ChevroletCaptiva2011Overview/chevrolet/captiva/2011/base/

2011 Chevrolet Captiva

Factory specifications, fluid capacities, torque values, EPA fuel economy and the federal safety record for the 2011 Captiva.

Body SUV

The 2011 Chevrolet Captiva enters the compact SUV segment as the launch year of a five-model run that spanned through 2015, and its complaint record sets it apart immediately — just a single owner-reported issue logged across the entire model year, with the powertrain cited as the top concern and one recall issued. That solitary complaint stands in stark contrast to the 145 reports that would peak in 2012, making the 2011 the cleanest year in the Captiva's documented history. For a researcher, this positions the debut model as a statistical outlier worth noting, though the lone powertrain flag and recall mean it cannot be dismissed as trouble-free.

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Reliability & federal safety record

Owner-reported issues, recalls, investigations and service bulletins on record with NHTSA — an unfiltered look at what owners actually experience.

The 2011 Chevrolet Captiva sits at the start of the provided federal record, showing a significantly lower volume of issues compared to the 2012-2014 model years. While complaints surged to a peak of 145 in 2012 and remained high through 2014, the 2011 model year recorded only a single complaint. This sole complaint was attributed to the Power Train, and the year saw one recall and 668 TSBs. Technical Service Bulletins also trended sharply upward after 2011, nearly doubling to 1,252 by 2012. Because it avoids the high complaint and TSB volumes seen in subsequent years, the 2011 model is a good year to buy.

1
Open recalls
NHTSA campaigns
668
Service bulletins
Manufacturer communications
0
ODI investigations
Office of Defects Investigation
1
Owner complaints
0 involved a crash · 0 a fire
NHTSA crash-test rating federal NCAP · out of 5 stars
Rollover★★★★
Owner complaints by model year NHTSA · this generation & adjacent

Owner complaints filed with NHTSA, by component

All 1 complaints on record, top 1 components.

Power Train1

Source: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation complaint database.

Recalls NHTSA · verified

Showing 1 of 1 campaigns on record for this vehicle.

11V591000Steering:Hydraulic Power Assist:Power Steering FluidReported 19/12/2011

GENERAL MOTORS (GM) IS RECALLING CERTAIN MODEL YEAR 2011-2012 CHEVROLET CAPTIVA VEHICLES MANUFACTURED FROM OCTOBER 2, 2009, THROUGH APRIL 21, 2011. DRIVING THE VEHICLE WITH THE TRANSMISSION IN MANUAL MODE AND IN FIRST… Remedy: GM WILL NOTIFY OWNERS AND DEALERS WILL REPLACE THE POWER STEERING FLUID COOLER WITH AN IMPROVED VERSION, FREE OF CHARGE. AN ADVISORY LETTER TO CUSTOMERS, ALONG WITH INSTRUCTIONS…

Technical service bulletins NHTSA · verified

Showing 5 of 668 bulletins on record with NHTSA.

BulletinDateComponentSummary
PIT3271Q2026-04-01Unknown Or OtherThis preliminary information communicates information about how to determine if a wheel…
PIP61042026-03-09Unknown Or OtherThis Preliminary information communicates the steps on how to save a GDS2 Session Log and…
PIP4902V2026-03-09Unknown Or OtherThis preliminary information advises a dealer on how to email GDS2 session logs into…
PIP4902U2026-01-08Unknown Or OtherThis preliminary information advises a dealer on how to email GDS2 session logs into…
PIT5214G2025-11-20Unknown Or OtherThis Preliminary Information communication provides information to the technician about…

Common OBD-II trouble codes

The most common OBD-II codes for this vehicle's emissions system. These are standardized SAE J2012 definitions, not vehicle-specific fault reports.

P0420
Catalyst system efficiency below threshold — Bank 1
P0300
Random / multiple cylinder misfire detected
P0171
System too lean — Bank 1
P0455
Evaporative emission system leak detected — large leak
P0128
Coolant thermostat below regulating temperature
P0442
Evaporative emission system leak detected — small leak

VIN tools

Decode factory build data for a specific vehicle by VIN.

VIN
Decode a VIN to confirm the transmission and build data for a specific Captiva. OEM
Build data
Plant, GVWR class, engine and body data for any 17-character VIN.
Recalls
Check open recall campaigns against a specific vehicle by VIN.

Reference guides

Cross-vehicle references for the kinds of data on this page.

Frequently asked

Does the 2011 Captiva have open recalls?

NHTSA lists 1 recall campaign(s) for this model year. Check your specific vehicle by VIN.