Chevrolet · NHTSA safety record

2012 Chevrolet Captiva

Every safety complaint, recall and defect investigation the US government holds on this vehicle.

Owners have filed 65 safety complaints about the 2012 Chevrolet Captiva with the US government. Of those, 2 mention a fire and no death is recorded. No recall campaign has been matched to this year, make and model.

The most complained-about system is the electrical system, named in 43 complaints, 66% of the total. The typical failure was reported at 60,000 miles, the median across the 53 complaints that gave an odometer reading.

Compiled from NHTSA's complaint, recall and investigation files · Covers August 2014 to December 2019 · How this is counted

What is on file

65 complaints on file

Complaints

Describe a crash

Mention fire

People injured

Deaths

A complaint is an unverified account by the person who filed it, not a finding of fault. One complaint is one ODI number, which is how NHTSA counts them.

No recall campaign was matched to this year, make and model. That is not the same as a clean vehicle: recalls are issued against production ranges, and the only reliable check is your own VIN.

Which system owners named

Complaints naming each system

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 43 · 66% 43 66%

ENGINE 16 · 25% 16 25%

ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL (ESC) 8 · 12% 8 12%

UNKNOWN OR OTHER 8 · 12% 8 12%

POWER TRAIN 5 · 8% 5 8%

FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM 4 · 6% 4 6%

AIR BAGS 3 · 5% 3 5%

EXTERIOR LIGHTING 3 · 5% 3 5%

STEERING 3 · 5% 3 5%

VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL 3 · 5% 3 5%

SERVICE BRAKES 2 · 3% 2 3%

PARKING BRAKE 1 · 2% 1 2%

0 19 38

One complaint can name several systems, so these add up to more than 65.

When the complaints arrived

By the year NHTSA received them

By the year NHTSA received them, which is not the year the failures happened. They peaked in 2018 at 22.

24 18 12 6

14 2014 15 2015 16 2016 17 2017 18 2018 19 2019

This is the year the complaint was filed, not the year the failure happened. The range runs from 2014 to 2019.

Crash test ratings

NHTSA New Car Assessment Program

NHTSA crashes a car into a barrier and a pole and measures what happens to the dummies inside. This is what it awarded the 2012 Chevrolet CAPTIVA, and it is a separate question from what owners report going wrong later.

Test	SUV AWD	SUV FWD
Overall	Not rated	Not rated
Frontal crash	Not rated	Not rated
Frontal, driver	Not rated	Not rated
Frontal, passenger	Not rated	Not rated
Side crash	Not rated	Not rated
Side barrier	Not rated	Not rated
Side pole	Not rated	Not rated
Rollover
Chance of rollover	15.9%	18.5%

Stability control standard Forward collision warning standard Lane departure warning standard

A rating belongs to a tested body style and drivetrain, not to the model as a whole, which is why more than one is listed. A dash means NHTSA did not rate that test for this vehicle.

In owners’ own words

Quoted from the complaint file

Quoted from NHTSA's complaint file. These are unverified accounts by the people who filed them, not findings of fault.

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM Filed August 17, 2015

fire

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2012 CHEVROLET CAPTIVA. WHILE MAKING A RIGHT TURN AT 30 MPH, ALL THE LIGHTS ON THE INSTRUMENT CLUSTER ILLUMINATED. IN ADDITION, THE RADIO AND THE HEATING SYSTEM FAILED TO FUNCTION AS TEMPERATURE BELOW 40 WAS DISPLAYED ACROSS THE MESSAGE BOARD. IN ADDITION, THE CONTACT HAD TO MANUALLY OPEN THE DOORS IN ORDER TO ENTER THE VEHICLE. THE VEHICLE ALSO FAILED TO START AS THE THEFT ALARM INDEPENDENTLY ACTIVATED AND THE EMERGENCY BRAKE FAILED TO RELEASE. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO A DEALER WHO DIAGNOSED THAT A THEFT MODULE MELTED AND NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS UNKNOWN.

NHTSA complaint 10749278. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

UNKNOWN OR OTHER Filed October 23, 2017

fire

I WAS ON MY WAY TO WORK ON HIGHWAY 1 SOUTH TOWARD HARRISBURG AR AND I STARTED SMELLING SMOKE AND NOTICED IT COMING FROM VENTS. AFTER I GOT OUT OF MY CAR , FLAMES ENGULFED AND TOTALED MY CAR COMPLETELY.

NHTSA complaint 11035596. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:STARTER ASSEMBLY Filed August 18, 2017

towed

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2012 CHEVROLET CAPTIVA. WHILE THE CONTACT'S HUSBAND WAS DRIVING 45 MPH, THE VEHICLE STALLED WITHOUT WARNING. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC WHO DIAGNOSED THAT THE STARTER MALFUNCTIONED AND NEEDED REPLACEMENT. THE STARTER WAS REPLACED, BUT THE SERVICE ENGINE WARNING INDICATOR ILLUMINATED FOR SEVERAL DAYS AFTER THE REPLACEMENT. RECENTLY, THE CONTACT'S HUSBAND ATTEMPTED TO START THE VEHICLE, BUT IT FAILED TO START UNTIL AFTER THE STARTER WAS KNOCKED ON SEVERAL TIMES. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN BACK TO THE INDEPENDENT MECHANIC WHO STATED THAT THE CONTACT PROBABLY RECEIVED A FAULTY STARTER. SINCE THE STARTER WAS STILL UNDER WARRANTY, THE MECHANIC STATED HE

NHTSA complaint 11016198, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

ENGINE Filed December 5, 2019

150,000 miles

GOING DOWN ROAD AT 70MPH AND VEHICLE SLOWS DOWN TO 40MPH ON ITS OWN AND I ALMOST WAS REAR ENDED BY THE CAR BEHIND ME. THIS HAPPENED ON A MAJOR HIGHWAY.

NHTSA complaint 11287216. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

UNKNOWN OR OTHER Filed June 20, 2019

85,000 miles

THE VEHICLE IS LIGHTWEIGHT TO THE POINT WHERE HIGH WINDS PUSH THE CAR TO THE SIDE WHILE IT IS IN MOTION. YOU CAN FEEL THE WIND MOVING IT AND FEEL THE CAR MOVE A LOT WHEN OTHER VEHICLES ARE DRIVING AT HIGH SPEEDS NEXT TO IT.

NHTSA complaint 11221600. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:IGNITION Filed June 18, 2019

47,000 miles

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2012 CHEVROLET CAPTIVA. THE CONTACT STATED THAT SHE WAS UNABLE TO EJECT THE KEY FROM THE IGNITION. THE CONTACT HAD TO RESTART THE VEHICLE AND MANUEVER THE STEERING WHEEL IN ORDER FOR THE KEY TO BE REMOVED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER AND DEALER WERE NOT NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 47,000. *JS

NHTSA complaint 11220829. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

EXTERIOR LIGHTING:TURN SIGNAL Filed June 4, 2019

84,000 miles

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2012 CHEVROLET CAPTIVA. WHILE STARTING THE VEHICLE, THE KEY FAILED TO RELEASE FROM THE IGNITION SWITCH AND THE TURN SIGNAL LIGHTS FAILED TO MAKE A CLICKING NOISE WHEN ACTIVATED. ADDITIONALLY, THE VEHICLE FAILED TO START OCCASIONALLY AND THE SERVICE VEHICLE AND BRAKE WARNING INDICATORS WERE ILLUMINATED. THE LOCAL DEALER WAS NOT CONTACTED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS CONTACTED AND DID NOT ASSIST. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 84,000. THE VIN WAS UNKNOWN.

NHTSA complaint 11217767. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

SERVICE BRAKES Filed April 10, 2019

94,258 miles

THE E-BRAKE COMES ON BY ITS SELF WHILE DRIVING DOWN ROAD. CHECKED AGAINEST VIN AND STATED NOT ON RECALL LIST BUT OTHERS HAVE BEEN RECALLED FOR SAME THING.

NHTSA complaint 11195437. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

ENGINE Filed April 9, 2019

92,000 miles

CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CONTINUES TO COME ON. HAD IT TESTED AND I NEEDED TO REPLACE THE CAMSHAFT AND THE CRANKSHAFT SENSORS. DID THAT DROVE IT FOR A WEEK OR TWO AND THE LIGHT CAME BACK ON TESTED IT AGAIN AND GOT THE SAME READING CONCERNING BANK 1 CAMSHAFT AND CRANKSHAFT SENSOR. WAS TOLD IT COULD BE THE TIMING CHAIN CAUSING THIS PROBLEM AND THAT THIS VEHICLE IS KNOWN FOR THE TIMING CHAIN ISSUE. WAS TOLD THAT THERE MAY BE MORE THAN ONE CAMSHAFT BUT THE READING STILL COMES UP THE SAME IN BANK 1. IS THIS NORMAL FOR THIS VEHICLE AND IS IT UNDER SOME KIND OF WARRANTY. HAVE ONLY 104200 MILES ON THIS VEHICLE.

NHTSA complaint 11195291. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

Compare

Other years of the Chevrolet Captiva

Model year	Complaints	Recalls	Deaths
2014	138	0	—
2013	97	0	—

Other 2012 Chevrolet models

Malibu 907 Cruze 865 Equinox 685 Sonic 354 Traverse 354 Impala 258 Volt 245 Silverado 1500 216

Complaints on file, same model year.

Every Chevrolet on this site — 304 vehicles.

If this is your car and a dealer keeps failing to fix it, your state's lemon law may require the manufacturer to replace it or buy it back. How many repair attempts it takes, and how long you have to file, is set by the state you bought in and by nothing on this page.

Where these numbers come from

Complaints: NHTSA's ODI complaint file, published October 2, 2026. One complaint is one ODI number, which is how NHTSA counts them.
Recalls: NHTSA's recall campaign API, no campaign on file for this vehicle.
Investigations: NHTSA's ODI investigation file, published October 2, 2026.

A complaint is one owner's account and has not been verified by NHTSA or by us. A vehicle with more complaints is not necessarily worse: models that sold in larger numbers collect more of them. How this is counted.

Compiled and maintained by guarledes
Independent developer and analyst