AutoUtility currently tracks 251 official NHTSA owner defect complaints for the 2015 Chevrolet Cruze. Engine & Cooling issues are the most frequently reported category, appearing in 88 complaints (35.1% of submitted records). Among these NHTSA complaint records, 20 filings cite a crash, 4 cite a fire, 9 report one or more injuries.

Key Problem Findings
  • Total NHTSA Complaints: 251 reports
  • #1 Reported Problem Area: Engine & Cooling (88 reports • 35.1% of submitted complaints)
  • Secondary Problem Areas: Electrical System (49), Brakes & Traction Control (46)
  • Crash-Citing Complaints: 20 filings
  • Fire-Citing Complaints: 4 filings
  • Complaints Reporting Injuries / Fatalities: 9 injury filings • 0 fatality filings
Reporting Methodology: Statistics describe unverified consumer submissions voluntarily filed with NHTSA. Complaint volume is not normalized for vehicle sales volume or miles driven. Multiple components can be cited within a single owner complaint submission.
Total Complaints
251
Submitted to NHTSA ODI
Crash-Citing Complaints
20
Filings citing a collision
Fire-Citing Complaints
4
Filings citing smoke or fire
Complaints Reporting Injuries
9
Filings citing one or more injuries
Complaints Reporting Fatalities
0
Consumer filings citing fatalities

Most Reported Problems for 2015 Chevrolet Cruze

Top automotive subsystem defect categories ranked by unique owner complaint volume in federal records

#1 Problem Area 35.1% of complaints

Engine & Cooling

88 owner complaints submitted to NHTSA ODI
🔥 2 fire reports
#2 Problem Area 19.5% of complaints

Electrical System

49 owner complaints submitted to NHTSA ODI
⚠️ NHTSA Recall Context

NHTSA records list 1 official safety recall campaign for this model year involving the same broad component area:

*Component overlap means an official recall exists for the same broad vehicle system. It does not establish that an individual owner complaint was caused by, covered by, or resolved through that recall.
🔥 1 fire report
#3 Problem Area 18.3% of complaints

Brakes & Traction Control

46 owner complaints submitted to NHTSA ODI
⚠️ NHTSA Recall Context

NHTSA records list 1 official safety recall campaign for this model year involving the same broad component area:

*Component overlap means an official recall exists for the same broad vehicle system. It does not establish that an individual owner complaint was caused by, covered by, or resolved through that recall.
⚠️ 3 crash reports 🩹 1 injury report entry
#4 Problem Area 14.7% of complaints

Powertrain & Transmission

37 owner complaints submitted to NHTSA ODI
⚠️ 2 crash reports 🩹 1 injury report entry
#5 Problem Area 9.6% of complaints

Steering System

24 owner complaints submitted to NHTSA ODI
⚠️ NHTSA Recall Context

NHTSA records list 1 official safety recall campaign for this model year involving the same broad component area:

*Component overlap means an official recall exists for the same broad vehicle system. It does not establish that an individual owner complaint was caused by, covered by, or resolved through that recall.
⚠️ 2 crash reports 🔥 1 fire report 🩹 5 injury report entries
Domain Share Note: Share percentage represents the proportion of unique complaint filings referencing each vehicle system. Because single complaints may cite multiple systems (such as engine and electrical simultaneously), domain percentages represent individual category incidence and may sum to over 100%.

Symptoms Mentioned in NHTSA Owner Reports for 2015 Chevrolet Cruze

Specific mechanical, electrical, and driver-assist defect symptoms identified via deterministic narrative analysis

AutoUtility uses deterministic phrase matching to identify recurring symptom descriptions within consumer-submitted NHTSA complaint narratives.

Engine & Cooling 5.6% of complaints

Engine Coolant Intrusion / Oil Leak

14 complaint narratives describe this symptom
Engine & Cooling 3.2% of complaints

Engine Overheating / Temperature Warning

8 complaint narratives describe this symptom
Symptom Identification Method: A complaint may describe more than one symptom, so percentages may sum to more than 100%. Symptom identification reflects text contained in consumer-submitted complaint records and does not establish a confirmed mechanical diagnosis.

Recent NHTSA Owner Reports for 2015 Chevrolet Cruze

Representative defect filings submitted by owners to the NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation

Fuel & Propulsion System NHTSA ODI ID: #11743926
Filed: 06/13/2026

"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 burning smell then car starts smoking. Had to shut it off in the middle of the road."

Incident Date: 06/12/2026 • Raw NHTSA Component: ENGINE,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM
Engine & Cooling NHTSA ODI ID: #11714257
Filed: 01/29/2026

"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 not included in NHTSA Campaign Number: 12V288000 (ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING). The..."

Incident Date: 12/25/2023 • Raw NHTSA Component: ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Brakes & Traction Control NHTSA ODI ID: #11709650
Filed: 01/08/2026

"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 stalled. The vehicle failed to restart. The contact stated that the vehicle started..."

Incident Date: 01/05/2026 • Raw NHTSA Component: ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL (ESC)
Other / Miscellaneous NHTSA ODI ID: #11705439
Filed: 12/16/2025

"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."

Incident Date: 12/01/2025 • Raw NHTSA Component: UNKNOWN OR OTHER
Fuel & Propulsion System NHTSA ODI ID: #11669241
Filed: 06/25/2025

"I understand this vehicle is over 10 years old. I bought this vehicle pre-owned and have only had it for less than 6 months. This vehicle has 71,000 miles on it and isn't very good condition cosmetically besides the gloss paint. As a widow, I needed a dependable vehicle for work purposes. Since..."

Incident Date: 05/01/2025 • Raw NHTSA Component: ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,UNKNOWN OR OTHER,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM
Consumer Narrative Notice: Excerpts are sanitized text descriptions submitted by vehicle owners to the federal ODI database. They reflect the reporting consumer's observations at the time of filing and have not been independently confirmed by vehicle manufacturers or government investigators.

Complaint History for Chevrolet Cruze

Reported defect complaint volume across sibling model years (2015–2019)

Model Year NHTSA Complaints Crash Reports Safety Recalls Detailed Report
2015 Chevrolet Cruze Current Page 251 20 4 Current
2016 Chevrolet Cruze 249 19 4 View 2016 Problems →
2017 Chevrolet Cruze 201 8 2 View 2017 Problems →
2018 Chevrolet Cruze 109 17 3 View 2018 Problems →
2019 Chevrolet Cruze 20 4 2 View 2019 Problems →
Comparative Disclaimer: Complaint totals are unadjusted historical counts and are not normalized for vehicles sold, active fleet size, or total road mileage. Newer model years naturally have had less calendar exposure time to accumulate owner filings.

Detailed NHTSA Component Breakdown for 2015 Chevrolet Cruze

Complete distribution of consumer defect reports across all 66 granular NHTSA system and subsystem classifications

Vehicle Component / System Total Complaints Crash Reports Fire Reports Reported Injury Entries Reported Fatality Entries
Engine NHTSA category: ENGINE 49 0 1 0 0
Other / Uncategorized NHTSA category: UNKNOWN OR OTHER 26 0 0 0 0
Electrical System NHTSA category: ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 20 0 0 0 0
Air Bags NHTSA category: AIR BAGS 12 9 0 7 0
Powertrain NHTSA category: POWER TRAIN 12 1 0 0 0
Steering NHTSA category: STEERING 11 1 1 4 0
POWER TRAIN,ENGINE 10 0 0 0 0
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL (ESC) 6 0 0 0 0
Service Brakes NHTSA category: SERVICE BRAKES 6 1 0 0 0
Visibility & Wipers NHTSA category: VISIBILITY/WIPER 6 0 0 0 0
Engine & Cooling NHTSA category: ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING 5 0 0 0 0
ENGINE,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM 5 0 0 0 0
ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL (ESC),ENGINE 4 0 0 0 0
Fuel & Propulsion System NHTSA category: FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM 4 0 0 0 0
Vehicle Speed Control NHTSA category: VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL 4 0 0 0 0
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL (ESC),ENGINE 3 0 0 0 0
ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL (ESC) 3 0 0 0 0
POWER TRAIN,ENGINE,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM 3 0 0 0 0
UNKNOWN OR OTHER,ENGINE 3 0 0 0 0
AIR BAGS,SEAT BELTS 2 1 0 0 0
AIR BAGS,STRUCTURE 2 2 0 0 0
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,ENGINE 2 0 0 0 0
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,UNKNOWN OR OTHER,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM 2 0 0 0 0
POWER TRAIN,ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 2 0 0 0 0
POWER TRAIN,ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL (ESC),ENGINE 2 0 0 0 0
POWER TRAIN,SERVICE BRAKES 2 0 0 0 0
STEERING,ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL (ESC) 2 0 0 0 0
STEERING,ENGINE,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM 2 0 0 0 0
STEERING,UNKNOWN OR OTHER,ENGINE 2 0 0 0 0
UNKNOWN OR OTHER,ENGINE,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM 2 0 0 0 0
Visibility / Glass NHTSA category: VISIBILITY 2 0 0 0 0
AIR BAGS,ENGINE,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM 1 1 0 0 0
AIR BAGS,SERVICE BRAKES 1 1 0 0 0
AIR BAGS,STRUCTURE,WHEELS 1 0 0 1 0
AIR BAGS,UNKNOWN OR OTHER,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE 1 1 0 0 0
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL (ESC),SERVICE BRAKES 1 0 0 0 0
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,ENGINE,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM 1 0 1 0 0
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,ENGINE,VISIBILITY/WIPER 1 0 0 0 0
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,EXTERIOR LIGHTING,ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL (ESC) 1 0 0 0 0
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,SERVICE BRAKES,ENGINE 1 0 0 0 0
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,UNKNOWN OR OTHER,ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL (ESC) 1 0 0 0 0
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,UNKNOWN OR OTHER,ENGINE 1 0 0 0 0
ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL (ESC),ENGINE,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM 1 0 0 0 0
ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL (ESC),SERVICE BRAKES,ENGINE 1 0 0 0 0
POWER TRAIN,ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL (ESC) 1 0 0 0 0
POWER TRAIN,ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,ENGINE 1 0 0 0 0
POWER TRAIN,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM 1 0 0 0 0
Seat Belts NHTSA category: SEAT BELTS 1 1 0 0 0
SEAT BELTS,UNKNOWN OR OTHER 1 0 0 0 0
SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC,SERVICE BRAKES 1 0 0 0 0
SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC,VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL 1 0 0 0 0
SERVICE BRAKES,ENGINE 1 0 0 0 0
STEERING,ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,EXTERIOR LIGHTING 1 0 0 0 0
STEERING,ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,UNKNOWN OR OTHER 1 0 0 0 0
STEERING,ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL (ESC),ENGINE 1 0 0 0 0
STEERING,POWER TRAIN,SERVICE BRAKES 1 1 0 1 0
STEERING,POWER TRAIN,UNKNOWN OR OTHER 1 0 0 0 0
STEERING,POWER TRAIN,VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL 1 0 0 0 0
STEERING,UNKNOWN OR OTHER,ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL (ESC) 1 0 0 0 0
STRUCTURE,WHEELS,ENGINE 1 0 1 0 0
SUSPENSION,ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 1 0 0 0 0
UNKNOWN OR OTHER,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM 1 0 0 0 0
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL,ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL (ESC) 1 0 0 0 0
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL,SERVICE BRAKES 1 0 0 0 0
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL,UNKNOWN OR OTHER,ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL (ESC) 1 0 0 0 0
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL,UNKNOWN OR OTHER,SERVICE BRAKES 1 0 0 0 0
Data Attribution & Reporting Methodology: Complaints are unverified voluntary submissions to the NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation (ODI). Because multiple vehicle components can be cited within a single owner complaint submission, component-level rollups may sum to more than the unique complaint count (251). Injury and fatality entries in the detailed table reflect raw values entered by reporting consumers across individual submissions; they are not deduplicated casualty statistics and may include duplicate or unverified entries. Complaint volume is not normalized for sales volume or vehicle mileage and does not represent an audited component failure rate.
Official US Government Data Provenance

The complaint records on this page are retrieved directly from the NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) public database.

Local Production Store Compiled: August 2026 • Deterministic Audited Dataset • Zero Dynamic External API Runtime Latency.