Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (power windows, windshield, wipers, mirrors, sunroof).
Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2011 Chevrolet Cruze owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
As I was driving on the highway, it was raining very hard and I had my wipers on the highest speed. Suddenly the driver side wiper stayed in the vertical position and would not move. I completely lost visibility on the driver side and had to lean over to the passenger side as this wiper was still working. The highway (route 95) had a very small breakdown lane which I did not feel comfortable pulling into due to the lack of space and visibility. When I eventually got to my destination I noticed through the wiper cover that the wiper elbow appeared to be disconnected. I brought my car to the dealership today and they discovered the wiper transmission was broken. They mentioned that this very issue came up with Chevy equinoxes and they were currently under recall. Ultimately I was charged $228.05 after parts, labor, and taxes.
When driving in freezing temperatures my windows begin to fog and frost on the inside of all 4 windows, the rear window, and the corners of the windshield. After driving about 10 - 15 minutes with the defrosters blowing warm air, the car is unable to clear the frost. And by then, the frost has built up enough to the point to where I cannot see out of either drivers or passenger side window. This car was brought to lupient Chevrolet in bloomington, mn (where it was purchased 6 months ago). It was looked at for a week in which the service manger informed me that there is no fix for this problem due to the engine being too small to keep up with cold winter conditions.
While driving in the rain at cruising speed on the highway, my driver's side windshield wiper (transmission linkage) separated at one of the ball/cup joints causing my wiper to uncontrollably fly back and contact my driver's side window. Leaving me without an operable wiper system and safe transportation to work. This is the second such failure on this vehicle as the same issue was repaired approximately a year ago. Obviously, a safety concern depending on the driving and weather conditions at the time of failure.
Steering rod issue, steering wheel feels loose while driving especially when on the highway over 50 MPH . Several issues with coolant/ car overheating/ overheated and gauge flew rapidly to hot, driving about 40 MPH and had to pull over and turn off car - call tow truck. This happened twice, supposedly fixed but still smells of burning oil. Drive side windshield stopped working while driving about 65 MPH on busy highway -possible problem with the motor because the other one works fine. All very dangerous issues.
Tl* the contact owns a 2011 Chevrolet Cruze. While operating the vehicle, the tire pressure monitoring system would erroneously indicate that the tires were not fully inflated. After inspecting the tires, the contact did not discover a failure. The contact also indicated that the driver side mirror failed to adjust, which impaired the contact's visibility. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failures. The failure mileage was 25,000.
Driver's side wiper stopped working in the rain. It was found to be an issue with the wiper transmission. The end came off the base of the wiper arm spindle. After some research this seems to be a common safety issue with this model and should be addressed by the manufacturer. A recall is in order due to the fact that it is a safety concern and this part should never fail let alone on a car that has not been on the road 4 years yet.
After awhile of owning my vehicle I noticed my ac/heater blower began to stop blowing out of my vents, and it only blows out of the defrost vent. With the blower on my windows become very fogged and hard to see. I took it to a repair center and found out that it would end up costing me $1000 to fix a $15 piece. With having to remove my entire dash. They told me it was a lever of some sort and there is no other way to get to it.
The driver side windshield wiper is now inoperable. It has come loose from the motor and is now free roaming on my windshield. Cruzetalk.com forum states that there a lot of these issues with the Chevy Cruze windshield wiper system. I was driving in a snow storm when it stopped operation. I had to call a tow truck to get me. I was on the side of the road for 3 hours in a snow storm waiting for a tow truck.
Front windshield fogging up at outside humidity levels of 80% and above; stationary as in motion. The air system does not clear the internal window condensation from the front windshield, unless the ac is working. With temperatures below 75f, there's no need for ac, so it's preferably turned off. However putting regular air on heater, with no ac will fog the windshield.
We will be driving and all of a sudden the car stalls out. It has been doing this for 6 months but recently it has gotten a lot more frequent and I had my battery tested and it's not that. Also, my windshield wipers work but they are stuck in the upright position. I took it to a dealer ship and they said it was the motor and it was over 300.00 to fix it
Window & Wiper complaints in other Cruze years
Frequently asked questions
How common are window & wiper problems on the 2011 Chevrolet Cruze?
NHTSA has 26 complaints about the windows, wipers & sunroof of the 2011 Chevrolet Cruze, 4% of the model year's 732 complaints. The component named most often is rearview mirrors/devices › exterior (2 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2011 Chevrolet Cruze window & wiper problems?
No. NHTSA lists no windows, wipers & sunroof recall for the 2011 Chevrolet Cruze, though it has 7 recalls for other components. If the problem is widespread, a repair may still be covered by an extended warranty or a manufacturer service bulletin — ask a dealer.
At what mileage do 2011 Chevrolet Cruze window & wiper problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 82,000 miles, and 17% before 25,000 miles.
Source: U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) — owner complaints through October 20, 2026, recalls and defect investigations; fuel economy from the EPA. Complaints are unverified reports and are not proof of a defect. How we rate model years.