2012 Chevrolet Camaro

Showing the 2012 Camaro LS. We haven't verified this trim's engine; the numbers below cover every version of this model year. Every version

Owner complaints, recalls, fuel economy and safety ratings from public NHTSA and EPA data, updated Oct 17, 2026.

Fuel economy
14–22 mpgcombined; city 12–19, highway 18–29; every version of this model year
Five years of fuel
$14,760–$25,150U.S. average; Ohio $13,190–$23,700 at local prices; every version of this model year; fuel only, not other costs of owning it; 15,000 miles a year, at EIA fuel prices for the week of Oct 12, 2026
NHTSA overall safety rating
5 starslowest across the versions NHTSA tested
Recall campaigns
4over its history; check a VIN for open ones
Owner complaints
113filed with NHTSA; not adjusted for sales

Trims

NHTSA's VIN data lists these trims for the 2012 Camaro. A trim's engine and numbers are shown as its own only where EPA names versions after the trim and no other version could be it; "seen with" means a source shows that engine on the trim, not that it was the only one. Recalls and complaints cover the whole model year: whether a recall applies to a car depends on its VIN, on NHTSA's recall lookup.

Problems owners report

Owners have filed 113 complaints with NHTSA about the 2012 Camaro. These are unverified owner reports, counted by the part of the car they name; one complaint can name several parts. Counts aren't adjusted for how many were sold, so they don't show how reliable a car is.

Complaints by part of the car
PartComplaintsCrashesFiresInjuries
Electrical system27222
Engine26121
Air bags22714
Power train15000
Structure11120
Steering8304
Service brakes7101
Unknown or other7101
Visibility/wiper7000
Suspension6001
Seats5000
Exterior lighting3000
8 more parts
Fuel/propulsion system3110
Vehicle speed control3201
Electronic stability control (ESC)2000
Equipment adaptive/mobility2000
Tires2000
Wheels2010
Seat belts1100
Visibility1000

Complaints by model year

Newer years have had less time to collect complaints, and counts aren't adjusted for sales, so a shorter bar doesn't mean a more reliable year.

  1. 2010295
  2. 2011194
  3. 2012113
  4. 2013187
  5. 2014188
  6. 2015206
  7. 2016141
  8. 2017189
  9. 201881
  10. 201953
  11. 202031
  12. 202120
  13. 202214
  14. 202315
  15. 20244

Every Camaro year side by side

Recalls

NHTSA lists 4 recall campaigns for the 2012 Camaro over its history. Campaigns are matched by model and year, so each one may apply to a given car, and its repair may already be done: check a VIN on NHTSA's recall lookup for the open recalls on that exact car.

Seats: front assembly

NHTSA campaign 14V447000 · reported Jul 23, 2014 · 414,333 vehicles potentially affected

General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2011-2012 Buick LaCrosse, Regal and Chevrolet Camaro, as well as certain 2010-2012 Cadillac SRX, Chevrolet Equinox and GMC Terrain vehicles, equipped with power height adjustable driver and passenger seats. In the affected vehicles, the bolt that secures the driver's and passenger's power front seat height adjuster may fall out causing the seat to drop suddenly to the lowest vertical position.

Risk: If the driver's seat unexpectedly drops, the distraction and altered seat position may affect the drivers' control of the vehicle, increasing the risk of a crash.

Remedy: GM will notify owners, and dealers will replace the height adjuster shoulder bolts, free of charge. The manufacturer distributed interim letters to owners on September 11, 2014. The recall began on December 26, 2014. Owners may contact GM customer service at 1-800-521-7300 (Buick), 1-800-458-8006 (Cadillac), 1-800-222-1020 (Chevrolet), or 1-800-462-8782 (GMC). GM's number for this recall is 14271.

NHTSA's record and documents

Electrical system: ignition

NHTSA campaign 14V346000 · reported Jun 20, 2014 · 464,712 vehicles potentially affected

General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling all 2010-2014 Chevrolet Camaro vehicles manufactured December 3, 2008 to May 23, 2014. In the affected vehicles, the driver may accidentally hit the ignition key with their knee, unintentionally knocking the key out of the run position, turning off the engine.

Risk: If the key is not in the run position, the air bags may not deploy if the vehicle is involved in a crash, increasing the risk of injury. Additionally, a key knocked out of the run position could cause loss of engine power, power steering, and power braking, increasing the risk of a vehicle crash.

Remedy: GM will notify owners, and dealers will remove the key blade from the original flip key/RKE transmitter assemblies, and provide two new keys and two key rings per key. The recall began August 25, 2014. Owners may contact Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020. GM's number for this recall is 14294. Note: Until the recall has been performed, it is very important that drivers adjust their seat and steering column to allow clearance between their knee and the ignition key.

NHTSA's record and documents

Air bags

NHTSA campaign 14V300000 · reported Jun 6, 2014 · 31,520 vehicles potentially affected

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. The driver side frontal air bag has a shorting bar which may intermittently contact the air bag terminals.

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.

NHTSA's record and documents

Air bags

NHTSA campaign 13V023000 · reported Jan 24, 2013 · 4,167 vehicles potentially affected

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: 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.

NHTSA's record and documents

Service bulletins and investigations

Carmakers sent NHTSA 1,893 service bulletins and notices that cover the 2012 Camaro, the latest on Sep 4, 2026. They tell dealers how to fix known issues.

The parts they mention most: equipment (733), electrical system (335), engine and engine cooling (228), engine (172), power train (143).

NHTSA defect investigations

Opening an investigation isn't a finding of a defect. Outcomes are as NHTSA's summary states them. A recall is shown as an investigation's outcome only where NHTSA's summary names it; other recalls NHTSA's file lists with it are marked as listed, not caused.

InvestigationPartOpenedStatus
Recall query RQ13002
Air Bag Non-deployment · covers 2 makes
Air bagsMay 31, 2013Closed Jul 9, 2014
NHTSA's summary names recall 14V300000, 12V522000, 13V023000
NHTSA's record and documents

Maintenance

Oil

The owner's manual gives the oil and how often to change it. We show oil facts only once we've checked them against the manual, and we haven't yet for the 2012 Camaro.

Oil change near you: Jiffy Lube · Take 5

Specs

EPA class: compact cars. Each version EPA tested:

VersionEngineTransmissionFuelCity / hwy / comb
Camaro
Rear-Wheel Drive
3.6 L, 6 cylAutomatic (S6)Regular Gasoline18 / 28 / 22
Camaro
Rear-Wheel Drive
3.6 L, 6 cylAutomatic 6-spdRegular Gasoline19 / 29 / 22
Camaro
Rear-Wheel Drive
3.6 L, 6 cylManual 6-spdRegular Gasoline17 / 27 / 20
Camaro
Rear-Wheel Drive
6.2 L, 8 cylManual 6-spdRegular Gasoline16 / 24 / 19
Camaro
Rear-Wheel Drive
6.2 L, 8 cylAutomatic (S6)Regular Gasoline15 / 24 / 18
Camaro
Rear-Wheel Drive
6.2 L, 8 cyl, superchargedManual 6-spdPremium Gasoline14 / 19 / 16
Camaro
Rear-Wheel Drive
6.2 L, 8 cyl, superchargedAutomatic (S6)Regular Gasoline12 / 18 / 14

Sources and dates

Fuel cost: EPA mpg with fuel prices for the week of Oct 12, 2026 and electricity prices for Jul 2026. Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration (Oct 2026). Complaints are unverified reports owners filed with NHTSA. About the data