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).
It's pretty scary when you're at a complete stop. I usually have to wait for traffic to completely clear before I try to turn onto a road. I've also almost had people rear-end me because the car hesitates and they don't anticipate me going slowly.
As soon as I start getting some speed, it does get better.
No dealship can tell me what is wrong (OR WILL) with this vehicle's constant hiccup of hesitating when accelerating. Its the most annoying problem that isnt severe I've ever dealt with on a vehicle.
The complete opposite of a smooth ride. Keep your tongue behind your teeth and hold onto the car door before you let someone else drive it.... you'll bite your tongue and thrash forward without a seat belt on your chest when the gas is pushed down after coming to a stop at any light or sign.
Thanks chevy.
Btw, they love to just throw parts at this car for this exact problem/complaint. They said I needed a new cam cover which cast over 600 dollars and I din't need one.... then, they are now saying I just need a new manifold. This is a constant struggle. Makes zero sense.
This occurs on the manual transmission with the 1.4 liter turbo. Typically during very hot and humid days. Turbo lag can be significant enough where additional caution needs to be made when making left turns on busy intersections. A common habit during hot summer months is to rev up the engine up an additional 1-2k rpms in order to be safe and prevent the engine stalling mid turn.
This car was built horribly!!!! I have a 2011 CHEVY CRUZE and has had nothing but problems with same thing over and over. Oil all over the crankcase. Oil in the reservoir. You press down on the gas and it hesitates, the slipping gear, oil leaking on the manifold, the gauge sensor not working, the fan sensor no working. The whole car is a joke!!!! Not to mention I use to work for the GM Arlington Plant. Eight years and this car is crap!!! I got my oil changed per the instructions. And now I can't afford to fix it again this is the third time now for the same issue. The sludgiest mess is like a milkshake in my reservoir.
Imagine you are trying to cross a 2 lane highway, like I have to do every night on way home from work. You are stopped and have maybe 5 seconds to cross the 2 lanes to make it safely home. You spot your window and hit the gas. The car lunges forward about 5 feet than nearly stalls before taking off. This has happened multiple times. It will eventually be deadly. GM knows about this too.
- David R.,
Wentzville, MO, US
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car just sucks overall, rev happy, no power, transmission is jerky and retarded when you need to pass another car it cant decide what gear to pick and sometimes it goes into "fits" jerking around like a happy retard. headlights suck too. number 1 cylinder no compression
I purchased my 2011 Chevy Cruze right off the lot. I had always noticed a slight lag in the acceleration from take off, but I just figured it was because it was a 4-cylinder vehicle. At about 40,000 miles it began to get worse. When shifting from 1st to 2nd my car will shake violently and go absolutely nowhere. This is very dangerous because I live in San Antonio, TX where driving fast is not an option but a necessity.
I do not know why GM has not taken responsibility for this if there are more than 200+ complaints scattered all over the net. What are they waiting for? Perhaps it will take a serious accident for them to admit there is a problem. It certainly seems that an accident could be the result of jumping onto an access road and going nowhere and being rear-ended. SHAME ON YOU GM!
I wish I never purchase this vehicle. It has been giving me so many problems ever since I bought it. I've never bought a car that has so many things wrong with it, and now the engine light is always on and the local Chevrolet Center cannot not find what is wrong with it. Please I need another vehicle before this one dies on me.
Had a letter sent to me from a law firm it read it has come to our attention through purchasing a mailing list from the DMV marketing that you own a chevy cruze 2011 we are aware of numerous complaints related to defects in the 2011 chevy cruze including but not limited to antifreeze smell while driving with the heater on ,automatic transmission problems control module defects and throttle lag conditions that may cause a delay between the time of accelerator is pressed and the time the transmission actually engages
if you had had some of these problems the law office of Patrick law firm p.c. 3333 lee parkway ,suite 600 Dallas Texas 75219 may be able to help you his number is 1-888-536-6681
I have not called yet
but it is a problem with the accelerator I have my 16 year old daughter driving it and she comes home complaining about how she feels unsafe when crossing traffic because it just wont go it almost feels like a manual transmission like you have to let off the gas then it seems to ketch the gear and go's on then I was told also it was a small engine also but after getting this letter it makes me wonder if there is really something we can do about it.
When I brought the brand new 2011 chevy cruze I noticed a lag during acceleration. This was very dangerous when making turns with oncoming traffic, could case a possible accident. The dealer said nothing was wrong during inspection.
When accelerating from a stopped position the vehicle has a two (2) second delay before it engages the transmission. This is very dangerous issue when entering a busy road from a parking lot or other stopped location. A two second delay can place a driver in a life or death situation. The vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer who was unable to diagnose the problem. They did mention that it could be "turbo lag" since it needs time to build up. They also stated that all software programs were up to date. It is still dangerous turbo lag or not. According to a road test conducted by Consumer Guide Automotive this problem was a issue for them: "Several test cars exhibited issues with the automatic transmission, including delayed response and slurred shifts. GM was aware of these problems and issued a fix that involved re-programming the transmission's software." It's obvious that this is not a software fix issue since all programs were updated on the vehicle and the problem still exists.
Hesitant acceleration is not the only problem with the cruze! It constantly shifts all over the place causing a jerky ride at best. Transmission was "re-programed" but did not solve the problem. Step on the accelerator and.....wait.....wait....the car starts to move slowly, then you get whiplash as it suddenly lunges forward. We have almost been hit numerous times because the car does not move, especially at intersections when turning. Our daughter won't even ride in the car anymore because it scares her.
Passing on the highway is fun...NOT! The car winds up to almost redline but not much punch. If you apply brakes and then go back to accelerate it takes quite a few seconds before there is much response. I have pressed to pedal almost to the floor but the car does not accelerate. The ride is not that great, and the back seat area is very noisey (a lot of road noise). I have filed numerous complaints with Chevrolet Customer Service and had a case file going requesting a buy back. They sent me to two different dealers to try and solve the problem but neither one could. I was just notified that Chevrolet will not buy the car back so we can get something else because they can't identify the problem and attempt a fix; therefore no problem actually exists (yes, that is what they said). One dealership did tell me GM knows there is something wrong, but they will not create the "code" for it so the techs in the service dept. can identify it. So, I guess we'll "CRUZE" to the Chrysler dealership and trade this poor excuse for a car in. Bye bye GM!!!!
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
It's pretty scary when you're at a complete stop. I usually have to wait for traffic to completely clear before I try to turn onto a road. I've also almost had people rear-end me because the car hesitates and they don't anticipate me going slowly.
As soon as I start getting some speed, it does get better.
- Jackie C., Louisville, US