QUITE OFTEN, WHEN I DRIVE THROUGH A PUDDLE, I LOOSE MY POWER STEERING FOR SEVERAL SECONDS. THIS MAKES TURNING VERY DIFFICULT AND SOMETIMES SCARY. THIS HAS HAPPENED TO ME MANY TIMES, TODAY BEING THE MOST RECENT.
2012 Chevrolet Captiva
Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations
Similar to other model years
Owner complaints for the 2012 Chevrolet Captiva do not stand out strongly from the model-year median of 65.
About this comparison →How this year compares
Owner complaints by model year
Compare all Captiva years →Counts vary with age, sales and reporting. They are not failure rates.
What owners reported most
All reported categories
Tap a category to read its complaints. One report may name several components.
When problems were reported
Mileage at the reported incident
53 reports with mileage · 12 unknown
NHTSA’s mileage field refers to the reported incident, not necessarily the filing date. This shows report counts, not the likelihood of a failure.
What to inspect
Issues worth paying extra attention to based on owner reports.
- Electrical System. Review the 43 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Engine. Review the 16 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Electronic Stability Control (esc). Review the 8 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.
What owners actually said
65 reportsTHIS CAR HAS SO MANY ELECTRICAL CODES WHEN TESTED. I HAVE HAD NUMEROUS PROBLEMS AND HAVEN'T EVEN HAD THE CAR A YEAR. WHY HADN'T GM DID A RECALL ON THESE CARS. PLEASE HELP ALL OF US WHO HAVE THIS CAR. I HAVE 3 KIDS AND WOULD LIKE A ANSWER TO WHY THERE ISNT A RECALL WITH SO MANY OF THE SAME COMPLAINTS!
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2012 CHEVROLET CAPTIVA. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE IGNITION SWITCH FAILED. THE CONTACT WAS UNABLE TO RELEASE THE KEY FROM THE IGNITION SWITCH. THE CONTACT HAD TO WIGGLE THE KEY TO REMOVE IT FROM THE IGNITION SWITCH. THE CONTACT ALSO WANTED TO ADVISE THAT WHEN THE KEY DID NOT RELEASE FROM THE IGNITION, TH…
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TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2012 CHEVROLET CAPTIVA. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE IGNITION SWITCH FAILED. THE CONTACT WAS UNABLE TO RELEASE THE KEY FROM THE IGNITION SWITCH. THE CONTACT HAD TO WIGGLE THE KEY TO REMOVE IT FROM THE IGNITION SWITCH. THE CONTACT ALSO WANTED TO ADVISE THAT WHEN THE KEY DID NOT RELEASE FROM THE IGNITION, THE CONTACT HAD TO DISCONNECT THE BATTERY TO BE ABLE TO TURN THE VEHICLE OFF. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO CARIBBEAN AUTO MART (4523 CHARLOTTE AMALIE STREET SAINT THOMAS, VA 00802, (340)777-7600) WHERE A DIAGNOSTIC TESTING FOUND A FAILURE CODE AT THE SHIFTER ASSEMBLY CONNECTIONS. HOWEVER, THE DEALER WAS NOT CERTAIN THAT THE DIAGNOSTIC TEST LOCATED THE CORRECT FAILURE CODE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT CONTACTED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 28,359.
FIRESTONE CHAMPION FUEL FIGHTER TIRE 235/60R17 TREAD SEPARATING FROM BODY OF TIRE
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2012 CHEVROLET CAPTIVA. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE VEHICLE WAS CONSUMING A LARGE AMOUNT OF OIL WITHIN 1,000 MILES WELL BELOW THE 3,000 MILE NORMAL CHECKUP PERIOD. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE VEHICLE WAS NOT INCLUDED IN A 20,000 MILE EXTENSION OF THE MANUFACTURER'S 100,000 MILE WARRANTY. THE MANUFACTURER S…
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TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2012 CHEVROLET CAPTIVA. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE VEHICLE WAS CONSUMING A LARGE AMOUNT OF OIL WITHIN 1,000 MILES WELL BELOW THE 3,000 MILE NORMAL CHECKUP PERIOD. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE VEHICLE WAS NOT INCLUDED IN A 20,000 MILE EXTENSION OF THE MANUFACTURER'S 100,000 MILE WARRANTY. THE MANUFACTURER STATED THAT THE REASON FOR THE EXCLUSION HAD TO DO WITH WHERE THE ENGINE PARTS WERE SUPPLIED FROM, EVEN THOUGH THE ENGINE IN THE CAPTIVA WAS THE SAME AS THE OTHER VEHICLES INCLUDED IN THE WARRANTY EXTENSION. THE DEALER (CHAPMAN CHEVROLET, 1717 E BASELINE RD, TEMPE, AZ 85283, (480) 838-1234) STATED THAT THERE WAS NO RECALL FOR THE OIL CONSUMPTION FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 98,000.
I PURCHASED THIS VEHICLE ON MARCH 2, 2018. WITHIN 3 MONTHS OF OWNING THIS VEHICLE, IT HAS HAD A CATALYTIC CONVERTER REPLACED (WITHIN THE FIRST 2 WEEKS). ON JUNE 11, 2018, THE VEHICLE CUT OFF AND WOULD NOT RESTART. I HAD IT TOWED TO A REPAIR SHOP WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED WITH A BROKEN TIMING CHAIN. THE VEHICLE HAD ABOUT 95,000 MIL…
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I PURCHASED THIS VEHICLE ON MARCH 2, 2018. WITHIN 3 MONTHS OF OWNING THIS VEHICLE, IT HAS HAD A CATALYTIC CONVERTER REPLACED (WITHIN THE FIRST 2 WEEKS). ON JUNE 11, 2018, THE VEHICLE CUT OFF AND WOULD NOT RESTART. I HAD IT TOWED TO A REPAIR SHOP WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED WITH A BROKEN TIMING CHAIN. THE VEHICLE HAD ABOUT 95,000 MILES ON AT THE TIME. I PURCHASED IT WITH 92,500 ON IT. A WEEK AND A HALF LATER I HAD TO RETURN THE VEHICLE FOR ANOTHER REPAIR WITH THE VALVES DEALING WITH THE TIMING BELT. THE VEHICLE IS NOW BACK IN THE SHOP AND HAS BEEN DIAGNOSED WITH AN ENGINE CAMSHAFT/EXHAUST PROBLEM DUE TO IT CUTTING OFF WHILE DRIVING. THE VEHICLE CUT OFF AT LEAST 9 TIMES WHILE DRIVING IN TRAFFIC.
WHILE DRIVING ON INTERSTATE HIGHWAY 40 IN OK AT 70 MPH THE VEHICLE STARTING DOING STRANGE THINGS. AT FIRST EVERY TIME YOU ENABLED THE TURN SIGNAL IT WOULD DISENGAGE THE CRUISE CONTROL. APPROXIMATELY 45 MINUTES LATER THE BRAKE LIGHT CAME ON AND THEN A MESSAGE APPEARED STATING A FAULT WITH THE TRACTION CONTROL AND THEN WITHIN A FE…
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WHILE DRIVING ON INTERSTATE HIGHWAY 40 IN OK AT 70 MPH THE VEHICLE STARTING DOING STRANGE THINGS. AT FIRST EVERY TIME YOU ENABLED THE TURN SIGNAL IT WOULD DISENGAGE THE CRUISE CONTROL. APPROXIMATELY 45 MINUTES LATER THE BRAKE LIGHT CAME ON AND THEN A MESSAGE APPEARED STATING A FAULT WITH THE TRACTION CONTROL AND THEN WITHIN A FEW MORE MINUTES THE ENGINE FAULT LIGHT CAME ON, THEN THE RADIO WENT OFF AND THE CLOCK DISPLAY WENT AWAY. WE PULLED OFF THE HIGHWAY AT A MCDONALD'S AND WHEN I TURNED THE VEHICLE OFF I COULD NOT REMOVE THE KEY FROM THE IGNITION. EVERYTHING ELECTRICAL WOULD NOT OPERATE AND THE VEHICLE WOULD NOT START. AT THIS POINT WE DECIDED TO HAVE BREAKFAST BEFORE CALLING A TOW SERVICE. WHEN WE FINISHED WITH BREAKFAST WE RETURNED TO THE VEHICLE AND IT STARTED. THE ENGINE FAULT LIGHT WAS STILL ON FOR A FEW MILES AND THEN WENT OUT AND EVERY THINK WORKED PROPERLY FOR THE REMAINING 1000 MILES OF THE TRIP TO PA.. THE NEXT DAY I SEARCHED THE INTERNET TO FIND SOME INFO ON THIS PROBLEM. THERE WERE MANY 2012 CAPTIVE OWNERS COMPLAINING ABOUT THE SAME PROBLEM. IT APPEARS TO BE SOMETHING WITH THE BATTERY CABLING. THE ONLY THING THAT APPEARED TO RESOLVE THE PROBLEM WAS CHANGING OUT THE CABLING TO THE BATTERY OR ADDING AN ADDITIONAL GROUND CABLE FROM THE BATTERY TO THE ENGINE.
WHILE DRIVING DOWN THE FREEWAY IN RUSH HOUR TRAFFIC, VEHICLE LOST POWER STRANDING ME IN THE MIDDLE OF THE FREEWAY.
WHILE DRIVING THE CAR, THE RADIO WILL SHUT OFF & ALL LIGHTS ON RADIO WILL GO OUT. AFTER SOME TIME APPROX. 3 TO 15 MINUTES THE RADIO WILL COME BACK ON BY ITSELF. THE AIR CONDITIONER FAN WOULD BE BLOWING ON HIGH AND SUDDENLY DROP TO A LOW SETTING AND THEN COME BACK ON IN A FEW ABOUT ABOUT 20 SEC. THESE PROBLEMS BECAME SIMULTANEOUS…
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WHILE DRIVING THE CAR, THE RADIO WILL SHUT OFF & ALL LIGHTS ON RADIO WILL GO OUT. AFTER SOME TIME APPROX. 3 TO 15 MINUTES THE RADIO WILL COME BACK ON BY ITSELF. THE AIR CONDITIONER FAN WOULD BE BLOWING ON HIGH AND SUDDENLY DROP TO A LOW SETTING AND THEN COME BACK ON IN A FEW ABOUT ABOUT 20 SEC. THESE PROBLEMS BECAME SIMULTANEOUS ALONG WITH THE EMERGENCY BRAKE INDICATOR LIGHT COMING ON, BOTH THE RED & AMBER EMERGENCY INDICATOR LIGHT. THE DEALERSHIP CALLED ME AND SAID THERE WERE BULLETINS WRITTEN ON THIS PROBLEM. THEY TOLD ME THE FIX IS A NEW ALTERNATOR AND ALL NEW BATTERY CABLES ALL THE WAY AROUND, WOULD FIX THE PROBLEM. THE COST WOULD BE $990. I HAVE JUST FINISHED PAYING $776 FOR AN AIR CONDITIONING TENSIONER BELT INSTALLATION BECAUSE THE ENGINE WAS SHAKING SIGNIFICANTLY AND MAKING LOUD NOISES. THE ENTIRE FRONT OF THE ENGINE NEEDED TO BE DISASSEMBLED FOR ACCESS. MY CAR HAS 45,306 MILES ON IT AND IT ALSO REQUIRED A TRANSMISSION AT 30,000 MILES, WHICH GM INSTALLED FREE. I AM CONVINCED THE ELECTRICAL SUB SYSTEM IN THIS CAR IS OF POOR DESIGN.
BOUGHT LESS THAN A MONTH AGO. PUT KEY IN, ACTS LIKE A DEAD BATTERY. CANNOT TAKE KEY OUT OF IGNITION. TOOK BATTERY TO BE CHECKED BATTERY IS FINE. HAD TO JUMP START IT TWICE. NO REASON WHY IT'S BEEN SO RANDOM BOTH TIMES CAR WAS PARKED LESS THAN AN HOUR.
Official recalls
0No recalls in this snapshot.
Model-level recall history does not show whether a particular VIN is affected or has received a repair. Check a VIN with NHTSA ↗
NHTSA investigations
0No exact-year investigations in this snapshot.
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