replaced my whole engine and the cars fuel system.. my gas was backing into my oil along with the engine failing .. has happened again. This car has been a nightmare and just keeps failing. Strong gas and oil…"
    Engine, Fuel and propulsion system · filed 2026-06-13
  • "The contact owns a 2015 Chevrolet Cruze. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle was leaking oil from the top of the engine onto the drive belts. The contact stated that the VIN was…"
    Engine and engine cooling · filed 2026-01-29
  • "The contact owns a 2015 Chevrolet Cruze. The contact stated that while driving approximately 55 MPH, the “Service Stabili-trak” message was displayed. The warning light turned on and off, and the vehicle suddenly…"
    Electrical system, Electronic stability control (ESC) · filed 2026-01-08
  • "Radiator leaks, car overheated. Looking online it is obvious that a lot of people have had this same issue, so why no recall. It's a peice of crap car, that is dangerous to drive."
    Unknown or other · filed 2025-12-16

NHTSA crash ratings

Version Overall Front Side Rollover
2015 Chevrolet Cruze 4 DR FWD 5 stars 5 stars 5 stars 4 stars

Stars are how this vehicle did in NHTSA crash tests. They are a safety result, separate from the complaint record. Not rated means that test was not run for this version.

Fuel economy

Trim Engine Transmission Drive City Hwy Combined Annual fuel cost
Cruze 1.8L, 4-cyl Automatic (6-speed) Front-wheel drive 22 34 26 MPG $2500
Cruze 1.4L, 4-cyl Automatic (6-speed) Front-wheel drive 26 36 30 MPG $2150
Cruze 1.8L, 4-cyl Manual 6-speed Front-wheel drive 25 35 29 MPG $2250
Cruze 2L, 4-cyl Automatic (6-speed) Front-wheel drive 27 44 32 MPG $2950
Cruze 1.4L, 4-cyl Manual 6-speed Front-wheel drive 26 37 30 MPG $2150
Cruze Eco 1.4L, 4-cyl Automatic 6-speed Front-wheel drive 26 37 30 MPG $2150
Cruze Eco 1.4L, 4-cyl Manual 6-speed Front-wheel drive 28 40 32 MPG $2050

Specs and fitment

2nd generation, 2012–2016
Body styles Sedan, Hatchback
Oil 5W-30 (1.8L); 5W-30 (1.4L turbo where equipped) , 4.2 qt capacity
Tire size 215/60R16 to 225/45R18 (trim-dependent)

Known issues for this generation

Recall 12V-288 covers certain 2011-2012 Chevrolet Cruze vehicles: spilled or dripping oil may collect in the engine shield near hot surfaces and ignite. Recall 13V-360 covers certain 2011-2012 Cruze vehicles with the 1.4L turbo and electric vacuum brake assist pump: the pump may not activate, reducing brake assist on some starts. Recall 14V-151 covers certain 2013-2014 Cruze vehicles with the 1.4L turbo: the right front half shaft may fracture and separate.

Compare

Previous year 2014 Chevrolet Cruze Next year 2016 Chevrolet Cruze See every Chevrolet Cruze model year →

Frequently asked questions

Is the 2015 Chevrolet Cruze reliable?

NHTSA's file on the 2015 Chevrolet Cruze holds 252 complaints after 12 years, a rate of 20 per year. That is fewer complaints per year than most Cruze years here — under the median of the other years, which is 23. NHTSA has 4 recalls on file, including Ignition, Anchorage, and Steering.

What are common problems with a 2015 Chevrolet Cruze?

The complaints owners file most often name Engine (99 of 252), then Electrical system (49) and Powertrain (37). Those filings include 20 that report a crash, 4 that report a fire, and 9 that report an injury.

Is the 2015 Chevrolet Cruze more reliable than the years next to it?

The 2014 Cruze has 702 complaints, 57 per year, and the 2016 has 250 complaints, 23 per year. The 2015 has fewer complaints per year than the 2014. The 2015 has fewer complaints per year than the 2016.

Has the 2015 Chevrolet Cruze been recalled?

The 2015 Chevrolet Cruze has 4 recalls on file with NHTSA. See the recalls table on this page for dates, components, and remedies.

How many complaints have owners filed about the 2015 Chevrolet Cruze?

Owners have filed 252 complaints about the 2015 Chevrolet Cruze with NHTSA.

What mpg does a 2015 Chevrolet Cruze get?

EPA-rated combined fuel economy for the 2015 Chevrolet Cruze is 29.9 MPG. See the fuel economy table on this page for city and highway figures by engine and transmission.

When did Chevrolet stop selling the Cruze in the US?

The US catalog ends with the 2019 model year.

What engine oil does a Chevrolet Cruze use?

5W-30 (1.8L); 5W-30 (1.4L turbo where equipped)

What does NHTSA recall 12V-288 cover on the Chevrolet Cruze?

Recall 12V-288 covers certain 2011-2012 Chevrolet Cruze vehicles: spilled or dripping oil may collect in the engine shield near hot surfaces and ignite.