2012 Buick Verano problems and recalls

45% of owner complaints on the 2012 Buick Verano related to the Engine (48 of 106).

106
Complaints
3
Recalls
8
Crash reports
1
Fire reports
4
Injuries
63.6
Severity index

Severity index 63.6 Medium. The index weights crashes, fires, injuries and fatalities per 100 complaints. How it is calculated.

Middle half of all tracked vehiclesThis vehicle: 63.6p25 46p75 80cleanestworst
Severity index against the quartile range for all tracked vehicles.

Ranked 62 of 130 by severity index among 2012 vehicles with at least 40 complaints, highest first. 52% of those vehicles scored lower. Full 2012 ranking.

Components cited in complaints

EngineEngine: 48 complaints (45.3%)48 45%Air BagsAir Bags: 27 complaints (25.5%)27 25%Electrical SystemElectrical System: 16 complaints (15.1%)16 15%SteeringSteering: 9 complaints (8.5%)9 8%Power TrainPower Train: 7 complaints (6.6%)7 7%Vehicle Speed ControlVehicle Speed Control: 7 complaints (6.6%)7 7%Unknown Or OtherUnknown Or Other: 5 complaints (4.7%)5 5%Visibility/WiperVisibility/Wiper: 4 complaints (3.8%)4 4%
A single complaint can cite more than one component, so shares total over 100%.
ComponentComplaintsShare of complaints citing it
ENGINE4845.3%
AIR BAGS2725.5%
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM1615.1%
STEERING98.5%
POWER TRAIN76.6%
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL76.6%
UNKNOWN OR OTHER54.7%
VISIBILITY/WIPER43.8%

Complaints filed per year

010192012: 52013: 52014: 112015: 102016: 72017: 72018: 152019: 192020: 82021: 62022: 62023: 32024: 32026: 1 (partial year)121314151617181919202122232426
Complaints by the calendar year they were filed. The hatched bar is the current year to date.
YearComplaints
20125
20135
201411
201510
20167
20177
201815
201919
20208
20216
20226
20233
20243
2026 (year to date)1
Filings in 2022 to 2024 ran 0.4x those in 2019 to 2021 (12 against 33).

Recall campaigns

CampaignReportedComponentSummary
14V30000006/06/2014AIR BAGSGeneral 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, a
12V52200031/10/2012AIR BAGSGeneral 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.
13V02300024/01/2013AIR BAGSGeneral 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.

Other Buick Verano model years

Severity index for every other model year on file. Compare all 5 years side by side.

Source. NHTSA public complaint and recall APIs (api.nhtsa.gov), retrieved 2026-07-25. Complaints are unverified consumer reports. Totals vary with units sold and years on the road. Not affiliated with NHTSA or any manufacturer.