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:
3 / 0
Injuries / Deaths:
8 / 2
Average Mileage:
55,522 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.
After buying my brand new 2011 Chevrolet cruse ls stick shift model on August 10, 2011, some time passed. Then, I noticed a minor problem. And I am stressing minor, because this car now has 40 thousand miles on it and is still a great car, but still has the exact same issue as follows: When I turn the key the first time to try to start the vehicle, it makes a noise but the engine does not start. Then, always, on the second try it fires right up! I notice this more often when the car has been driven, and is still warm(engine). Now with 40 thousand miles on the vehicle, it is a little easing to my mind knowing that this may not progress into something of a bigger problem. At least I hope not. Another couple of problems I must note is as follows, but have not proven to be of any concern whatsoever: At times there is a grinding noise coming from, perhaps the engine??) when the car is idle, and in neutral, at say, a red light or at a drive through window. Does not occur all the time, but a lot of the time. Thirdly, the key broke off when I tried to pull my keys out of the ignition one time. The dealer was very supportive on this issue and fixed my keys promptly and effectively. However, I have mentioned the starting(minor as it seems) issue to my dealer while the vehicle was still under warranty. They, as I likely expected, told me there were no codes or anything unusual they could find that may lead to this issue.thus far I rate my Cruze a solid 9 out of 10! I enjoy driving my vehicle and it gets great gas mileage and drives more like a top of the line vehicle. I always feel safe when driving it. Chevy did a nice job with its Cruze. (interior and exterior). I love the power from the 1.8 4. the stick shift nicely shifts and provides the car with more power. I am glad I don't have the automatic. Hope I assisted you with anything that may be able to be addressed. Thank you.
When I turned on my car, my message center was in german instead of english. I did nothing to change the language. The next time I turned on my car, it was back to english.
I use this site to check for open recalls for my job. I am wondering why it is so outdated"?? I can see a few weeks, but a recall that was "posted" in noveber 2014 should be on this web site by now. Why the outdated information??"
On my 2011 Chevy Cruze I have noticed that my radiator coolant tank has been leaking out antifreeze. I have noticed that in May 7th 2013. I had it taken into the dealer and it got fixed by the dealer on date listed. I have continued to buy more of the special brand of coolant and just been filling it up without having to go to the dealer because then I have no vehicle to drive. Last night on 1/11/14 I put more antifreeze in the vehicle and was going to check on it the next morning. I noticed that on 1/12/14 the next day that the radiator coolant tank was almost empty after filling it up all the way last night. Looking around my father and I saw antifreeze sitting on the transmission and no hoses are leaking. It is being taken into the dealer again on 1/13/14 for this issue again. I have filled a complaint with GM and got a case #. GM customer service notified me that if this happens again after being taken to the dealership to call them again. My fathers guess is that the pressure in that tank is 20psi and since the hose does not appear to leak that the anti freeze from the radiator coolant tank is coming out of the tank from the pressure cap.
- Sioux Falls, SD, USA
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My 2011 Chevy Cruze has an acceleration hesitation. Starting about 2 months after I bought the car in 2010 the issue began. When I need to accelerate in certain situations such as pulling out on a road, passing another vehicle, accelerating after reducing speed, etc. Etc. The car loses power when I step on the gas for three-five seconds before slowly responding and accelerating to where I need it to be. It's as if the car dies for a few seconds. Those few seconds are always in situations when I need to be moving. I brought the car in to the dealership and was told that it was normal.the issue is getting worse so I brought the car in to dealership again and was told there was nothing wrong.my car was in for other recalls and they gave me a loaner 2013 Cruze to drive. The newer Cruze did not have the hesitation problem at all, it drove beautifully. There are thousands of people with the same year, make and model that have this same issue. It is dangerous!! just because no one that we know of hasn't died yet that doesn't mean that there isn't an issue. The 2011 Cruze is unsafe and someone needs to do something about it.
The first safety issue was noticed within the first week of ownership. The air bag indicator light indicated "off" with an adult passenger in the passenger seat. This car has been to the dealership 4 times for this issue and it remains unsolved. The second safety issue was noticed in October or November 2012. The car fills with an odor of anti-freeze when the heater is in use. The car has been to dealership 4 times for this issue and it remains unsolved. I feel these are both extreme safety issues that should be investigated as it appears to be a problem in many of the 2011 Cruze.
I think we have a anti freeze smell inside the car when ever the heater is used. I can no longer drive the car if I am going to need heat. Dealer worked on the car 4 times and has not fixed the problem. The only smell GM will admit to is a hot plastic smell. Even if it is hot plastic what is it doing to peoples health? I feel sick and nauseous when using the heater.
When Chevy Cruze reaches full operating temperature, using the heater produces a very strong smell comes from the heating ducts inside the car. Especially during use of the defrost setting. The smell is like burning antifreeze and burning plastic. This happens when the heater is set to full hot. Fan speed doesn't seem to matter. This only exists once the car has reached full operating temp. With the car off over night residual smell still permeates inside the car. The smell on a 30 minute commute is so bad that I feel dizzy, nauseous, and I have to roll the windows down even when it is cold outside. I have asked others to ride with me and every person has experienced the smell.
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.
I was driving at 30 mph and looking to change lanes. I backed off the throttle to let one car pass. Just when there was an opening in traffic and I was ready to accelerate, the computer took full control of the vehicle. The vehicle downshifted to first gear and rapidly slowed to 10 mph. At this point there was no longer an opening in traffic and I had to come to a complete stop in the middle of the road and wait for another opening in traffic. I have an excellent driving record and I did not accomplish this by doing stupid things like coming to a dead stop in the middle of the road for no reason. I continued on. A quarter of a mile down the road I backed off the throttle to slow for a curve. Again the computer took full control of the vehicle. When I went to accelerate, the vehicle bogged terribly. For the next 5 seconds I had absolutely no throttle response. Again I am slowing for no reason and creating a hazard. I continued on. Two miles down the road I stopped for a traffic light. I was looking to make a half left. When the light turned green, I eased forward at two miles an hour waiting for an opening in traffic. When there was an opening in traffic, I began my turn and stepped on the gas. The vehicle continued at the same speed and then began to accelerate very slowly. I nearly got hit by an oncoming car. The other driver did not expect me to continue my turn at 2 mph. I continued on. Another two miles down the road, the vehicle failed again. I was easing forward at 2 mph, waiting for an opening in traffic to make a right turn. When it was clear I began my turn and gave the car throttle. Again the car failed to accelerate. I was then force to come to a complete stop and wait for a very large opening in traffic. Again the drivers behind me are wondering why I am stopping for no reason. All four failures happened within 5 miles. I need more room to describe
New 2011 Chevrolet Cruze. 270 miles on odometer. Entering my garage and stepped on brakes and care would not stop. Release brake and reapplied and car stopped. Took to dealer who tested and found no problem but when technician was taking car into bay to install mudflaps problem re-occurred. Dealership kept car and ended up replacing a power booster check valve.
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
- Richeyville, PA, USA