2012 Buick Verano
Safety record from NHTSA: recalls, owner complaints, investigations and service bulletins.
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Vehicles › Buick › Verano › 2012
These records cover every 2012 Buick Verano. To see whether one car still needs a recall repair, decode its VIN or check it with NHTSA.
Recalls
3 recalls name the 2012 Buick Verano. Newest first.
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.…
Risk and remedy
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.
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 and remedy
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.
General Motors is recalling certain model year 2012 Buick Verano, Chevrolet Cruze, and Chevrolet Sonic vehicles. The driver side frontal air bag has a shorting bar which may intermittently contact the air bag terminals.
Risk and remedy
Risk
If the bar and terminals are contacting each other at the time of a crash necessitating deployment of the driver's frontal airbag, that airbag will not deploy, increasing the driver's risk of injury.
Remedy
General Motors will notify owners, and dealers will replace the steering wheel airbag coil, free of charge. The safety recall began on January 11, 2013. Owners may contact General Motors at 1-800-521-7300.
Owner complaints
106 complaints8 involved a crash1 involved a fire4 injuries
What owners report most
Latest complaints
- Visibility/wiper
Rear window shattered while driving. No rock or other damage. I just heard a loud bang and it exploded
- Electrical system
NAV display and radio stopped working black screen blank
- Engine
On 2 separate occasions, I have gone through 4 quarts of oil in 2000 miles. No leaks as verified by mechanic. Just excessive burn. The check oil light does not come on to warn you and says I still have 50% oil life but almost bone dry.
- Air bags
The passenger airbag indicator goes on and off with person in passenger seat. We first noticed this Summer 2023. It has gotten worse. Now a passenger can shift weight slightly one way or another and cause the indicator status to change which disables the airbag. Dealer also confirmed (4/16/24) DTC…
The passenger airbag indicator goes on and off with person in passenger seat. We first noticed this Summer 2023. It has gotten worse. Now a passenger can shift weight slightly one way or another and cause the indicator status to change which disables the airbag. Dealer also confirmed (4/16/24) DTC code B0081(internal malfunction with passenger presence module). I have recently learned there was a warranty extension for this failure (which had expired) which I was unaware of. I now have a vehicle which I feel is unsafe to travel with a passenger! If GM is aware of the problem and the dealer (imperial Chevrolet) has charged me $160 diagnostic fee for a known problem and tells me it will cost approx. $1,800 to repair/replace the sensor and module.
- Engine
Oil Consumption- Burning through 2 qts of oil every 2000 miles. No warning lights coming on. Last oil change my car had no oil in it.
- Engine · Power train
Car has had excessive oil consumption since start. Easily consuming 1-2 quarts of oil on monthly basis. Had timing chains replaced at 75000 miles. Car suddenly stopped without warning 1/16/23 and completely shut off while driving. Now, at 170000 miles the engine is blown, due to chains loosening, and valves getting bent and scattered.
- Air bags
This airbag is supposed to last the lifetime of the vehicle and it has not. On top of it not lasting I am being charged to fix the airbag issue replacement and it is at fault of General Motors for not offering a lifetime lasting airbag.
- Air bags
The contact owned a 2012 Buick Verano. The contact stated while driving at 30 MPH, another vehicle was traveling in the opposite direction and struck the front driver side of the contact’s vehicle causing damage to the front end of both vehicles. The air bags did not deploy in the contact's vehicle…
The contact owned a 2012 Buick Verano. The contact stated while driving at 30 MPH, another vehicle was traveling in the opposite direction and struck the front driver side of the contact’s vehicle causing damage to the front end of both vehicles. The air bags did not deploy in the contact's vehicle but in the other vehicle, the air bags did deploy. No major injuries and no one seeking medical attention. The police report was filed. The vehicle was towed and deemed total lost. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 106,000.
- Engine
My car started burning an excessive amount of oil this caused my car to die with no engine warning while driving. My mechanic found it to be completely out of oil. The car only has 67000 miles on it and now I have to constantly put oil in the car. It does not leak it just burns oil. I just drove…
My car started burning an excessive amount of oil this caused my car to die with no engine warning while driving. My mechanic found it to be completely out of oil. The car only has 67000 miles on it and now I have to constantly put oil in the car. It does not leak it just burns oil. I just drove 400 miles and when I got to my destination my car was completely out of oil again. My motor is not going to last if this keeps happening.
- Engine and engine cooling · Fuel system, gasoline › Fuel injection system
The contact owns a 2012 Buick Verano . The contact stated there was an abnormal odor of fuel entering through the vents. In addition, while driving, there was an abnormal very loud knocking noise. The contact noticed that there was oil or fuel leaking from the injection system. The TPMS warning…
The contact owns a 2012 Buick Verano . The contact stated there was an abnormal odor of fuel entering through the vents. In addition, while driving, there was an abnormal very loud knocking noise. The contact noticed that there was oil or fuel leaking from the injection system. The TPMS warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer but it was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was approximately 120,000.
- Air bags
I was in a traffic jam and had a blowout. My airbags didn't go off no accident was able to pull over. Got it towed to get a new tire. Now I took my car in to get the aribag light off and it's $2000 for seatbelt sensor and another sensor from a blowout that's redicilous. The airbags didn't go…
I was in a traffic jam and had a blowout. My airbags didn't go off no accident was able to pull over. Got it towed to get a new tire. Now I took my car in to get the aribag light off and it's $2000 for seatbelt sensor and another sensor from a blowout that's redicilous. The airbags didn't go off. Now I don't have any air bags because of a tire blowout. No damage to the car either. Please help and thank you for your time!
- Engine
Technical Service Bulletin #13-06-01-003H (TSB 003H) in regards to GM’s 2.4L engines & excessive oil consumption. (https://static.nhtsa.gov/odi/tsbs/2016/MC-10116880-9999.pdf) This release not only concedes a persistent issue found in at least six GM models, but more importantly fails to…
Technical Service Bulletin #13-06-01-003H (TSB 003H) in regards to GM’s 2.4L engines & excessive oil consumption. (https://static.nhtsa.gov/odi/tsbs/2016/MC-10116880-9999.pdf) This release not only concedes a persistent issue found in at least six GM models, but more importantly fails to acknowledge the serious and fatal risks as a result of the Oil Consumption Defect. As a direct result of GM's known defect, I was left in a dangerous situation. I crossed a divided residential street, engine stalled and the vehicle turned off, stranded in the middle. It is not unreasonable to imagine other similar situations occurring, leaving people directly susceptible to serious injury or death. Here, the dipstick was completely dry. It took two quarts before any oil appeared on the dipstick. The oil light did not illuminate and I was approximately 1500 miles from my next scheduled oil service. The diagnosis: pistons excessively worn from lack of oil, engine failure. My situation is not unique. https://www.carcomplaints.com/Buick/Verano/2012/engine/engine.shtml Sanchez et al v. General Motors LLC, found in favor of the plaintiffs. The issue: the Oil Consumption Defect, found in 2010-13 Equinox & Terrain, both vehicles listed on TSB 003H with the 2012 Verano. https://www.classaction.org/media/sanchez-et-al-v-general-motors-llc.pdf The primary cause: faulty piston rings and defective crankcase ventilation system, leading to excessive oil consumption. The oil monitoring systems are defective. “Reliance on the [system] instead encourages owners to drive with a false sense of security.” “Problems include, but are not limited to: unanticipated engine shutdowns, engine stalls.” “[This] is a substantial safety concern because [failure]… cannot be reasonably anticipated or predicted.” To allow GM to ignore this documented and persistent issue, without further investigation, would be a failure carry out the NHTSA’s core duty: to save lives and prevent injuries. Thank you.
- Engine
The contact owns a 2012 Buick Verano. The contact stated that her vehicle was constantly loosing oil however, there was no warning light illuminated on the vehicle to indicate that the oil level was low. The contact stated that when the oil level was low, the vehicle made a loud rumbling sound. The…
The contact owns a 2012 Buick Verano. The contact stated that her vehicle was constantly loosing oil however, there was no warning light illuminated on the vehicle to indicate that the oil level was low. The contact stated that when the oil level was low, the vehicle made a loud rumbling sound. The contact would then top off the engine oil. The contact stated that without the knocking sound she would not know that the vehicle required additional oil. The vehicle was taken to a dealer and an independent mechanic however, the mechanic was unable to locate an oil leak. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 176,768.
- Engine
My car has started to burn oil quickly in the past and I was bringing my car to get oil changes more frequently than the sticker was saying at the dealership. Recently my car showed no oil on the dipstick after my car stopped running. 2 quarts of oil was added and the oil only showed at the tip of…
My car has started to burn oil quickly in the past and I was bringing my car to get oil changes more frequently than the sticker was saying at the dealership. Recently my car showed no oil on the dipstick after my car stopped running. 2 quarts of oil was added and the oil only showed at the tip of the dipstick. My engine was tapping a few weeks prior to my car no longer running. I brought the car to the dealership and they informed me that there was not a recall on my vehicle, but upon checking there was a recall in 2016 for this exact matter. My car is still not running and has been down since October 22, 2021. The dealership is stating that they cannot fix my car because there is not an open recall, but this recall was in 2016 and I was never made aware of the recall nor was I said any correspondences about this recall.
- Engine
Replaced many components and still has cylinder misfire . Replaced coils . Spark plugs. Vvt solenoids . Pigtails for vvt and still jerks, stalls, and radio doesn't work.
- Engine
Car engine started making noise in front right side. Had oil changed 2000 miles prior and there was no oil when checked. Mechanic said the motors are known to have the timing belt go out and the pistons. There are recalls for this issue, however my VIN number doesn't come up!! Have had the car 2 months!!!! Pretty pissed off!
- Engine
Car using excessive oil, but not leaking. non oil light ever has come on. Car also showed p0011 which ties in with issue.
- Air bags
Says service aig bag this IS not safe..
- Electrical system
TL* the contact owns a 2012 buick verano. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the vehicle would intermittently shut-off without warning. The contact took the vehicle to an independent mechanic who linked the failure to an unknown electrical defect. The contact then called david…
TL* the contact owns a 2012 buick verano. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the vehicle would intermittently shut-off without warning. The contact took the vehicle to an independent mechanic who linked the failure to an unknown electrical defect. The contact then called david chevrolet buick (10225 niagara falls blvd, niagara falls, ny 14304) where she was provided an estimate to have the vehicle diagnosed. The contact declined to have the vehicle diagnosed. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The contact was informed that the vin was not under recall. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 100,000.*dt
- Air bags · Service brakes
While pulling into my home driveway, when I applied brakes . And the car started to accelerate causing me to hit my other vehicle and then the car proceeded into the side of my house . I just 2 days prior had my car inspected at firestone, I also just had new brakes and rotors replaced less than 5…
While pulling into my home driveway, when I applied brakes . And the car started to accelerate causing me to hit my other vehicle and then the car proceeded into the side of my house . I just 2 days prior had my car inspected at firestone, I also just had new brakes and rotors replaced less than 5 months prior, also the airbag light came on earlier that day, I was coming home from firestone and noticed the car was accelerating and deceleration while driving which was less than 10 mile from my home .
- Air bags
The passenger side air bag light goes off when engine IS running. Does this while driving or parked. This makes air bag light in the information center of dash come on or turn off.
- Engine
Purchased the car used with 65K miles and everything seemed good. at around 72K the car had a loud pinging noise. I checked the oil and the dip stick was dry. I changed the oil and filter to be safe. the car has been using a quart of oil every 2000 miles. at 80K the check engine light came on.…
Purchased the car used with 65K miles and everything seemed good. at around 72K the car had a loud pinging noise. I checked the oil and the dip stick was dry. I changed the oil and filter to be safe. the car has been using a quart of oil every 2000 miles. at 80K the check engine light came on. in pa that means you do not pass inspection so we had to have the engine serviced. the bill was only $212 dollars for two valve position solenoids. I did a complete oil and filter change then also. at 1712 miles later the engine light came on again, the engine oil was 1,5 quarts low again. I guess I am in the same boat as most of the others with high oil consumption, shafted by gm again. I do not understand how a company can sell something so badf and get away with it. it seems all of the gm vehicles with the 22.4 liter 4 cylinder engine have these issues. the shame IS the car itself so far has been pretty good except for the oil issue. when will gm start to stand behind their product?
- Air bags · Engine
The system air bag notices keeps coming in the car, when you put your seat beat on it goes away. Also the oil button doesn't come on , the car constantly shakes and the check engine like keeps coming on after even being repaired. I needed a fuel pump and that's been fixed but the problem IS happening again
- Engine
Excessive oil consumption. Low oil light did not come on causing car to produce "engine power reduced" warning on dashboard. Less than half a quart of oil in engine caused timing belt to break along with head gasket to collapse. Issue with car happened at work sitting in stationary parking spot
- Air bags
Service airbag light comes on occasionally when passenger gets in car. Goes off once passenger buckles seatbelt and vehicle IS in drive, most of the time. A couple times it has stayed on for part of a day even without a passenger and after several times of turning the car off and restarting.
Defect investigations
NHTSA’s Office of Defects Investigation opened these reviews into vehicles including this one.
- 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…
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.
Service bulletins
Technical service bulletins and other communications the manufacturer sent dealers about this vehicle. Ask a dealer for the full document by its number.
- 11011805This Preliminary information communicates a GM part number forreflective high temperature heat or insulating tape when repairing wiring harnesses.
- 11011782This Preliminary Information communication provides information to the technician about the use of J-35616-64B terminal test probe, replacement terminals, and terminated leads. The J-35616-64B is the latest test probe released for checking tension or probing the .64 series terminals. The test probe terminal has been released in the terminal repair kit (J-38125-620H) located in Lear Tray 7 part number 963716-2. There are 5 terminated leads in a package part number is 13505346, which can be ordered through your normal General Motors Customer Care and Aftersales parts channel.
- 11011709This bulletin advises the dealers to maintain the vehicle stock on hand by doing a full inspection on the vehicles before being sold (prepping) to the customer.
- 11011444This Preliminary information communicates to the dealer a process for accessing the procedure to add attachments to a GM technical assistance case using the dealer case management tool.
- 11011205This informational bulletin explains Unscheduled Supplemental Services and the importance of GM Simplified Maintenance Schedules.
- 11010651This service bulletin informs the technician of an alternate lift procedure that has been developed when the lift plate does not fit the top of the transmission case for 6T30, 6T35, 6T40, 6T45, and 6T50 Transmissions.
- 11010545This service bulletin provides information on key code security rules and information on GM keycode look-up applications (U.S).
- 11010491This warranty administration bulletin provides policy information for GM courtesy transportation and roadside assistance programs.
- 11010490This service bulletin provides guidelines and diagnostic/repair information to technicians regarding vehicle engine oil consumption.
- 11010421This warranty administration bulletin provides policy information on the requirements for 12V battery testing and warranty replacements.
- 11009764This service bulletin provides information on Concerns or Questions Regarding Installation of Dealer Installed Accessories.
- 11009756This bulletin provides information on Policies Applicable to All U.S. Dealers for Engine and Transmission Assembly Replacement Under Warranty, Policy or Customer Enthusiasm and information on Submission of Warranty Transaction in Global Warranty Management.
- 11009532This service bulletin provides information for maintenance cleaning of the fuel injectors and gasoline detergent additive.
- 11009531This service bulletin provides information for maintenance cleaning of the fuel injectors and gasoline detergent additive.
- 11009156This Preliminary Information communicates to the dealer the process for downloading or updating operating software for the Tire Pressure Monitor, Active Fuel Injector tester, multi media tester, PICO Scope, GR8 starting/charging tester and Vehicle Data Recorder tools, giving website address and step by step instructions to complete the update.
- 11009088This service bulletin provides information on some vehicles that may rock or move slightly forward or rearward while in Park at start up after cold soak. This condition may be accompanied by a clunk noise. This is a slight movement that is more often seen visually, rather than felt, when viewed from the outside and using the auto-start feature, if equipped.
- 11009039This warranty administration bulletin provides policy information, proper labor operation selection and causal part identification for warranty transactions (U.S. Only).
- 11008956This service bulletin provides information for dealers/technicians on When and How to Submit a Field Product Report (FPR) (U.S. and Canada Dealers Only).
- 11008906This service bulletin provides graphics, information and guidelines for engine component wear to assist service personnel as a guideline to perform necessary engine repairs and prevent unnecessary engine replacement.
- 11008898The bulletin provides direction on how to locate the Temporary Service Part (TSP) form in GlobalConnect.
- 11007936This service bulletin provides information to dealership personnel on diagnosis and replacement of shock absorber and strut due to fluid leak.
- 11007935This service bulletin provides information to dealership personnel on diagnosis and replacement of shock absorber and strut due to fluid leak.
- 11007744This Preliminary Information communication provides information to the technician about vehicles that the Heater-Vent-Air Conditioning blows warm air. Before calling General Motors Technical Assistance Center technician will need to have high and low pressures, outside temperature, humidity, and vent temperature.
- 11007743This Preliminary Information communication provides information to the technician about vehicles that the Heater-Vent-Air Conditioning blows warm air. Before calling General Motors Technical Assistance Center technician will need to have high and low pressures, outside temperature, humidity, and vent temperature.
- 11007208This Preliminary Information communication provides information to the technician about changing the tire and wheel size on vehicles. General Motors will only support a tire calibration for tires that have been sized, tested and designed for the vehicle in question and its applications. Technician should not use the information that is provided by the antilock braking system tire size selection.
- 11007196This Preliminary Information communication provides information to the technician about vehicles that have an intermittent no crank, no start, or start stall concern with the security light coming on. Technician may find Diagnostic Trouble Codes B3055, B3060, and/or B3935. Technician should not replace any parts for this concern. If unable to duplicate the concern ask if the customer uses any Radio Frequency Identification Devices when the concern is present. Dealer should also direct their customers to the appropriate section in the Owner manuals that references that the device complies.
- 11007121This bulletin provides information on Engine Concerns that could result from lack of scheduled maintenance, improper service or aftermarket calibrations.
- 11007116This bulletin provides information on identifying Non-GM Engine Calibrations for Gasoline Engines using the Tech 2 or GDS 2.
- 11007115This service bulletin provides information on Internal Engine Noise or Damage After Oil Filter Replacement.
- 11007095This bulletin provides information on the TOP TIER Detergent Gasoline Licensed Brands and the TOP TIER Diesel Fuel Licensed Brands that are recommended for use in all GM vehicles and the TOP TIER FUELS website URL.
- 11007091This service bulletin provides guidelines and diagnostic/repair information to technicians regarding vehicle engine oil consumption.
- 11006849This service bulletin provides information on regular inspection of the Seat Belt Lap Anchor.
- 11006711This service bulletin provides diagnostic repair information for customer concerns of Engine Run-On, Rough Running, Malfunction Indicator Lamp (MIL) Illuminated.
- 11006682This service bulletin provides information on a guide to help reduce repeat visits for the same customer concern.
- 11006670This service bulletin advises about the possible issues that may occur when using a scotch brite pad or highly abrasive disk on gasket sealing surfaces or reused parts.
- 11006644This Warranty Administration service bulletin provides information for dealers/Service advisors on when and how to submit a Pre-Repair Authorization (PRA).
- 11006621Vehicle Wide Programming (VWP) is a new process to update software on GM Vehicles. It provides the ability via a single selection within Techline Connect to first identify which modules need updating and then proceed to updating affected modules (with some exceptions). The updating of modules is completed in parallel instead of the technician needing to update one module at a time. This allows a more streamlined approach for dealers and customers.
- 11006511This PI provides information on Rear and Side Tempered Glass Spots (Quench Marks) and that they are a normal characteristic.
- 11006421GM is receiving damaged (cracked or broken) transmission cores returned to the reman facilities. The damage is being caused either in the removal process by the technician, or inadequate packaging or shipping. This bulletin advises the dealers to be more careful not to damage the transmissions during removal and to package the core properly for return.
- 11006293This Preliminary information communicates to the dealer an issue where the vehicle's engine may crank over unprompted andnot start afterward. This is the result of hooking up the Active Fuel Injector Tool incorrectly on vehicles equipped with a direct fuel injection system. This Preliminary information instructs the dealer ofa repair kit they received that will prevent this issue when installed correctly.
Every Buick Verano model year
Bars are owner complaints, dots mark years with recalls. Select a year to open its report.