Problems · NHTSA complaints
2013 Chevrolet Captiva problems
Owners filed 106 complaints about the 2013 Chevrolet Captiva with NHTSA between Aug 2014 and Apr 2025. The most-cited component is engine (55).
Complaints
106
Filed with NHTSA
Crashes
2
Reported by owners
Fires
4
Reported by owners
Injuries
3
People reported injured
Deaths
0
Reported to NHTSA
Complaints by component
One complaint can cite several components
- Engine55
- Electrical system31
- Power train10
- Electronic stability control (esc)7
- Service brakes5
- Steering5
- Air bags4
- Structure4
- Fuel/propulsion system4
- Vehicle speed control2
- Exterior lighting2
- Visibility/wiper2
- Parking brake2
- Seat belts2
Complaints are unverified owner reports to NHTSA and are not normalized for sales volume. One complaint can cite several components.
Data from NHTSA Complaints API · synced Nov 11, 2026NHTSA vehicle page
When complaints were filed
Does it get worse with age? Complaints per calendar year filed
1
12
9
10
21
26
10
3
2
7
4
1
View as table
| Model year | Complaints filed per calendar year |
|---|---|
| 2014 | 1 |
| 2015 | 12 |
| 2016 | 9 |
| 2017 | 10 |
| 2018 | 21 |
| 2019 | 26 |
| 2020 | 10 |
| 2021 | 3 |
| 2022 | 2 |
| 2023 | 7 |
| 2024 | 4 |
| 2025 | 1 |
Mileage at failure isn’t a structured field in NHTSA complaint data, so we don’t chart it. Some owners mention it in their reports below.
Top problems in owners’ words
Verbatim from NHTSA complaints, newest first
Engine
55 reports1 fire
“This car is know for engine consumption issues it is the motor and it is know has has been recalled due to issues in prior years. My engine is consuming a half a quart every 40 miles.”
Electrical system
31 reports3 fires
“Key will lock in ignition and vehicle will not start. Happens intermittently. Battery is fine, alternator is fine, dealership replaced ignition when purchased which helped for about a year, but the problem continues to become more frequent. Rattling the battery fixes the problem, but only temporarily.”
Power train
10 reports
“Within 3 days my vehicle stopped working with no warnings (check engine or other warnings) the vehicle made a rattling noise and then would not turn on. Upon inspection mechanic informed me that the engine would need to be replaced. There were no oil leaks or issues that would have caused the engine to die. The vehicle did not give me any signs of warnings that there was a problem. This cost would be more than the total I purchased the vehicle for. The engine has 85,000 miles and vehicle was well cared for. The vehicle is unsafe to drive and unreliable and when researching this car thousands of other people have experienced this same issue. There is a recall on the 2011 and 2012 captivas and this same issue is occurring in the 2013 captivas.”
Electronic stability control (esc)
7 reports
“THIS IS THE SECOND ISSUE WE HAVE HAD WITH THE STABILITY TRACK ON THIS VEHICLE. FIRST INCIDENT WAS AT THE END OF JANUARY 2019. NOW LESS THAT 4 MONTHS LATER IT HAPPENS AGAIN. WHILE DRIVING, THE BRAKES AUTO ENGAGE, BUT NO WARNING OR LIGHT APPEARS ON THE DASH OR INFORMATION SCREEN. THEN ONCE YOU STOP THE VEHICLE AS YOU CANT DRIVE IT THE SERVICE STABILITRACK/ TRACTION CONTROL MESSAGE COMES ACROSS THE INFORMATION SCREEN. THE ROADS WERE CLEAN AND DRY, WE NOTICED SOMETHING ODD AT 25 MILES PER HOUR BUT WERE UNABLE TO STOP AS THERE WASN'T ANYWHERE TO SAFELY PULL OVER. WE HAD JUST LEFT A STORE PARKING LOT AND WERE MERGING INTO TRAFFIC, NO EXCESSIVE SPEED OR ERRATIC DRIVING. SO THIS HAPPENING OUT OF THE BLUE IN HEAVY TRAFFIC IS A SAFETY ISSUE. THIS IS THE MAIN VEHICLE THAT OUR CHILD RIDES IN AND SHOULDN'T HAVE TO BE REPAIRED IN LESS THAN 2000 MILES FROM THE FIRST TIME IT HAPPENED.”
Service brakes
5 reports
“Reporting for my Mother in law. Confirmed by me several times. First incident occurred while she was driving, dry roads, normal traffic at approximately 65 MPH the front brakes locked up and abruptly bought the car to a stop. She was half in the traffic live lane and half on shoulder. She called me and I went immediately. I got there in about 30 minutes and there was several people trying to push the car off the road and all said it wouldn’t budge. I felt the heat of the left front brake was extremely hot. I sat in the car, started it up, attempted to get it to move, it wouldn’t. I figured it was electronic as there was no DTC/MIL lights. I thought the quickest thing I could do was remove power which I did for about 3 minutes. Started up and it drove to shoulder. We switched vehicles, I drove hers, I was traveling 65 mph when the stabilitrek service message showed on display and two minutes later the car stopped on its own again, I was barely able to get off the highway and people were honking swerving around, one yells to fix my brake lights! Still no MIL Check Engine light. This is IMO a safety issue as there is no warning! I was able to drive short bits to…”
Steering
5 reports
“The contact owns a 2013 Chevrolet Captiva. The contact stated that while his brother was driving at an undisclosed speed, the steering column knuckle detached, causing the steering wheel to become inoperable. The dealer was made aware of the failure and referred the contact to the manufacturer for assistance. The vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 170,386. Car was serviced on 12/5/2019 for a KIA warrantied repair; timing belt replacement causing engine failure. The representative restated again that KIA would not repair the car. Consumer stated vehicle sustained a rod bearing failure at 74,000 miles during operation at highway speeds. Consumer did not receive a letter from KIA for corrective maintenance.”
Data from NHTSA Complaints API (owner reports, unverified) · synced Nov 11, 2026
Complaints are unverified owner reports to NHTSA and are not normalized for sales volume. One complaint can cite several components.