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Verdict

2012 Chevrolet Camaro: Complaints, Recalls & Known Issues

What the public record actually says about the 2012 Chevrolet Camaro — every figure below is a NHTSA or EPA number, not an opinion.

The read

More reported complaints than most coupe.

Owners filed 110 NHTSA complaints — more complaints than 85% of 2012 coupes. Electrical System leads the reports (21%). 5 safety recall campaigns on record — check the VIN and remedy terms with a dealer.

Based on NHTSA complaint volume against 2012 coupes, not adjusted for how many were sold. It describes the model year, not the individual car you are looking at.

Complaints filed

110

Reports to NHTSA, 2012

Safety recalls

5

NHTSA campaigns on record

NHTSA crash test

Overall NCAP rating

Combined MPG

19

EPA estimate

Complaint volume vs. segment peers

More complaints than 85% of 2012 coupes

The bar is this car's percentile among 2012 coupes by complaint volume — a full bar means the fewest complaints in its class. Not adjusted for sales.

Known issues

Electrical System issues lead owner complaints (21% of 110 reports), followed by air bags (15%).

Electrical System21% · 23 reports
Air Bags15% · 17 reports
Power Train14% · 15 reports
Engine13% · 14 reports
Steering7% · 8 reports
Structure6% · 7 reports
Visibility/Wiper5% · 6 reports
Exterior Lighting3% · 3 reports

+ 7 more component categories with fewer reports.

Share of all 110 NHTSA complaints for this model year, grouped by the component owners named. Bars are scaled to the largest category. Examples: ODI 10652065, ODI 10639845, ODI 10523902, ODI 10514527, ODI 11712090.

Recalls(5)

Open a recall to read what NHTSA says is wrong, what can happen, and how it gets fixed. Check the VIN and remedy eligibility with a dealer; federal no-charge requirements have an age limit, though a manufacturer may offer more coverage.

Air BagsJun 2014 · 14V300000Details +

General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2012 Buick Verano vehicles manufactured December 2, 2011 to July, 16, 2012, Chevrolet Cruze vehicles manufactured December 7, 2011 to July 25, 2012, Chevrolet Sonic vehicles manufactured December 5, 2011 to August 2, 2012, and Chevrolet Camaro vehicles manufactured December 1, 2011 to June 11, 2012. The driver side frontal air bag has a shorting bar which may intermittently contact the air bag terminals.

Risk: If the bar and terminals are contacting each other at the time of a crash necessitating deployment of the driver's frontal air bag, that air bag will not deploy, increasing the driver's risk of injury.

Remedy: GM will notify owners, and dealers will replace the steering wheel air bag coil, free of charge. The recall began on July 25, 2014. Chevrolet owners may contact GM at 1-800-222-1020. Buick owners may contact GM at 1-800-521-7300. Note: This is an expansion of recalls 12V-522 and 13V-023.

Air Bags · 13V023000Details +

General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2012 Chevrolet Camaro, Cruze and Sonic, and model year 2012 Buick Verano vehicles. The driver side frontal air bag has a shorting bar which may intermittently contact the air bag terminals.

Risk: If the bar and terminals are contacting each other at the time of a crash necessitating deployment of the driver's frontal air bag, that air bag will not deploy, increasing the driver's risk of injury.

Remedy: GM will notify owners, and dealers will replace the steering wheel air bag coil, free of charge. The safety recall began on February 13, 2013. Owners may contact General Motors at 1-800-521-7300.

Electrical System · 14V346000Details +

General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling all 2010-2014 Chevrolet Camaro vehicles manufactured December 3, 2008 to May 23, 2014. In the affected vehicles, the driver may accidentally hit the ignition key with their knee, unintentionally knocking the key out of the run position, turning off the engine.

Risk: If the key is not in the run position, the air bags may not deploy if the vehicle is involved in a crash, increasing the risk of injury. Additionally, a key knocked out of the run position could cause loss of engine power, power steering, and power braking, increasing the risk of a vehicle crash.

Remedy: GM will notify owners, and dealers will remove the key blade from the original flip key/RKE transmitter assemblies, and provide two new keys and two key rings per key. The recall began August 25, 2014. Owners may contact Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020. GM's number for this recall is 14294. Note: Until the recall has been performed, it is very important that drivers adjust their seat and steering column to allow clearance between their knee and the ignition key.

Seats · 14V447000Details +

General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2011-2012 Buick LaCrosse, Regal and Chevrolet Camaro, as well as certain 2010-2012 Cadillac SRX, Chevrolet Equinox and GMC Terrain vehicles, equipped with power height adjustable driver and passenger seats. In the affected vehicles, the bolt that secures the driver's and passenger's power front seat height adjuster may fall out causing the seat to drop suddenly to the lowest vertical position.

Risk: If the driver's seat unexpectedly drops, the distraction and altered seat position may affect the drivers' control of the vehicle, increasing the risk of a crash.

Remedy: GM will notify owners, and dealers will replace the height adjuster shoulder bolts, free of charge. The manufacturer distributed interim letters to owners on September 11, 2014. The recall began on December 26, 2014. Owners may contact GM customer service at 1-800-521-7300 (Buick), 1-800-458-8006 (Cadillac), 1-800-222-1020 (Chevrolet), or 1-800-462-8782 (GMC). GM's number for this recall is 14271.

Electrical System · 19E064000Details +

General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain replacement flip-key ignition transmitter assemblies sold as replacement equipment for 2010-2015 Chevrolet Camaro vehicles. GM dealers may have inadvertently sold these assemblies as replacement keys despite them having been recalled under NHTSA recall number 14V-346 (GM number 14294) when they were the original equipment assemblies. The driver may accidentally bump the ignition key with their knee, moving the ignition out of the run position and turning off the engine.

Risk: Once the engine is off, the vehicle can lose power steering and power braking, increasing the risk of a crash. The air bags may not deploy in a crash, increasing the risk of injury.

Remedy: GM will notify owners, and dealers will inspect and, as necessary, replace the key with the flat blade design, free of charge. Interim notices informing owners of the safety risk were mailed November 6, 2019. Owners received a second notice and the recall began February 4, 2020. Owners may contact Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020. GM's number for this recall is N192223230.

A campaign can apply to this model year without being incomplete on a specific vehicle. Check the VIN with NHTSA or a dealer to confirm whether a particular car needs repair.

Investigations

1 NHTSA investigation on record

Investigations are agency reviews, not findings that a vehicle is defective.

Air Bag Non-deployment

General Motors (GM) has initiated a safety recall of 31,520 model year (MY) 2012 Buick Verano and Chevrolet Camaro, Cruze and Sonic vehicles to address a defect condition that could result in the primary or secondary stage air bag not deploying.These vehicles are a small percentage of all MY 2012 vehicles and were built on several specific production dates broadly ranging from December 1, 2011 to August 2, 2012 (see NHTSA recall 14V-300 for more information).Also, see attached additional report for more information.This investigation was opened to evaluate the scope of two uninfluenced safety recalls (NHTSA recalls 12V-522 and 13V-023) of certain MY 2012 Verano, Camaro, Cruze and Sonic vehicles.These recalls involved the same defect issue as the new recall mentioned above.Accordingly, this investigation is closed based on the recall actions GM is undertaking.

Crash-test ratings

2012 Chevrolet Camaro 2 DR RWD NHTSA source

Overall
Frontal
Side
Rollover

2012 Chevrolet Camaro C RWD NHTSA source

Overall
Not rated
Frontal
Not rated
Side
Not rated
Rollover

Source: NHTSA New Car Assessment Program (NCAP).

Fuel economy by trim

TrimEngineDrivetrainCityHwyCombined
Camaro3.6L 6-cylRear-Wheel Drive192922
Camaro3.6L 6-cylRear-Wheel Drive182822
Camaro3.6L 6-cylRear-Wheel Drive172720
Camaro6.2L 8-cylRear-Wheel Drive162419
Camaro6.2L 8-cylRear-Wheel Drive152418
Camaro6.2L 8-cylRear-Wheel Drive141916
Camaro6.2L 8-cylRear-Wheel Drive121814

EPA laboratory estimates by trim and engine. Actual mileage varies with driving, weather, load, and maintenance. EPA source.

Before you buy

Useful next checks

Federal records tell you about patterns. These checks can tell you more about the specific car in front of you.

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Compare model years

"Fewest reports" and "most complained" describe raw NHTSA complaint totals, not vehicle reliability. The last few model years are left unlabelled because they have had less road time.

2012 Chevrolet Camaro: frequently asked

What does the complaint record show for the 2012 Chevrolet Camaro?

Owners filed 110 NHTSA complaints about the 2012 Chevrolet Camaro — more complaints than 85% of comparable 2012 coupes, so it sits toward the weaker end of its class. That's a signal, not a guarantee about any single car.

What are the most common problems on the 2012 Chevrolet Camaro?

The most-reported problem areas are Electrical System (21% of complaints) and air bags (15%).

How many recalls does the 2012 Chevrolet Camaro have?

5 recalls have been issued that affect the 2012 Chevrolet Camaro, covering components such as air bags. Check the VIN with NHTSA and ask a dealer to confirm remedy eligibility; federal no-charge requirements have an age limit, though manufacturers may offer more coverage.

What gas mileage does the 2012 Chevrolet Camaro get?

The EPA rates the 2012 Chevrolet Camaro between 14 and 22 mpg combined, depending on trim and drivetrain.