Radio is turning on and off. Stabilitytrak control light comes on power steering give out and brakes
2012 Chevrolet Cruze steering problems
severe 103 complaints filed with NHTSA · avg repair $700 · see steering across all vehicles →
Failure mileage
Complaints
103
Recalls
0
Avg fix
$700
7crashes
1fire
What stands out
Of the 8 model years of Chevrolet Cruze we track for steering problems, this one carries the most owner complaints on file — 103.
Owners have filed 103 steering complaints with NHTSA against this vehicle, but no formal recall covers the issue — the federal record reflects what manufacturers have admitted, not everything owners are reporting.
The failure pattern owners describe
Buyer takeaway: The 2012 Chevrolet Cruze has documented electrical and power steering issues that can strike without warning—radio flickering, steering lockup, and total loss of power while driving are real hazards owners report. Dealers often cannot reproduce or fix these intermittent faults, leaving you with an unreliable and potentially unsafe vehicle even after multiple repair attempts.
The 2012 Cruze steering and electrical system shows a pattern of critical failures that dealers struggle to diagnose and repair. The most dangerous: sudden loss of power steering assist while driving, often at highway speeds, accompanied by warning lights and sometimes complete electrical shutdown. Owners describe the steering wheel locking up or becoming nearly immovable, with power restored only after stopping and restarting or waiting 5–20 minutes.
Radio and dashboard light flickering—triggered by turn signals, defogger, or window switches—cascades into failure of traction control, stability control, ABS, and turn signals. These episodes repeat throughout a drive and sometimes leave the vehicle unable to restart for 30–60 minutes.
A smaller but severe failure: complete electrical shutdown, killing engine and all systems mid-drive. The vehicle comes back to life after a wait, no codes thrown.
Chevrolet's Service Bulletin 14311B (June 2015) identifies the negative battery cable terminal crimp as a culprit in 2011–2015 Cruze models, causing voltage drops. Cable replacement has been tried repeatedly across owner complaints but often does not permanently solve the problem. Dealers diagnose and repair the same vehicles multiple times without fixing the root cause, citing inability to reproduce intermittent faults. One owner experienced a steering gear failure at 51,000 miles that recurred after replacement—a sign the issue may be systemic, not a one-off part defect.
Same Chevrolet Cruze steering reports on nearby years: 2011 · 2013 · 2014 · 2015
Failure modes owners describe
Intermittent power steering loss with dashboard warnings
Power steering assist suddenly cuts out, often accompanied by 'SERVICE POWER STEERING' and 'SERVICE STABILITRAK' warning lights on the dash. Drivers report the steering wheel becomes very hard to turn or nearly locks up. Power is often restored after turning the vehicle off and restarting, or after waiting 5-20 minutes.
When: Intermittent, reported throughout ownership; some owners cite early mileage (under 5,000 miles), others report issues at 40,000+ miles
Symptoms owners cite: Power steering assist suddenly lost while driving; Steering wheel becomes hard to turn or locks up; Service Power Steering warning message displayed; Service Stabilitrak warning message displayed; Power restored after restart or waiting period
Codes mentioned: SERVICE POWER STEERING, SERVICE STABILITRAK, SERVICE TRACTION CONTROL, C0800
Repairs/costs cited: Dealers have replaced power steering modules, rack and pinion steering, power steering harness, and ECU reprogramming; battery cables replaced in some cases. Chevrolet Service Bulletin 14311B (SB-10057574-8899, June 2015) addresses negative battery cable terminal crimp issue in 2011–2015 Cruze vehicles causing insufficient power to electrical systems.
Recalls/TSBs owners mention: Service Bulletin 14311B describes the condition and its effects; special service coverage mentioned in some narratives; warranty extensions offered for some owners; dealer diagnosis often inconclusive as issue is intermittent and does not consistently produce diagnostic codes
Radio and dashboard electrical flickering with cascading system failures
Radio and dashboard lights flicker on and off intermittently, often triggered by using turn signals, windshield defogger, or other electrical accessories. During these episodes, multiple vehicle systems fail: traction control, stability control, ABS, turn signals lose their click sound, interior lights flicker, and power steering may be lost.
When: Reported from a few months after purchase to later in ownership; one owner reported it starting within 2-3 weeks of purchase
Symptoms owners cite: Radio flickers on and off; Dashboard lights flicker; Service Stabilitrak and Service Traction Control warnings flash; Turn signal clicks stop; Interior and exterior lights flicker or dim; Hazard lights and brake lights fail; Power steering lost during episodes; Cruise control disabled during episodes; Door locks cycle on their own; Wipers activate on their own
Codes mentioned: SERVICE STABILITRAK, SERVICE TRACTION CONTROL, SERVICE ABS, SERVICE POWER STEERING, C0800 (high voltage code)
Repairs/costs cited: Battery cables (especially negative terminal crimp) replaced in multiple cases; ECU reprogrammed; body control module (BCM) replaced; engine control module replaced. One owner noted voltage fluctuation 12.9–15.2V while driving or at stop. Dealers report this is a common issue across multiple 2012 Cruze units.
Recalls/TSBs owners mention: Service Bulletin 14311B (SB-10057574-8899) addresses insufficient crimp at negative battery terminal; owners report dealers unable to reproduce issue when examined; no permanent fix achieved in many cases despite multiple repair attempts
Complete electrical shutdown while driving
Vehicle loses all electrical power while driving, including engine, dashboard, lights, power steering, and brakes. Vehicle typically becomes driveable again after 5–15 minutes of waiting or after the battery is disconnected and reconnected.
When: Intermittent, reported on highway drives and in traffic; one owner stranded at a store; another stranded on vacation
Symptoms owners cite: Complete loss of all electrical power; Engine shuts off mid-drive; Dashboard goes dark; Headlights and brake lights turn off; Power steering lost; Power to brakes reduced; Vehicle uncontrollable until it stops; Vehicle restarts after 5–15 minute wait with no intervention needed
Codes mentioned: SERVICE ANTI THEFT DETERRENT (displayed before/after episodes)
Repairs/costs cited: No permanent repair achieved in documented cases; dealers leave vehicle for multiple days without finding root cause; battery is often new or recently checked with no corrosion observed; all fuses checked and found operable; OBD scanner found no codes
Recalls/TSBs owners mention: Dealers unable to duplicate problem; no recalls issued for electrical system as of narratives' dates
Steering wheel sticking or notching with erratic path correction
While driving straight, especially at highway speeds (40–70 mph), the steering wheel intermittently 'sticks' or catches in center position or feels like it has a 'dead spot.' When the driver makes a correction, the steering suddenly releases and jerks the vehicle off course. Some owners report the vehicle drifts and then over-corrects with a sudden jerk.
When: Reported throughout ownership; some owners cite onset after oil pan recall work (approximately 6,000 miles after recall); happens intermittently, sometimes only once per month or less frequently
Symptoms owners cite: Steering wheel sticks or catches while driving straight; Feeling of dead spot in steering response; Vehicle drifts when steering is stuck; Sudden jerking when steering releases; Difficult to hold steady, smooth track at highway speeds; Over-correction to opposite direction; Twitching or pulling 1/8–1/4 inch to one side every 10 seconds; Steering may exhibit sticking while stationary
Codes mentioned: SERVICE POWER STEERING (displayed at 12,000 miles in one case, but no stored codes found)
Repairs/costs cited: Power steering gear replaced in one case at 51,000 miles for $1,348; replacement gear failed again with same symptom; alignment checked and found within spec; dealers unable to reproduce issue or find fault
Recalls/TSBs owners mention: One owner received letter about special coverage warranty extension but dealership refused to fix due to inability to reproduce; no recall issued; one dealer stated no TSBs or recalls in effect for this issue
Engine compartment fire due to oil leak
Owner reported strong burning smell and light smoke coming from under the hood for 6–8 days. Oil level dropped visibly. After continuing to drive for several more days, smoke became thicker and white. Owner eventually observed flames coming from the engine bay and used baking soda to suppress the fire.
When: Approximately 3–4 months into ownership; owner had been off work and could not afford mechanic until first paycheck
Symptoms owners cite: Strong burning smell from engine compartment; Light smoke coming from under hood; Smoke increasing in thickness over days; Oil level dropping noticeably; Flames visible in engine bay
Repairs/costs cited: No repair documented; owner unwilling to drive vehicle after fire. Neighbor observed oil leak origin but owner declined temporary patch. Scheduled mechanic visit for 2 days after fire incident.
Steering wheel locking up with power steering failure on highway
While driving at highway speeds, power steering assist fails and the steering wheel locks up or becomes extremely difficult to turn, requiring significant physical force. Accompanied by 'SERVICE POWER STEERING' warning light. Issue persists for several minutes or until the vehicle is stopped and restarted.
When: Reported at highway speeds (50–75 mph); one owner experienced it at 5 mph while attempting left turn; some early in ownership (first few months)
Symptoms owners cite: Steering wheel locks up or becomes extremely stiff; Requires excessive physical force to turn; Power steering assist lost; Service Power Steering warning displayed; Vehicle becomes uncontrollable or nearly so; Lasts several minutes until restart or wait period
Codes mentioned: SERVICE POWER STEERING
Repairs/costs cited: Chevrolet reprogrammed steering module, replaced rack and pinion steering, and replaced 'D Power Steering Module Power & Ground Harness' in one case with documented failures; issues recurred after each repair attempt; burning ceramic smell noted in one case before steering lockup
Recalls/TSBs owners mention: Multiple warranty repairs attempted without success; one owner reports GM instruction to take vehicle to dealer for diagnosis only after warning lights illuminate again
Steering unresponsiveness or delay in highway driving
While driving at highway speeds (40–60 mph), the steering does not respond immediately to driver input. The steering wheel skips or hesitates before making a correction, causing the car to jerk slightly in one direction or the other. Vehicle wanders while being driven straight.
When: Reported to begin after one month of ownership in one case; intermittent, more noticeable between 40–60 mph
Symptoms owners cite: Steering unresponsive or delayed; Steering wheel skips before response; Vehicle jerks or lurches when steering engages; Vehicle wanders while driving straight; Noticeable between 40–60 mph
Repairs/costs cited: Dealer inspection found nothing wrong and told owner issue is normal; no repairs documented
Synthesized from 103 NHTSA owner complaints — unverified consumer allegations, summarized for patterns. The verbatim filings appear below.
What owners are reporting 2 most recent
While driving on the interstate the steering sticks. This is a safety problem since you have to overcorrect when it releases. This happens around 60-70 MPH. The car only has 4000 miles. *tr
Had steering trouble with your 2012 Chevrolet Cruze?
File a complaint with NHTSA → It's free, official, and how every report above got here — owner filings are the federal safety record this page is built on.
Common questions
How serious is the steering problem on the 2012 Chevrolet Cruze?
It's a meaningful issue. 103 complaints have been filed and the failure mode causes operational problems for owners. Repairs average $700.
At what mileage does the steering typically fail?
Across the 86 complaints that reported odometer mileage, most steering failures cluster between 24,000 and 63,000 miles, with the median around 47,000. A quarter of owners report trouble before 24,000; a quarter make it past 63,000. Maintenance history matters more than the odometer alone — this is the reported failure window, not a guarantee.
What does it cost to fix?
Independent shops typically charge around $700 for steering repairs on this vehicle. Dealer pricing tends to run 20-40% higher. The exact figure depends on the specific failure mode, parts availability, and your local labor rates. If you're outside factory warranty, an extended service contract often covers this category.
Are there any recalls related to steering?
No active recalls currently cover steering issues on this vehicle. The complaints filed represent owner-reported failures that haven't risen to the level of a manufacturer-issued recall — but they're still worth knowing about before you buy or budget for repairs.
Related
Complaint and recall data sourced from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA)
public records database. Verify the raw federal record at
nhtsa.gov/vehicle/2012/Chevrolet/Cruze.
Severity ratings are derived from reported crashes, fires, injuries, and fatalities. Repair cost estimates are
independent-shop national averages and may differ in your area. Some links on this page are affiliate links.