AI Damage2012 Chevrolet Captiva Sport reliability: common problems
Owners of the 2012 Chevrolet Captiva Sport filed 80 complaints with NHTSA, most often about electrical system and engine. Details by component below, with sources.
Key figures
- Owner complaints
- 80
- involving a crash
- 2
What fails most often
- 1 Electrical system 57% of all complaints
- 2 Engine 28% of all complaints
- 3 Electronic stability control 15% of all complaints
- 4 Steering 11% of all complaints
- 5 Air bags 6% of all complaints
- 6 Service brakes 6% of all complaints
- 7 Exterior lighting 5% of all complaints
- 8 Fuel/propulsion system 5% of all complaints
- Electrical system: 46 complaints (57% of all).
- Engine: 22 complaints (28% of all).
- Electronic stability control: 12 complaints (15% of all), 1 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
- Steering: 9 complaints (11% of all), 1 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
- Air bags: 5 complaints (6% of all), 1 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
Symptoms owners describe
How many of the 80 NHTSA complaints mention each symptom (automatic count from complaint text; one complaint can mention several).
Components owners complain about
| Component | Owner complaints | involving a crash | Technical service bulletins (TSB) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Electrical system | 46 | 0 | 0 |
| Engine | 22 | 0 | 0 |
| Electronic stability control | 12 | 1 | 0 |
| Steering | 9 | 1 | 0 |
| Air bags | 5 | 1 | 0 |
| Service brakes | 5 | 0 | 0 |
| Exterior lighting | 4 | 0 | 0 |
| Fuel/propulsion system | 4 | 0 | 0 |
| Powertrain | 4 | 0 | 0 |
| Vehicle speed control | 4 | 1 | 0 |
| Parking brake | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Seats | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Visibility | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Wheels | 1 | 0 | 0 |
What owners report
Short excerpts of NHTSA complaints in the original wording. These are owner statements not verified by NHTSA; personal data removed.
It set off the airbag dash light, but the airbags did not deploy. The dealership diagnosed a problem with the steering wheel canister or coil for the airbag, and a rear sensor in the bumper of the vehicle. I am wondering if this is related to the takata air bag recall.
Loss of power during steering - steering not stable - stall of engine when turning a curve. Caused minor vehicle accident on interstate
My shifter doesn't recognize that its in park and won't let me remove my keys. It gets stuck on ACC and I can't turn my key/ignition to the off position. And for the 3rd time it's like popped outta gear. I bought it used. This started 2 months ago but for the 10 days its continually gotten worse.
The component that has failed has been the transmission and the AC. My safety was at risk because the car wouldnât drive forward whilst on the road. It has been confirmed by independent service. Yes the problem has been inspected by representatives. There was a warning that was said âCheck transmission engineâ
On my 2012 cheverolet captiva lt .I had the emergency brakes on with the car in drive an I went to open my gates the car jumps out of the parking brakes if the engine idles go up just a little when the air conditioning comes on .or if you are in drive with the emergency brakes up and just revs the engine the brakes…
Unknown, car will shut off while driving and turn back on while flashing service traction control. In some cases it will completely turn off and I will have to put transmission in park and re crank it in the middle of traffic. Power steering goes out while driving aswell as other issues.
The battery cables are faulty and overheat causing the car to shut off and lock key in the ignition with complete loss of power this is happening to nearly every Chevy captiva and is a wide spread issue this is also a serious fire hazard as the cables over heating is enough to boil water car shuts off and locks key in…
I was lucky to get home because it had started to leak oil just before my driveway so you could see it on the road. I lost the rest of the oil in my driveway! Got to doing some calling & research & found out they have issues with freezing up a tube on the top of the engine & now I have a blow rear main seal!
When owners complained
NHTSA complaints by filing year. The peak shows at what age the problems show up most.
Comparison
By complaint count this model year ranks 3,980 of 32,257 model years in the NHTSA data (top 12% most complained about).
On average one model year of the Captiva Sport has 32 complaints (3 years in the data). This year has 80, above average.
What to check before buying
- Electrical system. Scan all modules, test the battery and alternator, inspect connectors near the impact zone.
- Engine. Cold start, unusual noises, oil leaks and engine codes.
- Electronic stability control. ABS/ESC sensors, steering angle, codes after suspension repair.
- Steering. Steering play, power assist, rack and tie rods after a wheel impact.
Other years of this model
Questions and answers
What are the most common problems with the 2012 Chevrolet Captiva Sport?
Owner complaints to NHTSA most often mention: electrical system, engine, electronic stability control. Total complaints: 80. The most frequent symptoms in complaint texts: warning lights, check engine (28%), infotainment or screen glitches (16%), won't start (11%).
How many service bulletins (TSB) were issued for the 2012 Chevrolet Captiva Sport?
NHTSA lists 0 manufacturer service bulletins for this year. A bulletin tells dealers how to diagnose or fix a known issue; it is not a recall.
Should I buy a 2012 Chevrolet Captiva Sport from a US auction?
Owner complaints describe defects, not crash damage. Before bidding, check the components listed above and review the lot photos: VinWind builds a report of visible and hidden damage by VIN.
Other 2012 models
Read also
Sources: public NHTSA data (USA): service bulletins and owner complaints; YouTube: links to videos credited to their authors. Complaints are owner statements not verified by NHTSA, and describe defects rather than crash damage. Data updated 2026-11-06.