2018 Chevrolet Cruze reliability

Is it reliable?

NHTSA's file on the 2018 Chevrolet Cruze holds 109 complaints after 9 years, a rate of 17 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 3 recalls on file, including Automatic transmission, Caliper, and Fuel system, gasoline.

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

Complaints

109

Per year

Recalls

Years on the road

What owners report

The complaints owners file most often name Engine (27 of 109), then Powertrain (23) and Electrical system (14). Those filings include 17 that report a crash, 3 that report a fire, 6 that report an injury, and 1 that reports a death.

Next to 2017 and 2019

The 2017 Cruze has 201 complaints, 22 per year, and the 2019 has 21 complaints, 2 per year. The 2018 has fewer complaints per year than the 2017. The 2018 has more complaints per year than the 2019.

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 2018 Chevrolet Cruze. How we count. Data as of 2026-10-16.

Recalls (3)

Recall powertrain, automatic transmission 2020-10-29 · NHTSA campaign 20V668000

Summary General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2018-2019 Chevrolet Cruze and Buick LaCrosse, 2018-2020 Chevrolet Equinox, Chevrolet Traverse and GMC Terrain, 2018 Chevrolet Malibu, 2019-2020 Buick Encore, Buick Enclave, Cadillac XT4, Chevrolet Blazer and GMC Acadia, and 2020 Cadillac XT6 vehicles. The start/stop accumulator endcap may have missing bolts.

Remedy GM will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the start-stop transmission accumulator and replace it if any bolts are missing, free of charge. The recall began December 15, 2020. Owners may contact GMC customer service at 1-888-988-7267, Buick Customer service at 1-866-608-8080, Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020 or Cadillac customer service at 1-800-458-8006. GM's number for this recall is N202313440.

Recall hydraulic brakes, foundation components, disc, caliper 2018-08-30 · NHTSA campaign 18V576000

Summary General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2018-2019 Chevrolet Equinox, Impala, Cruze, Volt and Bolt EV vehicles, GMC Terrain vehicles, Buick Lacrosse and Regal vehicles, Cadillac XTS and XTS Professional vehicles and 2018 Chevrolet Malibu vehicles. The rear brake caliper pistons may have an insufficient coating causing gas pockets to form, potentially reducing rear brake performance.

Remedy GM will notify owners, and dealers will bleed the vehicle's brake system, free of charge. The recall began October 11, 2018. Owners may contact Buick customer service at 1-800-521-7300, Cadillac customer service at 1-800-458-8006, Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020, or GMC customer service at 1-800-462-8782. GM's number for this recall is 18279.

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.

Complaints by component (109 total)

Engine

Powertrain

Electrical system

Service brakes

Steering

Air bags

Fuel and propulsion system

Exterior lighting

Speed control

Wheels

Structure

Suspension

Visibility and wipers

Electronic stability control (ESC)

Seat belts

Engine and engine cooling

Forward collision avoidance

Fuel system, gasoline

Hydraulic brakes

Latches, locks, and linkages

Tires

Show 13 more Show less

Crash-flagged

Fire-flagged

Injury reports

Death reports

Complaints filed per year

Excerpts from recent NHTSA complaint filings

"My 2018 Chevy Cruz has developed a sticky or tacky surface discovered when I was cleaning my interior. I used warm water and soap to clean all plastics. Tried to dry off my dash with paper towels and discovered the…"
Unknown or other · filed 2026-06-18
"Coming to a stop sign or red light the car won’t accelerate or will go in traction control making it difficult to move or not accelerate. Had 2-3 fuel leaks this year also having problems to keep the car going sometimes…"
Suspension, Engine, Fuel and propulsion system · filed 2026-05-09
"The contact owns a 2018 Chevrolet Cruze. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the windshield wiper compartment inadvertently opened. There was a failure with the seat belts. The contact stated…"
Seat belts · filed 2026-03-26
"Unknown. The car seems to stall or slip when accelerating as is misfiring. It cuts off in the middle of the streets after coming out of auto stop mode. Pcv valve keeps popping up as issue. I had the pcv changed o2…"
Unknown or other, Engine, Fuel and propulsion system · filed 2026-03-15
"-The engine experienced internal failure resulting in low compression in cylinder 1. The failure has rendered the vehicle inoperable. The vehicle and engine are currently available for inspection upon request. The issue…"
Engine · filed 2026-02-19

NHTSA crash ratings

Version	Overall	Front	Side	Rollover
2018 Chevrolet Cruze 4 DR FWD	5 stars	5 stars	4 stars	4 stars
2018 Chevrolet Cruze 5 DR FWD	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	1.6L, 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	27	40	32 MPG	$2050
Cruze	1.4L, 4-cyl	Automatic (6-speed)	Front-wheel drive	29	40	33 MPG	$1950
Cruze Hatchback	1.4L, 4-cyl	Manual 6-speed	Front-wheel drive	27	38	31 MPG	$2100
Cruze Hatchback	1.6L, 4-cyl	Automatic 9-speed	Front-wheel drive	30	45	35 MPG	$2700
Cruze Hatchback	1.6L, 4-cyl	Manual 6-speed	Front-wheel drive	29	48	35 MPG	$2700
Cruze Hatchback	1.4L, 4-cyl	Automatic (6-speed)	Front-wheel drive	29	38	32 MPG	$2050
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 2017 Chevrolet Cruze Next year 2019 Chevrolet Cruze See every Chevrolet Cruze model year →

Frequently asked questions

Is the 2018 Chevrolet Cruze reliable?

What are common problems with a 2018 Chevrolet Cruze?

Is the 2018 Chevrolet Cruze more reliable than the years next to it?

The 2017 Cruze has 201 complaints, 22 per year, and the 2019 has 21 complaints, 2 per year. The 2018 has fewer complaints per year than the 2017. The 2018 has more complaints per year than the 2019.

Has the 2018 Chevrolet Cruze been recalled?

The 2018 Chevrolet Cruze has 3 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 2018 Chevrolet Cruze?

Owners have filed 109 complaints about the 2018 Chevrolet Cruze with NHTSA.

What mpg does a 2018 Chevrolet Cruze get?

EPA-rated combined fuel economy for the 2018 Chevrolet Cruze is 33.6 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.