2016 Chevrolet Cruze engine problems
108 of the 250 complaints owners filed with NHTSA about the 2016 Chevrolet Cruze name the engine (NHTSA’s “Engine” heading — the engine and its cooling system). Filed under the same heading: 335 manufacturer bulletins. Every figure below is a document in a federal file, linked; none is a failure rate, and none is a verdict on any one car.
What owners filed about the engine
Source: NHTSA complaint database3 of the 108 reports a crash · 3 a fire · 1 injury. Self-reported, unverified.
Filed per year: 2016: 6 · 2017: 4 · 2018: 3 · 2019: 20 · 2020: 20 · 2021: 16 · 2022: 20 · 2023: 9 · 2024: 5 · 2025: 1 · 2026: 4
Half of the 61 owners who gave an odometer reading reported the engine problem between 40,000 and 85,000 miles. A median of reports, not the life of a part.
250 complaints in all about the 2016 Chevrolet Cruze, 4 filed in 2026. The whole picture, every system →
Counts are owner reports to NHTSA, not verified defects, and scale with how many of these were sold; nothing here is a rate. NHTSA groups complaints coarsely, so “Engine” means the same area of the vehicle, not one fault.
Across model years: Chevrolet Cruze engine problems, every year on file →
In owners’ own words
Source: NHTSA complaint databaseFiled with NHTSA by the people who own these cars, about the engine. Quoted as written, with anything identifying removed; unverified reports — what was said, not a finding that it was true.
Takata recall going down the road coolent outlet housing disintegrated while hose on the radiator was in motion on highway it cracked where the part is molded part is gets bad quickly overtime and heat
My 2016 chevy Cruze limited started to lose acceleration and wouldn't go over 40 miles an hour. No code lights are on and none detected. So I drove home and parked the car and waited until it was cooled down and opened the hood to check my oil. I unscrewed the oil cap where you add oil and it completely smelled like gasoline.
I went to start the car and it would not start. Tried a second time and it started with a warning that it was in "reduced engine power". Could not drive the car. Put it in park, shut it off. Tried to start it again and it started in full engine power but with the check engine light on.
The contact owns a 2016 Chevrolet Cruze. When driving in cold weather, the turbo booster failed to operate. The check engine indicator illuminated and the engine seized. The technician stated that there was no current remedy for the failure. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and stated that there was no remedy.
The car overheated and there is no coolant in the tank and oil is pouring out of the head gasket the car only has less than 70k miles
What is on file about the engine
Source: NHTSA recalls, investigations and manufacturer communications335 manufacturer bulletins filed under this heading
The 0 newest are listed; every one is on the model year’s page. Quote the document number at a service desk — it is a diagnosis the maker has already written down.
Trouble codes named on this system
P0299 P0234 P0300 P050D P1101 P00C7 P0236 P0308
Codes a bulletin or an owner’s complaint about the 2016 Chevrolet Cruze names on this model year; a code with a record of its own links it.
Other systems with a record on the 2016 Chevrolet Cruze
Source: the same files- electrical problems 59 complaints
Common questions
Source: NHTSA complaint database, recalls and manufacturer communicationsAre engine problems common on the 2016 Chevrolet Cruze?
They are documented: NHTSA holds 108 owner complaints naming the engine on this model year (43% of everything owners filed about it), and 335 manufacturer bulletins are filed under the same heading. Whether it is a problem on one particular car is a diagnosis, not a count, and a count says nothing about how many were sold.
Is there a recall for the engine on the 2016 Chevrolet Cruze?
No recall campaign is filed under this heading for this model year (there are 4 filed under other headings). A bulletin is not a recall: it carries no federal duty to repair for free.
When do engine problems show up on the 2016 Chevrolet Cruze?
Owners who gave an odometer reading reported it at a median of 66,445 miles; half of them between 40,000 and 85,000. That is when reports cluster, not the life of a part.
What does NHTSA's "Engine" heading cover?
The engine and its cooling system. Owners choose the heading when they file, so it says which area of the vehicle the complaint is about, not which part failed.