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).
Car has been a fairly good performer for the first 16,000 miles (2 years) of operation. Note: a few recall items were addressed via a local dealer (Tennyson - Livonia, MI).
Starting in September 2012, my wife complained of an odor in the car that seemed to come from the heater. I first replaced the interior cabin air filter (located behind the glove box opening) but found no improvement. Took it to the dealer with a complaint of a burning smell or a dirty shop rag type smell (oil & antifreeze). After three days with the dealer (Gordon Chevrolet - Garden City, MI), they told me that GM engineers were aware of the situation but had no solution yet. The dealer is waiting for a GM technical assistance bulletin to be issued. In the meantime, I am hesitant to try and mask the odor as GM could conclude I caused the odor with my attempted solutions. From reading the other similar Cruze complaints about interior odor, I am resolved to go back to GM (dealer & GM Technical Assistance) with a push to get a proposed solution. The source must be either direct fumes from the engine (cabin filter should have fixed) or something internal to the HVAC system. Next steps TBD.
picked up cruze today from chevy dealership where purchased,was told road tested for 40 miles but could not smell toxic odor I complained about, however in the 11 miles needed to get home I had no problem smelling bad odor and seeing the film on inside of windshield.they believe odor coming from label burning off cat.converter,tell me how burning label smell is getting inside car at any speed and after 16,000 mile how is any label left!!!! I am frustrated.
- Stephen M.,
Ham Lake, MN, US
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Car has been a fairly good performer for the first 16,000 miles (2 years) of operation. Note: a few recall items were addressed via a local dealer (Tennyson - Livonia, MI).
Starting in September 2012, my wife complained of an odor in the car that seemed to come from the heater. I first replaced the interior cabin air filter (located behind the glove box opening) but found no improvement. Took it to the dealer with a complaint of a burning smell or a dirty shop rag type smell (oil & antifreeze). After three days with the dealer (Gordon Chevrolet - Garden City, MI), they told me that GM engineers were aware of the situation but had no solution yet. The dealer is waiting for a GM technical assistance bulletin to be issued. In the meantime, I am hesitant to try and mask the odor as GM could conclude I caused the odor with my attempted solutions. From reading the other similar Cruze complaints about interior odor, I am resolved to go back to GM (dealer & GM Technical Assistance) with a push to get a proposed solution. The source must be either direct fumes from the engine (cabin filter should have fixed) or something internal to the HVAC system. Next steps TBD.
- Scott G., Canton, MI, US