Reliable Auto DB

2017 Chevrolet Cruze reliability

Is it reliable?

Owners have filed 201 complaints with NHTSA about the 2017 Chevrolet Cruze over 10 years — 22 per year. The other Cruze years sit at about the same rate: their median is 23 complaints per year. NHTSA has 2 recalls on file, including Fuel system, gasoline and Front seat head restraint.

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

201

Per year

22

Recalls

2

Years on the road

10

What owners report

The complaints owners file most often name Engine (73 of 201), then Powertrain (39) and Electrical system (33). Those filings include 8 that report a crash, 6 that report a fire, and 5 that report an injury.

Next to 2016 and 2018

The 2016 Cruze has 250 complaints, 23 per year, and the 2018 has 109 complaints, 17 per year. The 2017 has about the same number of complaints per year as the 2016. The 2017 has more complaints per year than the 2018.

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 2017 Chevrolet Cruze. How we count. Data as of .

Recalls (2)

Recall Fuel system, gasoline 2018-05-10 · NHTSA campaign 18V304000
Summary 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 vehicles may leak gasoline following a rear-impact crash and a rollover. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 301, "Fuel System Integrity."
Remedy GM will notify owners, and dealers will install a lock-ring on the fuel tank that will shield the fuel tank vapor pressure sensor from damage in a rear-impact crash, free of charge. The recall began June 7, 2018. Owners may contact Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020. GM's number for this recall is 18159.
Recall Front seat head restraint 2017-01-26 · NHTSA campaign 17V057000
Summary 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 been incorrectly welded to the seat-back frame, as a result, in the event of a crash, the head-restraints may not function properly. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 202a, "Head Restraints."
Remedy GM will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the front passenger seats, replacing any with seat-back frames that are incorrectly welded, free of charge. The recall began on February 28, 2017. Owners may contact Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020. GM's number for this recall is 17035.

Complaints by component (201 total)

Engine
73
Powertrain
39
Electrical system
33
Service brakes
18
Structure
16
Fuel and propulsion system
15
Exterior lighting
12
Speed control
10
Air bags
7
Electronic stability control (ESC)
7
Steering
6
Seats
5
Engine and engine cooling
4
Suspension
4
Visibility and wipers
4
Wheels
4
Tires
2
Air brakes
1
Forward collision avoidance
1
Latches, locks, and linkages
1
Seat belts
1
Visibility
1
Show 14 more Show less
Crash-flagged

8

Fire-flagged

6

Injury reports

5

Death reports

0

Complaints filed per year

2201610201721201833201934202015202122202226202316202417202552026
Excerpts from recent NHTSA complaint filings
  • "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."
    Engine · filed 2026-05-20
  • "Recently my car's check engine light and the message "Service Stabilitrak" started coming up on my car, then my car started shaking while idling. I quickly took the car to my mechanic who assessed it, replaced my spark…"
    Unknown or other, Engine · filed 2026-05-13
  • "My airbag light came on. My vehicle has less than 100K miles on it. I took it to the Chevy Dealership that I purchased it from. The dealership indicated that the passenger side rail air bag is the issue. Apparently,…"
    Air bags · filed 2026-05-07
  • "Paint bubbling and rusting alone the car even though it’s washed and is no where near salt never even been hit there are tons of issues with GM paint yall need to fix these and recall every gm car with this issue and…"
    Structure, Visibility and wipers · filed 2026-01-19
  • "Car is currently not drivable due to strong smell of gas coming from under the hood. Findings, gas is leaking into the engine and car will not crank. Diagnostic machine indicates poor fuel to fuel injector causing a gas…"
    Engine, Fuel and propulsion system · filed 2026-01-05

NHTSA crash ratings

Version Overall Front Side Rollover
2017 Chevrolet Cruze 4 DR FWD Early Release 4 stars 5 stars 4 stars 4 stars
2017 Chevrolet Cruze 4 DR FWD Later Release 5 stars 5 stars 4 stars 4 stars
2017 Chevrolet Cruze 5 DR FWD Early Release 4 stars 5 stars 4 stars 4 stars
2017 Chevrolet Cruze 5 DR FWD Later Release 5 stars 5 stars 4 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 1.4L, 4-cyl Automatic (6-speed) Front-wheel drive 30 40 34 MPG $1900
Cruze 1.6L, 4-cyl Automatic 9-speed Front-wheel drive 31 47 37 MPG $2550
Cruze 1.6L, 4-cyl Manual 6-speed Front-wheel drive 30 52 37 MPG $2550
Cruze 1.4L, 4-cyl Manual 6-speed Front-wheel drive 28 39 32 MPG $2050
Cruze Hatchback 1.4L, 4-cyl Automatic (6-speed) Front-wheel drive 29 38 32 MPG $2050
Cruze Hatchback 1.4L, 4-cyl Manual 6-speed Front-wheel drive 28 37 31 MPG $2100
Cruze Premier 1.4L, 4-cyl Automatic (6-speed) Front-wheel drive 29 39 33 MPG $1950
Cruze Premier Hatchback 1.4L, 4-cyl Automatic (6-speed) Front-wheel drive 28 37 31 MPG $2100

Specs and fitment

2nd generation (refresh), 2017–2019
Body styles Sedan, Hatchback
Oil 0W-40 or 5W-30 (1.4L turbo; dexos1) , 4.2 qt capacity
Tire size 195/65R15 to 225/40R18 (trim-dependent)

Known issues for this generation

Recall 20V-668 covers certain 2018-2019 Chevrolet Cruze vehicles among other GM models: the start/stop transmission accumulator end cap may have missing bolts, which can lead to a transmission fluid leak and possible loss of propulsion. Recall 18V-576 covers certain 2018-2019 Cruze vehicles: rear brake caliper pistons may have insufficient coating, reducing rear brake performance.

Compare

Previous year 2016 Chevrolet Cruze Next year 2018 Chevrolet Cruze See every Chevrolet Cruze model year →

Frequently asked questions

Is the 2017 Chevrolet Cruze reliable?

Owners have filed 201 complaints with NHTSA about the 2017 Chevrolet Cruze over 10 years — 22 per year. The other Cruze years sit at about the same rate: their median is 23 complaints per year. NHTSA has 2 recalls on file, including Fuel system, gasoline and Front seat head restraint.

What are common problems with a 2017 Chevrolet Cruze?

The complaints owners file most often name Engine (73 of 201), then Powertrain (39) and Electrical system (33). Those filings include 8 that report a crash, 6 that report a fire, and 5 that report an injury.

Is the 2017 Chevrolet Cruze more reliable than the years next to it?

The 2016 Cruze has 250 complaints, 23 per year, and the 2018 has 109 complaints, 17 per year. The 2017 has about the same number of complaints per year as the 2016. The 2017 has more complaints per year than the 2018.

Has the 2017 Chevrolet Cruze been recalled?

The 2017 Chevrolet Cruze has 2 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 2017 Chevrolet Cruze?

Owners have filed 201 complaints about the 2017 Chevrolet Cruze with NHTSA.

What mpg does a 2017 Chevrolet Cruze get?

EPA-rated combined fuel economy for the 2017 Chevrolet Cruze is 33.4 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.