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).
7.6
pretty bad
Crashes / Fires:
0 / 0
Injuries / Deaths:
0 / 0
Average Mileage:
6,193 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 the vehicle was being inspected, a mechanic noticed a leak in the transmission. The vehicle was taken to the dealer who diagnosed that the transmission cooler line failed. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 40,000. The current mileage was 44,000. Updated 08/11/2014 the consumer stated the vehicle was repaired. Updated 08/13/2014
My 2011 Chevy Cruze has an erratic shifting transmission. At times it is confused and hunts for gears. At other times, it has banged into gear. Most of my driving is in stop and go traffic and not highway driving. The scariest part is the lack of acceleration at times when stepping on the gas. Several months ago, while exiting a shopping center, I almost got hit by a bus I was a little into the road and had time to go before the bus got to me, but when I stepped on the gas, nothing happened! luckily, the bus had room to go around me! I have complained to the dealer many times about this situation, but am told there is no new update or transmission reflash from GM. So, I thought it was time to step things up because I did a lot of research on the internet concerning this very transmission issue and lack of acceleration for the 2011 Cruze and it seems to be a common complaint of most 2011 Cruze owners unless they have had something called a trifecta tune done to their cars, at their own expense. They claim this procedure "cures" the shifting problem. First off, my car is a lease, so I cannot modify my car in any way. Secondly, why should I pay hundreds to fix something that is GM's problem. About six months ago, I contacted GM customer service. From about July, 2012 to Nov. I have been hooked up with three different people who were with the early response team in the business resource center. There were a ton of phone calls from them, but it was all talk and no action except for a new tcm that was installed in Aug. At 10,196 miles. That did nothing to improve the transmission shifting. I then contacted GM corporate on Nov. 7th to explain my problem. From then until today, Jan.21, 2013 I dealt with a gentlemen. Finally, on Jan. 15, an engineer was sent to my dealer. Conclusion- like everyone else with this problem- "operating as designed"! I feel this is a safety issue
Have had the car less than 1 year and had 50 miles on the car when I bought it 8/2011. On 6/19/2012 traveling on the highway at 65 miles an hour my 2011 Chevy Cruze (14,500 miles) suddenly began slowing and the engine was revving high. I pulled over and a light on the dash appeared indicating "emissions problems" according to the manual. It is an automatic transmission but the car didn't want to shift any higher than 3rd gear and would go no faster than 30-35 miles an hour without revving in the danger zone. Car was towed to dealer. The transmission control module failed. $1300 for the part plus labor costs and not covered by warranty. Worried it may occur again because I am finding similar stories posted online.
The contact owns a 2011 Chevrolet Cruze. The contact stated that the vehicle hesitated to accelerate from stops. The contact also stated that there would be a slight delay before the vehicle jerked into gear. The dealer stated the were no gas or oil leaks. The dealer stated that the vehicle needed to be driven more to operate properly. The contact also stated he smelled a burning odor when the vehicle was stopped and shut off. The contact had not seen any smoke, but the smell came from underneath the vehicle. The failure mileage was unknown and the current mileage was 6,000. Updated 07/13/12
- Hendersonville, NC, USA
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The contact owns a 2011 Chevrolet Cruze. The contact stated that the vehicle hesitated to accelerate while driving at various speeds. The vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer on two occasions, but they were unable to diagnose the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 10,000. The VIN was unavailable.
The contact owns a 2011 Chevrolet Cruze. The contact stated she reported problems with the handling of the vehicle within the first three months. Problems reported included: Shifting issues in which the vehicle appeared to slip out of gear, the vehicle intermittently lunged foward when her foot was on the brake, when in park and once while driving. She also reported incidences of unusually long periods of hesitation when stepping on the accelerator pedal. The service stabliizer, serivce power steering, traction control and engine lights illuminated periodically as well as the instrument panel going blank while driving. Updated 01/04/12
The car's transmission stalls and hesitates since the 1st day I got the car. I found out today that my car has four recalls! and I have not been notified in any way by Chevy of them one of which is the streeing wheel can come off while driving. While driving today 09/28/2011 the car came to a random and complete stop in the middle of the road and would not move forward at all.
The contact owns a 2011 Chevrolet Cruze. The contact stated that while driving approximately 65 mph, the transmission failed to shift and there was an illumination of the engine warning indicator. The vehicle was towed to an authorized dealer for diagnosis, where the technician replaced the faulty transmission. In addition, the driver's side rear view mirror would emit a loud whistling noise whenever the vehicle was in motion. The dealer was in the process of replacing the mirror. There was also a large hole in the air conditioner compressor, which required replacement. The contact also stated that the exterior body paint was peeling near the front passenger side headlight. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failures. The approximate failure mileage was 64.
The six speed automatic transmission bogs down while changing gears. It also shifts very roughly. The gas mileage is well below standard; I believe due to the transmission problems. I have had it to the dealer two times in the first 7000 miles, but they claim there is nothing wrong. Help!
The contact owns a 2011 Chevrolet Cruze. While attempting to accelerate, the contact stated that the vehicle suddenly stalled without warning. She was able to restart the vehicle and continue driving normally. The vehicle was towed to the dealer where it was inspected and diagnosed with a faulty fuel injector. The manufacturer was aware of the failure. No repairs were performed. The current and failure mileages were 12,528. Updated 09/21/11 the consumer stated there is a hesitation from the vehicle, when trying to pull out in traffic. The consumer noticed the vehicle would stall when the ac was on high. Updated 10/07/11
My new 2011 Chevy Cruze has a major hesitation when trying to accelerate the car. This problem occurs consistently all the time from day 1. brought the car in for service for this problem to the Chevy dealer where I purchased the car from and they said there is nothing they can do to correct this hesitation problem. They said they have had a lot of complaints about this hesitation problem. This is dangerous when you need the speed to pass on the highway and you don't have it when the accelerator is pushed. I was told at the Chevy dealer that this car has six gears with a 4 cylinder engine it needs a 6 cylinder engine to change these six gears properly. Why would GM Chevrolet design a car like this with this problem"?????"
I have a 2011 Chevy Cruze it has a shifting problem. I was driving it home one day and the transmission would not shift and the car basically stopped suddenly. This almost caused an accident because the car behind me almost rear ended me because of the sudden stop. I took the car to the dealer and the replaced the transmission components and it still has the same problem. They are not sure what is causing this problem. The car also would not accelerate when tring to pass someone. These are some serious issues with the car and no one seems to know how to fix them.
The contact owns a 2011 Chevrolet Cruze. The contact stated the vehicle would intermittently hesitate before jerking into gear when accelerating from a stop light. The vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer who was unable to diagnose the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 3,000 and the current mileage was 6,000.
I would like to file a complaint on a 2011 Chevy Cruze for the reason that the transmission has an issue that may lead to an accident the transmission comes out of gear while driving and sits in neutral then pops back into drive this is very unsafe I have contacted GM on the issue as well as my local dealership and have had no positive fix to the issue I feel that this may cause an accident and needs to be looked into.
I have a 2011 Chevy Cruze. I just purchased in Nov 2010. One month after I had the car I had to take it into the dealer due to steering noise when wheel was turned left/right. They had to lubricate some parts by the wheels. Starting in Feb 2011 I notice the car started to lurch forward when you took you foot of the brake. It bogs when you take off, you will go then the car bogs and then it goes again. When its going into gears (I have an automatic 6 speed) its rough and the car jerks whenever you accelerate or when your slowing down. When you try to pass anyone the car bogs and then goes(not good at all). You can apply more pressure on the petal to reach your needed speed the car will bog then go. It has been in the shop twice this March. The first time they said they reprogrammed the tcm but I still had the same problem. The second time they kept it for two days and the service manager drove it then he drove another Cruze on the lot and I was told this is the way the car drives and I will get used to it. This is a very dangerous thing to get used too. It is an unsafe car and im stuck with it for 5 more yrs. Totally uncalled for. I have read other customer complaints about this on the consumer guide automotive and it states that GM is aware of this problem but they only state to reprogram the tcm which does nothing! the service mechanics cant do anything because they state there's nothing to do. These Cruze are an accident waiting to happen and the problem needs to be fixed. I am terrified of driving this new car due to these problems. But im told there's nothing they can do because there is no problem that's how it drives. GM needs to correct this problem before someone gets hurt or killed in this car. I do alot of city driving and this is not good for this to happen. It should be smooth take off and stopping and it isn't. I have never had a car that drives like this. I cant take it back in because im told there's nothing that can be done.. please look into.....
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
- Paducah, KY, USA