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10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
8 / 6
Injuries / Deaths:
2 / 0
Average Mileage:
53,467 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 engine problems

engine problem

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2013 Chevrolet Cruze Owner Comments (Page 3 of 9)

« Read the previous 20 complaints

problem #138

Dec 142020

Cruze

  • miles

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

Vehicle leaks coolant from water pump and thermostat

- Fountain Hills, AZ, USA

problem #137

Dec 082020

Cruze 4-cyl

  • 142,000 miles
[xxx]. I have had problems overheating. I changed the hoses, thermostat, therm. Housing, 3 sensors, water pump, spark plugs, coolant. Now my car will not even start. It cranks but will not fire. What can I do. Information redacted pursuant to the Freedom Of Information Act (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).

- San Pedro, CA, USA

problem #136

Jun 012020

Cruze

  • 110,000 miles
June 2020 - car began popping up with the alert "A/C off due to high engine temp" - upon checking the car had coolant so replaced the thermostat. July 2020 the issue kept occurring and I began having to put coolant in the vehicle every few days. Took to another shop who said it was leaking from a hose - replaced hoses. Aug 2020 - issue continued and then stopped holding water all together - had to replace water pump, rez, thermostat, and various belts/hoses - drove the car for three days when the message popped up again. Took it back to the shop and was told that (despite it being 1 owner car) "someone" had put stop leak in it and it made the thermostat stick. They flushed the engine and replaced the thermostat again and the car drove for 1 week before the issue kept occurring. This time it started having trouble cranking and caused a blown head gasket. So now after 8 months and $3,500 I have replaced everything that could possibly make it overheat/have a coolant issue and had the entire engine rebuilt - hopefully this time it fixes the issue. This is a known issue and needs to be addressed.

- Brandon, MS, USA

problem #135

Nov 172020

Cruze

  • 91,400 miles

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

While driving in the city street the check engine light came on and started flashing. The traction control light came on followed by a message in the dashboard stating 'stabilitytack' was not working. The vehicle then began shaking and was not able to shift gears properly. The RPM was having to rev harder than usual to keep the vehicle up to speed. I had to pull over to the side of the street and turn the car off. Neither idling or shutting of the vehicle helped with the problem.

- Marion, IN, USA

problem #134

Nov 012020

Cruze

  • 75,000 miles
The exhaust manifold cooks the cylinder head gasket causing oil leaks and turbo failure before 75,000 miles. Overwhelming smell of burnt antifreeze coming from vents due to coolant leak right of the showroom floor. Ranked lowest possible reliability rating 40 of

- Hot Springs, AR, USA

problem #133

Jan 042020

Cruze

  • miles
Recall: N202299080 the cracks in the faulty PCV valve prevented proper air intake and pressurization to and from the intake engine. Because the vehicle has been operating under these strenuous improper conditions, the turbo has not been able to spool properly in accordance with its design and has also become defective/in need of replacement. Faulty pressurization does not only affect the PCV valve, but the components on either side of the valve and their processes as well. My 2013 Chevy Cruze not only stalls in the middle of the street, but dies there and is a huge safety hazard to both my family and those we share the road with. This vehicle has never been in an accident or had any other complications, except for this faulty PCV valve. The condition has exposed my turbo and engine to irregular unwarranted propulsion mechanisms. GM is hoping we're ignorant enough to cover those costs on our own. This is wrong. Their faulty part triggered a series of safety hazards and complications. They need to be held accountable, we cannot sit back or turn a blind eye in their direction. We need to stand up for each other and speak out. Thank you for making our safety concerns your priority!

- Fresno, CA, USA

problem #132

Nov 032020

Cruze

  • 92,015 miles

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

The coolant is leaking, my engine light turned on while I was driving on a city street and it said my engine was high in temperature.

- Chicago, IL, USA

problem #131

Oct 202020

Cruze 6-cyl

  • Automatic transmission
  • 137,000 miles
The contact called on behalf of her son who owns a 2013 Chevrolet Cruze. The contact stated while her granddaughter was parking the vehicle, when she saw smoke coming from the hood. The contact stated the driver was not aware if any warning lights were illuminated. The driver exited the vehicle and when opened the hood, she saw fire and sustained burns on her right hand. The contact stated the drivers stepfather was able to extinguished the fire with water hose. The fire department was contacted but was not aware of they filed a fire report. A police report was not filed. The driver did not seek medical attention for her injuries. The vehicle was not drivable. The vehicle towed to her residence. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired as of yet. A dealer was not contacted. The manufacturer had been informed of failure. The failure mileage was approximately 137,000.

- Fountain Inn, SC, USA

problem #130

Oct 232020

Cruze 4-cyl

  • miles
I have an 2013 Chevy Cruze 2lt 1.4L engine. I discovered an oil leak upon my last oil change at 55,000 miles. Recently I discovered a second oil leak at the valve cover at 60,000 miles. I took it to the Chevy dealership to have diagnosed and they confirmed a multi location oil leak, one at the cam cover and the second at the valve cover. Since this vehicle is under standard mileage for the age, this seems to be an indication of defect and not under normal maintenance. I am looking to have this covered by GM under extended special parts warranty like the water pump is covered. I also had a oil cooler fail and a water outlet assembly fail at 40,000 just outside of the factory warranty, but that just happened to be covered under extended warranty but does not change the fact that another failure happened in two's. I have a case # with GM and it is [xxx]cam shaft cover seal and valve cover gasket failure. Feel free to call me, [xxx] at [xxx] information redacted pursuant to the Freedom Of Information Act (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).

- Allison Park, PA, USA

problem #129

Sep 302020

Cruze

  • 120,000 miles
My car kept saying "ac off due to high engine heat" even though my car was not reading hot while driving down the road. Then the car would start smoking and blow a hose and liquid would be everywhere. I had a brand new thermostate put in and it still does the same thing. Also a previous recall about how the tire could seprate "tire rod" is still doing it again. I had 3 transaxle seals and a transmission seal, a motor blower for the a.C all replaced within the first year (still under warrenty) of owning this car. The stability track will show up on the screen. But I'm tired of worrying when my car will want to just randomly blow hoses and start smoking and leave me stranded on the side of the road! I bought a cheap car to get me to work and my Cruze is sitting!!

- Audubon, IA, USA

problem #128

Sep 022020

Cruze

  • 103,000 miles

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

While my son was driving the car on the highway the engine started to smoke. He pulled over and turned off the car. He waited 10 mintues and started the car to head back home. When he arrived home liquid was leaking out the car and the car had smoke coming from the engine. At this time the check engine light was on. GM had sent a recall notice in the mail (N202299080), a couple of days prior. I called them on Monday and they told me to take it to a dealer. I called the local Chevy dealer and told them about the recall notice. He told me to bring it in. I called a tow truck driver and left the car at the Chevy dealer. Ater they had the car for two weeks, they explained that it will be $2000 to fix the vehicle, even though there are currently 4 recalls on the vehicle. I called GM several times to ask how are they going to rectify this, with no call-back. The vehicle is still at the Chevy dealership.

- Pineville, NC, USA

problem #127

Jun 302016

Cruze

  • 123,000 miles
Engine overheating after 10 minutes of driving, car engine used to stop while driving and have multiple repairs to fix vehicle after my mom passed. I have spent over $5,000 in repairs easily for this vehicle and same issue and not even Chevy dealership able to fix

- Sunrise, FL, USA

problem #126

Jan 012019

Cruze

  • miles
Continual issues with antifreeze leaking - even after multiple services from dealer

- Indianapolis, IN, USA

problem #125

Aug 102019

Cruze

  • 103,495 miles
The stability control goes off due to a air leak in the air valve causing lose of steering power which has occured while driving the steering wheel becomes impossible to steer when this happens

- Rock Island, TN, USA

problem #124

Aug 092020

Cruze

  • 89,000 miles
Message on screen comes up "A/C off due to high engine temp" a few minutes after driving down the road. A/C shuts off temp goes down and everything is fine then you can turn the air back on and it runs fine. Can not diagnose the problem when the problem doesn't last long enough for anyone to see.

- Augusta, GA, USA

problem #123

Feb 222019

Cruze

  • 134,040 miles
Going onto the freeway lost most of power, white smoke plume through exhaust, engine was running poorly. Mechanic had to replace my engine at 134,040 miles.

- Champlin, MN, USA

problem #122

Jan 222019

Cruze

  • 115,931 miles
Car kept smelling like burning oil. The passenger compartment always smelled like burning oil. At one point, ryan almost fell asleep at the wheel after a drive to work in the winter because of the interior air quality. We brought it in and the turbo charger oil cooler pipes were leaking including the feed and the return.

- Champin, MN, USA

problem #121

Jul 302020

Cruze

  • 135,797 miles
The car was in motion on a highway. When accelerating the car sputtered a bit then the check engine light started to blink and traction light came on. Also made a certain whining noise. A message popped up stating stabilitrak service.

- Augusta, GA, USA

problem #120

Jun 262020

Cruze 4-cyl

  • 103,000 miles
Chirping noise PCV valve is bad.

- Charlotte C.H, VA, USA

problem #119

Jun 172020

Cruze 4-cyl

  • 110,000 miles
This issue has been ongoing since last year. I have been getting messages on my dash with errors such as service traction control/service stabilitrak. The car slows down to 5 speed and it stalls /jerk when driving. This is not safe and I almost got into an accident because of it. This vehicle is not safe. Took my car to the dealership for a diagnosis check and was told nothing showed up but a low battery. I got that fixed and the car is still having the same issue. When driving on the highway/streets/expressways when all of a sudden my car decelerated and I got the message engine power has been reduced/service traction control/service stabilitrak as well as my check engine light came on. Because of this, I was forced to pullover while almost being hit by other vehicles. This was extremely dangerous and scary for me because I have no idea what happened and it could have cost me my life, as well as others. I have taken the vehicle to Chevy and Firestone auto complete and no one knows why this is happening.

- Hillside, IL, USA

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