Total Complaints
23 filings
CHEVROLET CAPTIVA · model year
23 NHTSA complaints, 3 crash reports for this specific cohort.
NHTSA overall rating
3 / 5 ★
New Car Assessment Program
The 2015CHEVROLETCAPTIVA carries 23 consumer safety complaints in NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation database for this specific model-year cohort. Within that volume, owners reported 3 crashes, 0 fires, 4 injuries, and 0 fatalities. For crash performance, NHTSA's New Car Assessment Program gave this cohort an overall 3/5 rating, with 3/5 front crash, 3/5 side crash, and 4/5 rollover scores derived from standardized barrier and dynamic tests.
Component-level analysis is where model-year complaints become actionable: the top complaint category for the 2015 CAPTIVA is electrical system with 4 filings, followed by engine (4) and unknown or other (3). Concentration in one or two component groups is the classic signature of a systemic defect; a flat distribution usually reflects normal aging, warranty complaints, or isolated build-plant variability.
NHTSA currently has 57 investigation files overlapping the 2015 CAPTIVA, and 2 remain open. Owners comparing this cohort against neighboring years should pair the counters above with the complaint-by-year trend on the parent model page — a spike in a single year often tracks to a platform refresh, a new transmission supplier, or an updated ECU calibration. Use the related-complaint feed below to read raw owner narratives before deciding whether any pattern here affects your specific use case.
Total Complaints
23 filings
Crashes Reported
3 reports
Source
NHTSA ODI
Federal complaints database
At or below the fleet median complaint volume.
| Component | Count |
|---|---|
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | 4 |
| ENGINE | 4 |
| UNKNOWN OR OTHER | 3 |
| STEERING | 2 |
| POWER TRAIN | 2 |
| VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL | 2 |
| AIR BAGS | 2 |
| STRUCTURE:BODY:DOOR | 1 |
| ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL (ESC) | 1 |
| FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM | 1 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:12V/24V/48V BATTERY:CABLES | 1 |
My car was functioning normally. But on or about Jan 7, I was simply moving the car to another parking area in my driveway. The car stopped and would not restart. It was towed to a local dealer. I was told the problem was a drive chain, resulting in a repair that could cost thousands. Now the car rests in my yard with a future as a flower pot. There had been no warning of trouble, no smell, no sound etc. It the car had been at speed on a highway this could have been catastrophic to me and other motorists. I spent thousands to buy this car and now it is gone. My insurance refused a claim, citing the engine failure. What options do I have? I am 77 years old.
My car was functioning normally. But on or about Jan 7, I was simply moving the car to another parking area in my driveway. The car stopped and would not restart. It was towed to a local dealer. I was told the problem was a drive chain, resulting in a repair that could cost thousands. Now the car rests in my yard with a future as a flower pot. There had been no warning of trouble, no smell, no sound etc. It the car had been at speed on a highway this could have been catastrophic to me and other motorists. I spent thousands to buy this car and now it is gone. My insurance refused a claim, citing the engine failure. What options do I have? I am 77 years old.
My car was functioning normally. But on or about Jan 7, I was simply moving the car to another parking area in my driveway. The car stopped and would not restart. It was towed to a local dealer. I was told the problem was a drive chain, resulting in a repair that could cost thousands. Now the car rests in my yard with a future as a flower pot. There had been no warning of trouble, no smell, no sound etc. It the car had been at speed on a highway this could have been catastrophic to me and other motorists. I spent thousands to buy this car and now it is gone. My insurance refused a claim, citing the engine failure. What options do I have? I am 77 years old.
The Chevy Captiva I have has been in multiple shops and NOBODY knows why it randomly has electrical problems and all the locks go on and off while driving and the RPM speeds up and slows down all by itself. The engine and transmission has been replaced among other things in the vehicle. This is a hazard to myself and anybody on the road. It has been to multiple mechanics in my city and not one person can figure out why the car does this. The engine misfires while driving and Iâve almost been in multiple wrecks because the car genuinely has a mind of its own! How many more times does this need to happen before a serious accident. This vehicle needs to be recalled before a serious accident happens at only the fault of a vehicle that should have been recalled years ago!
The Chevy Captiva I have has been in multiple shops and NOBODY knows why it randomly has electrical problems and all the locks go on and off while driving and the RPM speeds up and slows down all by itself. The engine and transmission has been replaced among other things in the vehicle. This is a hazard to myself and anybody on the road. It has been to multiple mechanics in my city and not one person can figure out why the car does this. The engine misfires while driving and Iâve almost been in multiple wrecks because the car genuinely has a mind of its own! How many more times does this need to happen before a serious accident. This vehicle needs to be recalled before a serious accident happens at only the fault of a vehicle that should have been recalled years ago!
The Chevy Captiva I have has been in multiple shops and NOBODY knows why it randomly has electrical problems and all the locks go on and off while driving and the RPM speeds up and slows down all by itself. The engine and transmission has been replaced among other things in the vehicle. This is a hazard to myself and anybody on the road. It has been to multiple mechanics in my city and not one person can figure out why the car does this. The engine misfires while driving and Iâve almost been in multiple wrecks because the car genuinely has a mind of its own! How many more times does this need to happen before a serious accident. This vehicle needs to be recalled before a serious accident happens at only the fault of a vehicle that should have been recalled years ago!
The service airbag light came on.
Around July or August 2020 I started having problems with not being able to hear the turn signal when I used it. The lights for the radio display would randomly dim or randomly return to full strength depending on whether I hit a bump on the road. There was also a "frying eggs" sound after I turned off the ignition. When I took the 2015 Captiva to Yemm Auto Group in Galesburg, IL, they said they could not replicate the problem and could not locate any additional electrical issues. When I took it in to Billion Auto in Iowa City, IA, they also said they could not replicate the problem and could not locate any additional electrical issues. Since then I took it to an independent auto repair shop (Car Care Center, Macomb, IL). While they were able to replace the battery cables and the turn signal sound has not disappeared since then, I am still having issues with the random radio display dimming and "frying eggs" sound. I asked Yemm and Billion Auto if I needed to replace the car radio to s
The contact owns a 2015 Chevrolet Captiva. The contact stated while his wife was driving at 45 MPH, the vehicle lost motive power and stalled in the middle of the road without warning. The driver could not get out of the vehicle due to a vehicle not having power. The police department was contacted and a tow truck was sent to the scene. The tow driver was able to unlock a door and the driver was able to exit the vehicle. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic to be diagnosed. The contact was informed that the battery terminal had defective and needed to be replaced. The terminal cable was replaced. The manufacturer was not made aware of the vehicle. The failure mileage was not available. The VIN was not available.
Periodically when driving, there will be an electrical issue involving various electrical components as follows: Service Traction Control warning message, radio goes out, dashboard warning lights flash on/off suddenly. Also, the car will appear completely dead/unresponsive can cannot be started. The key will get stuck in the ignition. This is currently the situation. These occurances can happen 3 to 5 times per week. We cannot identify a particular set of circumstances that creates the situation. It seems to happen randomly. Other owners of the Chevy Captiva have reported having similar problems. To fix the problem, I have separately had the Body Control Module replaced, replaced the battery and had a grounding wire replaced. The problem remains unresolved. Since this appears to be a common issue with the Chevy Captiva, I would like GM to investigate and propose a solution. I am willing to pay for the solution, but we (owners, dealers and repair shops) need to know
KEY GETS STUCK IN THE IGNITION.
Mileage: 79,640
WHEN STARTING THE VEHICLE IT'LL MAKE A ROUGH SOUND AND THE ENGINE WILL CUT OFF. O HAVE TO TURN ON THE IGNITION TWICE BEFORE DRIVING. THE VEHICLE HAS POOR POWER WHEN ACCELERATING. I'VE TOOK IT BACK TO THE DEALERSHIP TWICE AND THEY SAID THEY COULDN'T FIND ANYTHING WRONG.
Mileage: 91,000
WHEN STARTING THE VEHICLE IT'LL MAKE A ROUGH SOUND AND THE ENGINE WILL CUT OFF. O HAVE TO TURN ON THE IGNITION TWICE BEFORE DRIVING. THE VEHICLE HAS POOR POWER WHEN ACCELERATING. I'VE TOOK IT BACK TO THE DEALERSHIP TWICE AND THEY SAID THEY COULDN'T FIND ANYTHING WRONG.
Mileage: 91,000
WHEN STARTING THE VEHICLE AND CONSISTANY WHEN DRIVING THE AC COMPRESSOR STARTS TO MAKE A LOUD NOISE AND CLUTCH WILL ACTUALLY RUN BACKWARDS. IF IT BUSTS A BELT AND CAUSES THE STEARING TO STOP WORKING TO TO CAR SHUTTING DOWN WILL CAUSE MAJOR INJURIES OR DEATH. IHAVE BEEN WORKING ON CARS FAR ALMOST 20 YEARS.
Mileage: 60,000
WHILE DRIVING ON A PAVED ROAD, THE CAR BEGAN SWERVING FROM SIDE TO SIDE ,UNABLE TO CONTROL THE CAR AND RAN INTO THE DITCH WITH TOTAL DAMAGE TO CAR AND INJURIES TO THE DRIVER. AIR BAG DID NOT DEPLOY. STABILITY CONTROL LIGHT CAME ON.
Mileage: 44,000
WHILE DRIVING ON A PAVED ROAD, THE CAR BEGAN SWERVING FROM SIDE TO SIDE ,UNABLE TO CONTROL THE CAR AND RAN INTO THE DITCH WITH TOTAL DAMAGE TO CAR AND INJURIES TO THE DRIVER. AIR BAG DID NOT DEPLOY. STABILITY CONTROL LIGHT CAME ON.
Mileage: 44,000
WHILE DRIVING ON A PAVED ROAD, THE CAR BEGAN SWERVING FROM SIDE TO SIDE ,UNABLE TO CONTROL THE CAR AND RAN INTO THE DITCH WITH TOTAL DAMAGE TO CAR AND INJURIES TO THE DRIVER. AIR BAG DID NOT DEPLOY. STABILITY CONTROL LIGHT CAME ON.
Mileage: 44,000
CAPTIVA WILL STUTTER AND STALL UP CURVED HILLS AT 2000RPM IN DANGEROUS UNEXPECTED PLACES. WILL NOT THROW A CODE!!! IN ECO MODE AND AUTOMATIC DURING THE INCIDENTS. TOOK OUT OF ECO MODE AND RAISED TO 3000RPM TO PULL UP THE HILL. GAUGES FLAT LINED SEVERAL TIMES DURING THE INCIDENTS.
Mileage: 60,000
CAPTIVA WILL STUTTER AND STALL UP CURVED HILLS AT 2000RPM IN DANGEROUS UNEXPECTED PLACES. WILL NOT THROW A CODE!!! IN ECO MODE AND AUTOMATIC DURING THE INCIDENTS. TOOK OUT OF ECO MODE AND RAISED TO 3000RPM TO PULL UP THE HILL. GAUGES FLAT LINED SEVERAL TIMES DURING THE INCIDENTS.
Mileage: 60,000
CAPTIVA WILL STUTTER AND STALL UP CURVED HILLS AT 2000RPM IN DANGEROUS UNEXPECTED PLACES. WILL NOT THROW A CODE!!! IN ECO MODE AND AUTOMATIC DURING THE INCIDENTS. TOOK OUT OF ECO MODE AND RAISED TO 3000RPM TO PULL UP THE HILL. GAUGES FLAT LINED SEVERAL TIMES DURING THE INCIDENTS.
Mileage: 60,000
Loss of motive power due to engine failure
Loss of Motive Power due to the Battery Energy Control Module
Electric Vehicle Battery Fires
Outboard Front Seat Belt Anchor Cable Failure
Fuel Line Leak
Data as of 2025. Sources: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) complaints database, NHTSA recall campaign API, NHTSA NCAP crash-test ratings, and NHTSA FARS for fatality cross-reference.
Read our methodology — how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.