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10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
1 / 0
Injuries / Deaths:
0 / 0
Average Mileage:
40,146 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.

2013 Chevrolet Cruze drivetrain problems

drivetrain problem

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2013 Chevrolet Cruze Owner Comments (Page 3 of 6)

« Read the previous 20 complaints

problem #70

Jan 282018

Cruze 4-cyl

  • 990,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

Hello, this Sunday my 2013 Chevy Cruze while driving an alert came up saying that engine power reduced and other notices. The result was that the car lost power. Thankfully I was on a side street at the time at a slow speed. Most of my driving is on the highway and if this would have occurred at highway speeds which did occur to some people who posted on Chevy forums it could be fatal. GM will not acknowledge this issue and would not cover the cost to repair it. There are many discussions about this issue at this google search https://www.google.com/search?Q=Chevy+Cruze+throttle+body+reduced+power&oq=Chevy+Cruze+throttle+body&aqs=chrome.1.69I57J69I59J0L4.5323J0J7&sourceid=chrome&ie=utf-8 I feel like GM should take care of this and a recall should be issued so that this does not cause serious accidents for others. [xxx] information redacted pursuant to the Freedom Of Information Act (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).'

- Milwaukee, WI, USA

problem #69

Jan 272018

Cruze

  • 47,795 miles
The dealer says that the right cv joint is leaking. Also my steering wheel has a small catch in it when we are driving, wondering if these are related?

- Lebanon, OR, USA

problem #68

Jan 072018

Cruze 4-cyl

  • Automatic transmission
  • 50,000 miles
The contact owns a 2013 Chevrolet Cruze. While driving 50 mph on the highway, the transmission jerked when it shifted gears. The vehicle was taken to the dealer (symdom Chevrolet, 369 N union rd, evansville, wi 53536, (608) 882-4803) where it was diagnosed that the transmission was faulty. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The VIN was unknown. The failure mileage was 50,000.

- Stoughton, WI, USA

problem #67

Oct 012014

Cruze

  • 76,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

The contact owns a 2013 Chevrolet Cruze. The contact noticed a leak coming from the engine. The vehicle was taken to Chevrolet of spartanburg (1051 asheville hwy, spartanburg, SC 29303) and was informed that the failure was normal. The dealer stated that coolant was leaking into the release valve and needed to be repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 76,000.

- Spartanburg, SC, USA

problem #66

Jul 072017

Cruze

  • 104,000 miles
In park at random times the service traction control and service stabilitrak light will come on. The car is real sluggish at take of, I can not leave a stop sign with a car any less than 40-50 car links away without fear of getting hit. When the speed finally starts to pick up it shifts rough at times. The car also feels like it is jumping when in drive and holding the brake.

- Hopkinsville, KY, USA

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problem #65

Apr 032017

Cruze

  • miles
I have taken my car in with the check engine light. They said it was due to a oil cap. I called and they informed me that they could not find anything wrong. Since then the engine light has been on and off and now the traction control light is on and the engine revs very high.

- Sacramento, CA, USA

problem #64

Mar 282017

Cruze

  • 117,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

At first, I started the car one day and the engine light came up and as I tried to put the transmission in D the "D" light started flashing (not steady as normal) and there was some noise from the transmission. I put it back to "P" and turned the car off and started it again. Then it acted normally. Later on, it happened suddenly while I was driving (the transmission snapped and the "D" light started flashing). I took it to the dealer for diagnosis, and they found that the transmission control module (tcm) was defective. I searched online and found that there were many recalls on the tcm for 2012 & 2013 Chevy Cruze, but mine was not identified in those recalls as per the dealer. I was under the impression that GM will investigate the case and feed me back, but I found out today that they do not do investigations unless it comes from the NHTSA.

- Rochester, NY, USA

problem #63

Dec 292016

Cruze

  • 130,000 miles
At random car will idle up and down and rpms will jump. This happens when just cranked and after driven and sitting still in idle. Also, at random when trying to crank the car it seems to get stuck and I will have to return the ignition in order to get the motor to fully turn over.

- Randleman, NC, USA

problem #62

Oct 102016

Cruze

  • 131,000 miles
My transmission started slipping while driving to work on the highway at 70 mph. The car gave me 2 warnings, one for the traction control needing serviced and one for the transmission needing serviced. I drove the car to my dealer explained the problem to the dealer and stated that I didn't think I was going to make it to them. The dealership service center let the car sit for a few hours and then checked for codes and mysteriously could not find any problem. The problem always starts when the vehicle is going up hill, the transmission lights starts blinking, the car starts sputtering and I lose speed very unsafe in traffic! when sitting at a stop light with the brake pedal mashed to the floor the car lunges forward. I have searched online for similar problems and have found that many Cruze owners are having the same problem and GM refuses to help there does seem to be an associated recall but it doesn't state the transmission problem in the discription. (NHTSA 16V502000) power train:automatic transmission:control module (tcm, PCM). The service centers can't fix the problem because the car is not showing any codes when they check and I'm always sent home.

- Falling Waters, WV, USA

problem #61

Oct 262016

Cruze

  • 69,234 miles
While accelerating on city streets, the transmission went into the fourth gear and hesitated to go any faster. I then stopped accelerating but then the transmission slammed into the third gear and revved high until I pushed on the brakes and the transmission slammed back into the fourth gear. This isn't the first occurrence. I haven't taken the vehicle to the dealership for servicing.

- Lake Havasu City, AZ, USA

problem #60

Sep 132016

Cruze

  • 61,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

Stopped on hill car in drive after a few seconds starts rolling backwards.

- Odessa, FL, USA

problem #59

Sep 122016

Cruze

  • 81,000 miles
Engine light came on, auto zone ran it and code P0299. States it the turbo/ super charger underboost. 81,000 miles. I have only had this vehicle 18 months. I don't race around town in it.

- Grand Prairie, TX, USA

problem #58

Sep 062016

Cruze

  • 42,000 miles
The contact owns a 2013 Chevrolet Cruze. While the vehicle was parked with the key removed from the ignition, it rolled away twice within 24 hours. There were no warning indicators illuminated. The vehicle was towed to a dealer, but was not diagnosed nor repaired. The VIN was not included in NHTSA campaign number: 16V502000 (electrical system, power train). The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 42,000.

- Woodstock, GA, USA

problem #57

Jul 142016

Cruze

  • miles
Stabilitrak check engine light turned on car overheated and the car slowed down and turned off while on the highway in couldn't restart the car had it towed to the dealership and they wanted to charge for repairs which we are not going to pay for manufacturing defects I have a 2013 Chevy cruise.

- Easton, PA, USA

problem #56

May 162016

Cruze

  • 45,000 miles
My 2013 Chevy Cruze almost got me in a really bad accident. It started when driving about 20 mph (transmission is in D) the car started to loose power felt like its stalling, RPM dropped then suddenly started going into reverse while the transmission is still on D I almost hit the car behind me. I stepped on my breaks and I put the transmission in park but the car surged forward in which I almost hit the car in front of me. I've taken this car several times to the dealership for transmission shifting problems but I felt that it was not completely fixed. The dealer always tells me that theres nothing wrong with the car. But now that I've almost hit 2 cars yesterday without any reason, I feel that the car is completely unsafe to drive and my wife even told me that she will never drive this car again. It's just sad to be having this many problems on a car with less than 50K milesyesterday my 2013 Chevy Cruze almost got me in a really bad accident. It started when driving about 20 mph (transmission is in D) then the car started to loose power felt like its stalling the RPM dropped then suddenly started going into reverse while the transmission is still on D I almost hit the car behind me. So I stepped on my breaks then try to switch gears all of a sudden the car started to go forward even though the car is in park in which this time I almost hit the car in front of me. I've taken this car several times to the dealership for transmission shifting problems but I felt that it was not completely fixed. The dealer always tells me that theres nothing wrong with the car. But now that I've almost hit 2 cars yesterday without any reason, I feel that the car is completely unsafe to drive and my wife even told me that she will never drive this car again. It's just sad to be having this many problems on a car with less than 50K miles

- Tracy, CA, USA

problem #55

Jun 052013

Cruze

  • 100 miles
Since purchase of the vehicle brand new in 2013, clutch has repeatedly smelled like burning clutch at random times while driving in 5th and 6th gear at highway speeds. The dealerships claim this is normal. At about 50K miles while driving on the freeway at 60mph in 6th gear for a period of about 30 minutes, I started smelling the clutch burning even though I wasn't shifting and didn't have my foot on the clutch. When it came time to exit the freeway and switch gears the clutch went to the floor and I couldn't shift into other gears. I had to pull over and take my car to the dealership by shifting when the gears synced. The dealership, keys Chevrolet, in van nuys, told me I was riding the clutch and caused it to melt and wouldn't listen to me about what really happened. My last vehicle was a 1997 VW jetta and I took the original clutch to 157K miles before trading in for this Chevy and the clutch was still good. I've been a valet for years and an auction coordinator, I don't ride the clutch and I can drive any vehicle professionally. The 2013 Chevy Cruze ls has problems. After looking on the cruzetalk forums, many members have found that the amount of transmission fluid Chevrolet puts into their transmissions, about 2 quarts, is not enough for 5th and 6th gear and they recommend putting in 2.5 quarts. Chevrolet denies there is a problem even though they caused my clutch to melt and cost me $1,800 to fix it.

- Los Angeles, CA, USA

problem #54

Jan 032016

Cruze

  • 42,000 miles
The contact owns a 2013 Chevrolet Cruze. While driving at a high rate of speed, the vehicle lost power. The contact depressed the accelerator pedal, but the vehicle hesitated before accelerating. In addition, while the vehicle was idling, the ABS and multiple warning lights illuminated. The failure recurred on numerous occasions. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 42,000. The VIN was unavailable.

- Omaha, NE, USA

problem #53

Jul 162015

Cruze

  • 70,000 miles
The contact owns a 2013 Chevrolet Cruze. While parking, the vehicle shut off intermittently. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The VIN was invalid. The failure mileage was 70,000.

- Fairfeild , CA, USA

problem #52

Jun 102013

Cruze

  • 5,000 miles
Even with the clutch fully depressed, there is often grinding between gears, especially in 1st to 2nd gear. I've been experiencing this since at least around 5K miles and have told Chevy about it since then. They refused to inspect it. Also sometimes when driving on the highway up a hill in 4th, 5th, or 6th gear I will smell the clutch. Finally at 65K miles while drving on the freeway without my foot on the clutch, driving a smooth 65 mph for about 20 minutes, started smelling the clutch, then the clutch stopped working and would push to the floor and I couldn't change gears. The dealership said the clutch melted because I was riding the clutch. I can't believe they blamed it on me. I wasn't even using the clutch. It has always had problems since I bought the car brand new and nobody would listen to me.

- Los Angeles, CA, USA

problem #51

Jun 012013

Cruze

  • 30 miles
The car bogs down in first gear, this is a manual transmission, car has poor power. This also gives the automatics poor power. The spark plugs are not gapped out of factory. I joined cruzetalk forums and many people had the same problem. 2013 Cruze ls mt is supposed to have.028 gap spark plugs. I took it to the dealer and told them. They returned it in an hour and said they regapped them for me. The problem persisted. I bought the tools and took them out and they were set to.025, .021, .023, .025. The plugs are way off mark and the dealership lied. I regapped them to.028 and the car never ran better.

- Los Angeles, CA, USA

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