CarComplaints.com Notes: What’s that smell – it’s a tad sweet with a tinge of chemical toxicity? If you own a 2011 Cruze it’s probably a coolant leak. It’s a widespread and notorious problem for the car and is the subject of a class-action lawsuit filed in the state of New York. And that’s not the only problem 2011 owners face…
Many say the 2011 model year suffers from a throttle lag that is probably due to a fauly electronic throttle control. The problem is signifigant enough that some owners say they are too scared to drive their cars. Those that do get behind the wheel often say their transmission isn’t shifting properly and problems start occuring as early as 15,000 miles.
All of this leads us to say you’re probably better off without this car’s headaches (they’re probably chemically-induced anyway).
10.0
really awful
Crashes / Fires:
4 / 4
Injuries / Deaths:
0 / 0
Average Mileage:
45,799 miles
About These NHTSA Complaints:
This data is from the NHTSA — the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints are spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem.
So how do you find out what problems are occurring? For this NHTSA complaint data, the only way is to read through the comments below. Any duplicates or errors? It's not us.
The contact owns a 2011 Chevrolet Cruze. The contact stated while driving 35 mph there was smoke coming from underneath the instrument panel. The vehicle was driven onto the side of the road and after she exit the vehicle it burst into flames. The fire department was called and a police report was filed. The fire department stated the origin of the fire was electrical. No one was injured and the vehicle was destroyed. The insurance company was notified of the failure. The manufacturer was notified and referred him to the legal department. The VIN was unknown. The failure mileage was 16,000.
2011 Chevy Cruze manual transmission 6 spd. Random occurrence of speedometer spikes digital and needle (anywhere from 20-120 mph), volume on radio will also spike with this issue. When speedometer spiking the steering wheel will also unwontedly move 1/2 - 2 inches left or right every time which could distract/startle driver leading to a possible accident. Chevy refuses to look for a problem that "isn't there". as stated by dealership without code or a tech witnessing it. Occurrence happens when rolling at slow speeds (0-7 mph) or stopped with clutch engaged or slowly being released. Happens, 10-15 times+ a month. Has startled me several times once including me letting off the clutch and stalling the vehicle from being startled. Vehicle assembled: Lordstown, Ohio mileage when first noticing this issue: 78.0 current mileage, issue still occurring: 18,749. Seen dealership :3 times about current issue.
I was at a stop light waiting for light to turn green and all of a sudden the speedometer jumps to 45 mph and stays there a couple seconds then slowly drops back down to 0mph. This has happened multiple times but only when I am sitting at a light. One time I pressed I the accelerator to go while it was doing it and it still read 35-40 mph when I was just creeping along from a stand still.
When you back off the throttle and slow to 20 to 25 mph, you never know what the car will do. It may coast like a normal car. It may downshift and slow moderately. Or it may downshift to first gear and slow radically. When this happens, the computer takes full control of the vehicle. You step on the gas and nothing happens. The computer has control of the vehicle for the next 5 seconds. This has happened at least 40 different times. This creates a very dangerous situation. First, I am in the driver seat and I should have control of the vehicle. I do not. Secondly, most people drive with the flow of traffic. If I slow radically for absolutely no reason and all of the drivers around me continue on, someone behind me will run into me. It is only a matter of time before a distracted driver smashes into me. And thirdly, since I never touched the brake, the brake light never came on. The driver behind me have no way of knowing that I am radically slowing and creating such a dangerous situation. If you step on the gas to get the car to go, nothing happens. Then the computer returns control to the driver and the car takes off at full speed. If you step on the brake, the computer takes over. You then must come to a full complete stop before the computer will return control to the driver. If you are making a turn when the car radically slows, you could very easily loose control. When the pavement is wet or slippery, the problem is greatly increased. You are totally at the mercy of an insane computer. Feel free to contact me if you need any further information. Please go to the local Chevy dealer and test drive a Cruze with the automatic six speed transmission. You will see what I mean.
- Joliet, IL, USA
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The contact owns a 2011 Chevrolet Cruze. The contact stated that he was under the impression that the vehicle could be towed behind a rv. He read the manual that stated that he would have to remove fuse 22 which caused him to lose 12 volts and he could not operate the auxiliary aftermarket braking system. The contact called an authorized dealer who stated that they would place a wire around it. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact called the manufacturer who stated that they could not offer any assistance. The current mileage was approximately 3,800. The failure mileage was approximately 2,000. Updated 06/08/11 updated 07/08/11
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
- Malvern, AR, USA