Defect Alert – Chevrolet Cruze Coolant Leak
Driving a Chevrolet Cruze? Check your coolant levels because it appears that there may be a problem.
Forums are popping up discussing the issue, and we recently opened a claim where the car has been in the shop for over six weeks for a coolant leak because parts are unavailable.
In another situation, a consumer is complaining of coolant leaking into the car.
If you smell coolant or see a puddle under your Chevrolet Cruze, it is essential that you get to a General Motors authorized dealership as soon as possible to have the issue diagnosed and fixed. Make sure that after your car is repaired, you receive a detailed invoice which outlines the problem, the fix, the mileage and the days out of service.
If a part is on back order or the problem continues to occur, you should look into your rights under State Lemon Laws and Federal Warranty Law. You could be looking at a complete repurchase or a new vehicle and legal help is completely free.
For more information on your rights under the Lemon Law if you are dealing with a Chevrolet Cruze coolant leak, contact an attorney in your state. You can view a list of Lemon Law attorneys here.
Remember, we specialize in helping consumers all over the United States with their lemon law issues including in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and New York.
April 3rd, 2012 at 3:30 pm
I have a 2011 cruze i dont have a leak but the smell is there when the heater is on and no response from the dealer I have been dealing with Oshawa but no fix I dont want my car to smell that why I bought a new car I WANT MY MONEY BACK if they cant fix it .
I need help.
April 3rd, 2012 at 3:38 pm
I think you need to reach out to a lemon law attorney. Visit https://www.lemonlaw.com/lemon-law-firm.html to find a lawyer in your state.
January 6th, 2013 at 7:12 pm
I bought a Chevy Cruze in June… It kept getting a film on my windshield… then as the weather got cold and I started putting my heat on the smell started coming in…The dealership said it was the oil leak and fixed the recall…and my husband found a exhaust leak… they fixed that… it still smelled… then they put the seals that were supposed to fix the smell… it made it worse. The smell gets so bad sometimes my eyes water and I have to pull over cause I can’t see. Me and my husband have both had eye infections… I’m to the point now I’m afraid to drive the darn thing… I’m to the point now I have to keep the heat off just so I can stand to drive it… I live in the Upper Peninsula it’s cold up here.. It really sucks.
January 16th, 2013 at 8:57 pm
I bought a 2012 chevy cruze in december. I’ve noticed a anitfreeze and a sweet smell coming through my vents when my car is up to temperature and the heat is on. I took it to the dealership the first time they couldn’t even smell it. Then the service supervisor took it home with him that night and said he could smell it. They said they did a pressure test and all the levels were ok but i dont believe this. It does look like my antifreeze is a little low but it could be a leak somewhere. They are waiting for a part to come in called a “hood seal” i dont know if this will even fix the problem. does anyone else know whats going on? or have any other advice or comments about any problems their having?
February 22nd, 2013 at 5:09 pm
I purchased a new 2011 Cruz. Around 14,000 miles I noticed a coolant/chemical smell in the cab when the heat was turned on. After 3 trips to the dealer, and a heater core replacement, the problem persists. It gets so bad, it burns my eyes and nostrils. I think GM needs to recognize this issue and come up with a solution.
February 27th, 2013 at 4:27 pm
@Tom: Please fill out our Get Rid of Your Lemon form at https://www.lemonlaw.com/rid.html.
March 11th, 2013 at 11:01 am
Our 2012 Cruze is now in the shop for the 5th time for antifreeze odor. After a heater core replacement and a faulty air intake replaced it still smells. the mechanics are stumped, i cant imagine that NOONE knows what the problem is and how to fix it. We are still under warranty
March 12th, 2013 at 2:22 pm
@Theresa: I am curious what state you are from. Fill out our Get Rid of Your Lemon form at https://www.lemonlaw.com/rid.html and we will put you in touch with someone who can help you.
March 27th, 2013 at 12:19 pm
RE: # 3 Michelle Says:
January 6th, 2013 at 7:12 pm
I bought a Chevy Cruze in June… It kept getting a film on my windshield… then as the weather got cold and I started putting my heat on the smell started coming in…The dealership said it was the oil leak and fixed the recall…and my husband found a exhaust leak… they fixed that… it still smelled… then they put the seals that were supposed to fix the smell… it made it worse. The smell gets so bad sometimes my eyes water and I have to pull over cause I can’t see. Me and my husband have both had eye infections… I’m to the point now I’m afraid to drive the darn thing… I’m to the point now I have to keep the heat off just so I can stand to drive it… I live in the Upper Peninsula it’s cold up here.. It really sucks.
Would love to hear how Michelle solved her problem – mine is similar. Dealership no help and now GM quit talking to me. Car hasn’t been driven since 11/3/12. Still paying insurance and making payments for a vehicle that is unusable. What to do?
March 28th, 2013 at 4:10 pm
There are two issues with bad smells entering the Chevy Cruze’s interior. One is an anti freeze smell and the other is a burning rubber smell, both coming from the heater. Last I have heard there is no permanent fix for either yet. GM is aware of the problems and trying to solve them thru trial and error, and from what I read that is not working out very well.
April 10th, 2013 at 10:42 pm
no fix,get a lemon law lawyer.
April 12th, 2013 at 6:28 pm
After 4 trips to the dealer, a new heater core, replacement of many plastic engine parts and a lot of grief, I must admit, that the car seems better, at least good enough to drive. My dealer was curteous and sympathetic throughout the ordeal and I am satisfied they did all they could. An engineer from GM was on hand to investigate and supervise the upgrades. There was never any charge to myself. Maybe I am one of the lucky ones.
April 16th, 2013 at 12:52 pm
@Tom: Even if the problem is fixed, you still have right to monetary damages to reflect the diminished value of the car as a result of the issue. Four repair attempts is certainly too many. If you would like to have your claim reviewed, please fill out our Get Rid of Your Lemon form at https://www.lemonlaw.com/rid.html.
May 22nd, 2013 at 6:37 pm
By: Eileen
I bought a 2012 Chevy Cruze brand new with only 2 miles on it , there are no leaks but the smell is very bad, it causes my eyes to burn and the smell get into my hair and clothing. I’m going to the dealer on friday 5/24/13. Hope they can resolve the problem.
May 29th, 2013 at 9:16 am
I own a 2011 Chevy Cruze, i have had the window film numerous times, but just thought cause i drove alot it gets dirty.. now i had an engine light come on, Onstar told me it was failure to turbocharger system.
dealer called this morning and said the car has a coolant leak and they are fixing that first before looking at the engine code.
once and a while i have smelt the antifreeze, but never got hot on the engine temp, nor lost much coolant. so never thought much about it.
is there a lemon law in canada? based in ontario…
please help, my warranty is almost up..
May 29th, 2013 at 11:35 am
@Keith: While our fir is in the US, my understanding is that there is consumer protection available in Canada. I would turn to Google for more info.
May 30th, 2013 at 4:29 pm
Visit WSB TV click the “news” drop down box and go to “2 investigates. Click Jim Strickland videos and find the picture of my Cruze. Click the video and learn my story about the defective heater cores in Chevy Cruze’s.
June 3rd, 2013 at 5:02 pm
@Rick: We were also featured in the WSB story and we are now representing Gina. I am sorry to hear what you are going through.
June 3rd, 2013 at 6:12 pm
Mr. S. Thank you for providing your representation and thank you for your kind words. This really is all about raising awareness of this product defect to the general public, on a national basis. 20/20 and I are talking. Infants are riding in these vehicles. It’s a public atrocity.
Please join on facebook @ clyde richard scherf. Thank you sir.
June 7th, 2013 at 2:01 pm
@Rick: Let us know if we can help with the 20/20 piece. We have plenty of clients anxious to share their story, and should have another TV story running next week. We have to make GM aware that this problem needs to be fixed now. Bob does not have facebook, but you can like our page and post your thoughts at https://www.facebook.com/1800LemonLaw/.
June 21st, 2013 at 6:46 pm
I purchased a 2012 Chevy Cruze in August of 2012. About 6 months after buying the car I began smelling burned rubber. At times it feels as if my heater is on when it isn’t. It gets horribly hot inside the vehicle. I am having issues with my brakes which at times feel as if I’m going to hit the vehicle in front of me. The brakes go all the way down. To add to all the issues, my car now lags when I turn the AC on. Went to the dealer and they claimed everything was fine. Problem continued scheduled to go back this week AGAIN. This is ridiculous..
June 24th, 2013 at 3:47 pm
My 2012 Cruze is at the dealership for the 5th time re: coolant smell-they are having a GM rep out to look at it because they say that can’t smell it. My husband feels physically ill from the smell when he drives the car with the heat on. So far, water pump, an “O” ring, and the hood seal fix GM recommended have been done with no change. Cabin air filter replaced as well. Looking at heater core this time but GM doesn’t want to admit there is any issue. If the 20/20 piece is aired please post when on this forum.
June 26th, 2013 at 11:17 am
@Victoria: You have to file a claim. Otherwise, it does not appear GM will do much. Call us at 1 800 LEMON LAW for more info.
July 6th, 2013 at 9:00 pm
I have a 2012 Chevy Cruze and also had the nauseating smell and took the Cruze for service with no success to to the problem. The dealership told us that GM has a bulletin out that says the smell will go away in time. This is not true. The smell did not go away. We came to realized that GM didn’t want to fix the problem because it would be extensive and costly. We made the contact about the Lemon Law. But I love my Chevy Cruze and just wanted it fixed. My husband is a GM Retiree so he made a call to someone who handles new car problems at the plant he retired from. The problem was addressed immediately! There is a fix and GM knows about this problem! It requires ordering several parts and it took three days at the dealership. My Cruze is now fixed and odor free! Remember, the squeaky wheel gets the grease! Don’t give up or put up with the smell any longer. There is a fix!
July 11th, 2013 at 1:32 pm
@Cindy: Glad to hear you were bale to resolve your matter, but how many times have you been in. if you were in three or more times, you may still have a claim and be entitled to recourse. Find your state statute here: https://www.lemonlaw.com/state-lemon-laws/
August 16th, 2013 at 9:33 pm
I bought a 2012 cruze and after about a year it developed a antifreeze type smell. It was so bad it would give my wife a astma attack.After 4 visits to the dealer and the engineer visit they wrer stumped. GM did a buy back but i had to purchase a new car at msrp.It was a long process. It cost plenty to get the new car and guess what I think it smells too. It is possible its just new car smell but im afraid it is not.Its the antifreeze type smell again
August 19th, 2013 at 3:55 pm
@Jim: Why would you be forced to buy another car? this is why we ALWAYS tell consumers to use a lemon law lawyer. Had you used one, free of charge, you would have been able to get a buyback WITHOUT having to buy a new car. Yes, it’s most likely the antifreeze again as the problem is still happening. You start your case anew so start going back and documenting the issue. After three repairs, reach out to a lemon law lawyer. GM took advantage of you!
September 18th, 2013 at 3:53 pm
Well I just got a Chevy Cruze 2012, with 53,000 miles, and last week started the leaking….seems like antifreeze, called the dealer where I got it and they said, I have to take it to the chevrolet dealer. But they dont know if the warranty stills covers me, b3cause of the high milleage.
December 10th, 2013 at 8:41 am
What years of cruzes has this been happening to? I have a 2013 with 13,300 miles that started smelling like something electrical or rubber was burning when I start the car.
December 13th, 2013 at 3:11 pm
I just bought a used 2012 Cruze a few weeks ago and of course it now starts smelling. It only has 27,000 miles. Has all these repairs been covered under the 3 yr/36,000 mile warranty?
December 15th, 2013 at 4:38 pm
2011 chevy cruze has been nothing but trouble. Here’s a list of the problems we have had.
-First month, overheated. Replaced the thermostat.
-persisting antifreeze smell and rainbow fog on the windshield
-brakes popping. Unable to diagnose, but they greased them up. The sound came back 3 days later and they had no answers or fix.
– As i was driving down a 4 lane road and my lane was coming to an end. It threw a code for power steering, the car died, and the steering completely locked up leaving me unable to control the car. I almost hit the guard rail and was nearly hit by oncoming traffic. Car wouldnt start, so i unhooked battery cables to clear the code and it started. They replaced the power steering control module, the gears, ECU, and reprogrammed the PSCM.
-the day after, i took it back complaining of strong antifreeze smell. No leaks found.
-1 month later, i took it back to get a front end alignment and they found the water pump was leaking. It was replaced
– then it started bucking one day. I thought iI had some bad gas but took it to the dealer.they replaced the ECM and the MAP sensorhen one day, i put the car in reverse to back out of my parking spot. Backed up, and then the car wouldnt go into drive. It finally jerked really hard and went into drive and displaying codes on the dash. It wouldnt change gears correctly, the turbo wouldnt work, the cruise control wouldnt engage, i couldnt put it in manual, it would not accelerate, and it rolled when i put it in park. Got in it the next day and it drove fine! Took it to the dealer and they replaced the Transmission control module and ECM.
-when doing the inspection and test drive, the car started SMOKING. They replaced the PCV. I took it back the following day for oil leaking on top of the motor. They replaced the PCV again and the valve cover. I took it back AGAIN for the same reason, and they replaced the PCV and valve cover for the 3rd time. I took it back again the same day because of a leak around the oil cap. The service manager replaced the oil cap and a pressurized hose without doing a work order on the computer or giving me a paper for the service.
-NOW I have an oil leak stemming from the oil return feed hose coming from the turbo, so they refuse to fix it because its considered “part of the turbo” although i believe the problem arose from the previous problems with oil leaks.
The car also has other miscellaneous problems including the trunk latch. The only way i can open my trunk is by crawling through the back seat and pulling the emergency opener. Also the passenger seatbelt will not fasten and they refuse to fix it even though its a safety concern
January 7th, 2014 at 1:16 pm
I’ve had this same problem with antifreeze leaking and leaving a film on the windshield and a horrible smell. I bought the car in Dec 2012. I have 50,000 miles and no warranty left. I can’t afford a lemon law lawyer, nor can I afford in and out trips to the dealership. Any suggestion?
January 7th, 2014 at 2:37 pm
@Jamie: If you have a claim, you would not need to worry about paying for a lawyer, the help is cost-free under the Laws. If you were back three or more times under GM warranty, please click here https://www.lemonlaw.com/lemon-law-firm.html to find a lemon lawyer in your state.
January 19th, 2014 at 2:36 pm
I purchased a new 2012 Chevrolet Cruze in april 2012.I had a coolant smell from day one. Returned to the dealership numerous times, nothing found . Coincidentally a couple of days after the one year time frame for filing a Lemon Law complaint they found a bad water pump.Water pump replaced 4/13 again 12/13 and now a catastrophic failure of the water pump 1/17/14. This would be pump number four. Dealer service great, GM useless.Too many other problems to list including loss of braking for over a year. Never another GM car, this one is gone as soon as repairs are completed again.
January 23rd, 2014 at 3:21 pm
We have had our Cruze for a year and a half now and the problem is still persistent. I tried to have it taken care of while under warranty and the installed a tube and said that fixed it. After 10 min. in the car it was just as strong as before. I went back to the service dept. and told them and they said nothing else was wrong with it and to give some time. In the meantime I was putting up with the odor. Now it is out of warranty and they said that there is nothing that they can do to fix it. We have a new car with an antifreeze odor that will NOT go away. Worst of all the smell is only there when you need the heat and that is when you cannot roll down the window. I have been a Chevy fan my entire life and this has ruined me. I will be getting a new P/U withing the next year and it will NOT be a Chevy. They are not standing behind their product. If they wont stand behind this, what else will they lay down on…
February 4th, 2014 at 9:10 pm
I have a 2011 Chevy Cruze LT 1.4L with 71K miles. Since this winter has been so brutally cold I have noticed the irritated eyes and dry throat, but figured it was just because of heat on high for the long commute. Then, just recently, I noticed the “rainbow film” as someone put it. This film is more greasy and when you wipe it smears and reflect swirly in on coming lights. Again figuring just the defrost and cold combination.
If their is an order it is not that strong, yet. With thruway driving there are all type of fumes the come and go through the car. However, just this week I noticed the cooling fan runs when I am parking my car at work. I also noticed that the needle on my interior temp gauge moves to the half way point in a matter of 5 minutes in this brutal cold! Yes, my heat works.
I have an appointment this week. I have an extended warranty – wish me luck with both.
February 5th, 2014 at 1:49 pm
Update…my water pump had to be replaced, for the second time.
First at 50K and then at 71K. A spring sprung per work order.
Still a lot of winter to be had.
February 5th, 2014 at 2:12 pm
Hello everyone who had the water pump replaced…did that fix the smell issue?
thanks,
February 5th, 2014 at 2:34 pm
Had my water pump replaced two days ago but we have not used the car due to weather. I will post my findings in a week.
February 9th, 2014 at 8:06 pm
I purchased my Chevy Cruze new in March 2012. Winter came and my heater went out. Dealership treated me like I was stupid because he said all they had to do was add coolant. I told them “they should not HAVE To be adding coolant. 3 months later it happened again. Took it back to the dealer…SAME scenario!!! I having been dealing with this now for 2 years and I am tired of it. I know by the pitch of the fan WHEN it is time to add coolant. WELL, guess who just had to change out my water pump!!!!!!! It is of course out of warranty due to the mileage that I drive everyday. I can PROMISE you that I will NEVER purchase another Chevy!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
February 26th, 2014 at 3:32 pm
@James: Without the car, there is no case.
February 26th, 2014 at 5:38 pm
It has been 21 days since the water pump was replaced and the problem still persists. It takes about twenty days for a film to develop on the windshield. They are barely cooperating at Hatfield Chevrolet and keep telling me it is not the heater core. There is no other way for a film to develop on the w/s unless it was that. Neither one of us smokes nor does anyone else who drives the car. Maybe it is time that we let go of all Chevy products. I have been a Chevy person for over 25 years but I am fed up with this. Something has to give and it is not us.
February 28th, 2014 at 11:08 pm
Have a 2012 Cruze 67k miles w issues.
Couple weeks ago defrost seemed to be having issues.
This week, heat works sometimes and doesn’t work sometimes.
Heat works = blows hot air.
Not working = does not blow at all.
Start checking out the engine w a friend and we realize coolant is extremely low. After trip to shop, I have learned of a coolant leak at thermostat housing unit. Repairs include removing exhaust manifold – cost parts $25 & labor $290.
Immediately call dealer and am told by one person definitely not covered under power train. And then manager advises they will decrease diagnostic to $50 and a possibility it will be covered.
Follow up with call to GM to learn case opened and to call back w dealership diagnostic results and they (GM) may cover costs. If severe car trouble before appt, they will cover towing even though not covered under bumper to bumper.
I’m frustrated. Although I am impressed w GM, I don’t believe a car with this many miles should have this problem. Additionally I’m concerned about long term engine damage.
Not happy w my Cruze.
February 28th, 2014 at 11:09 pm
Correction: GM will split costs of repair – not cover costs. They will tow at no charge if needed.
March 1st, 2014 at 4:01 pm
I’ve had my 2011 Cruze for a while. I use it to travel from the Santa Monica area to Pomona on a daily basis. I have had the smell numerous amount of times but did not think anything of it. I have taken the car in before and they replaced the thermostat. A couple days ago, however, my car started smelling VERY bad. I opened the hood and noticed that most of my coolant was gone. I went to buy the recommended coolant and put it in to the coolant reservoir. A couple hours later, it was gone again. I took it into the dealer and its now the heater core (~$1500 because its not covered by the powertrain warranty). The car is not even three years old I don’t believe that I or anyone deserves to pay that much for a repair cost when the car is still that new!
March 6th, 2014 at 9:03 pm
It has been a month, a cold month at that, since I had my water pump changed. It fixed the problem with temp gauge etc. but did not improve the film on inside of the windshield. The weather has been so cold that I have not had a chance to properly clean it. When the sun hits it you see swirls from wiping the window down with a cloth.
This blog has been going on since 2012 and there is no one out there that will mention what the real cause of this problem is, or if there is a fix. You can Google this and just see problems no fixes. I just don’t get that. Must be connected to the engine, to expensive of fix, and or risk a recall. That is what I find frustrating. The consumer is not protected no recourse.
March 9th, 2014 at 11:18 am
Our 2011 Chevy Cruze was purchased new in 2011.
The 1.4 turbo engine provides excellent performance.
During our 39K miles of driving the car there has been no coolant loss.
A coolant smell in the cabin becomes evident as soon as full engine operating temperature is reached whether the heat/cool system is on or off.
When I asked the dealer service associate about the smell, he said it was the 1st time he had heard such a complaint but he checked my vehicle for leaks anyway and reported that there were no problems.
He neglected to enter any service notation about it on my car’s records.
March 17th, 2014 at 5:10 pm
One of the times I was in they said it was grease in the deflector box or something like that that diverts the air when you change from say panel to defrost and/or from defrost to defrost and floor. (confusing?)
apparently there is too much grease and when it gets warm it is dripping and giving the smell. The dealer said they cleaned it up, it was fine for a bit but the smell is coming back but not everyday. Has anyone else had a grinding noise/pulsating feeling on the gas pedal after having it in park? I only have 32,000 miles on this car. I am never going to make it to 100,000!
March 19th, 2014 at 9:09 am
#53 Brian, had the same issue diagnosed yesterday on the sixth visit to dealership. Had the coolant tank fix, water pump, thermostat, valve cover gasket and heater core replaced. Will see if new heater changes for the grease issueworks!!
March 19th, 2014 at 9:44 pm
I have a 2012 Chevy Cruz 52,000 highway miles. finally had the breaks fixed with the recall, ( it took 6 weeks for parts)the car kept rolling when it was in reverse and you apply the breaks. Now the car will not heat when idling, I took it in and all three of the transmission coolant hoses are leaking. The transmission place ordered the parts they of course were not in stock, they sent them Tuesday from the dealership and they sent the wrong hoses, said they will have them Wednesday, no show now I have to wait until Friday. This is really unacceptable of GM, I did not have any smell. I thought I would give GM a chance on this purchase, not a good idea.
March 21st, 2014 at 2:44 pm
@Mona: Time to look into your lemon law rights. Visit https://www.lemonlaw.com/state-lemon-laws/ to read about the laws in your state.
March 28th, 2014 at 6:48 pm
Has the 20/20 special on this been aired. I’m going through same thing and wouldn’t mind being a part of it.
March 28th, 2014 at 9:27 pm
I as a G.M tech have noticed loss of coolant in Chevy cruze vehicles usually simple gaskets or water pump issues. Mostly normal venting at the coolant resevour cap seems to get caught in by the vents. I hope this is not the issue of health complaints because passing a bus or diesel truck seems to affect me so much more. Not to make light of any disturbing fumes.
March 31st, 2014 at 10:36 am
#54 Pete,
Pete, did this fix seem to fix the issue?
thanks,
Brian
April 2nd, 2014 at 3:00 pm
@Stephanie: The stories we have worked on have aired, but you should look into your rights. Visit https://www.lemonlaw.com/state-lemon-laws/ to read about your State’s Lemon Law.
April 2nd, 2014 at 3:01 pm
Well, it would seem that I made some noise at GM Corp. My service dept called me and they are falling all over themselves to fix the car. Funny thing is we had already decided to trade the car off and get anything other than aGM vehicle. We will see, I take it in today.
April 5th, 2014 at 3:54 pm
Hey everyone. First of all thank you for sharing your horror stories about the Chevy Cruze. Let me add my story to this forum as well. I live in Ontario, Canada and drive a 2011 Chevy Cruze LS. Since buying this vehicle in Feb 2011 I have had the following fixed, replaced or recalled
1. Recall for steering wheel column bolt defect
2. Replaced AC condenser
3. Recall for heat shield
4. replaced AC condenser again
5. Replaced Thermostat including assembly
6. Engine coolant reservoir crack need to be replaced
7. Temperature sensor replaced
Do needless to say I am not impressed at all. In Canada there isn’t really a lemon law but I’m sure there has to be something out there to protect the consumer. Any help would be greatly appreciated
April 8th, 2014 at 3:54 pm
GM has had the car for 5 days and waiting on parts. They have decided that they would perform “#PI0935B: Odor from HVAC System with Temperature Control Set on High Heat and Engine at Operating Temperature – (Oct 29, 2013)”. The thing that I am curious about is why did I have to complain 5 times and go through GM to get this done. I believe that it could all still be b/s. They say that the smell is from some grease that gets too hot and it will also put a haze on the w/s when on defrost. I know what anti-freeze smells like, I have worked on heavy trucks for 15 years along my own vehicles. If you open the reservoir it smell exactly the same. GM is doing all they can to NOT fix the issue. I am done! I am tired of the lies and song and dance that they repeatedly give. It is like talking to the gov’t, I will never get the truth and never get it fixed. I am just speaking from experience. Sorry if I offend anyone. They are taking the dash completely out to fix something that is NOT the problem. Still, I will persist and raise a stink since that is what I get in the car and what they continually shovel to me. I will update when we get the car from GM.
People, stick to your guns and do not give up. Be persistent and remember you are the customer and this is a big purchase item. GM needs to get it right, not you.
April 11th, 2014 at 10:26 am
The car is gone! Their make shift repair did not fix the problem and the tech that performed the work basically told me that I am stupid and do not know what I am talking about. He told me that I did not smell antifreeze and that there was nothing wrong with the car. Thank you GM for calling me a liar yet again. We now have a Kia Optima and it is a far superior car to the Cruze. Good bye GM and hello cars made in America. I wish all Cruze owners the best of luck.
May 4th, 2014 at 3:22 pm
Ok, so I’ve had the whole engine coolant smell and leak, however, luckily for me, it was fixed the first go around with a system flush for which I paid for and a new water pump.
But this is my BIGGEST problem. I am having continual engine oil leaking from around the head of my engine and dripping down onto my garage floor. They’ve replaced the valve cover gasket and valve cover 4 or 5 times now. As of today, I spotted yet another pool of engine oil on my garage floor and coming out from around my head. I just got this car back a week ago. This makes the 6th time and months of accumulated time of NO car.
Lemon law rep? any help?
May 5th, 2014 at 4:02 pm
@Kimberly Y: I absolutely think you need to discuss this with a firm in your area. You can find a lemon law firm in your state by clicking here: https://www.lemonlaw.com/lemon-law-firm.html
May 20th, 2014 at 3:13 pm
I am going though the same problem as Dustin the dealer is telling me it’s a lubricant smell.they said the whole dash has to be taken out to repair the problem.i had the car there twice the first time the service agent said he couldn’t smell anything he better have his sense of smell checked.the smell is like antifreeze I have been getting headaches and sore throat every time the heater or defroster is on.took the car back Friday with the strong smell in the car and a service tech turned the heat off and pulled the car outside.And they wondered why they didn’t smell anything again.One of the service techs went online and printed off a paper showing a lubricant smell in the cruze.I think that is a bunch of bs I left the car and told them to fix it so they just called and said it should be put back together tommorow.He said it was a tough job and also there was a noise in the heater system as well but I was told that’s a different issue that’s not related and that has to be addressed at a different time.We will see tommorow what their reason is for the smell.
May 22nd, 2014 at 11:37 am
@Carol: Click here: https://www.lemonlaw.com/state-lemon-laws/ to read about State Lemon Laws. It seems you are being taken for a ride.
June 6th, 2014 at 9:45 pm
I bought a 2014 Chevy Cruze in December. In April I took it to the dealership to be inspected for the half shaft axle recall. They still have my car, and no one can even give me an approximate time the parts will be available to make repairs. They gave me a loaner, but I’m paying for a Cruze and driving Sonic (a lesser vehicle). I’m more than disappointed with this process.
June 12th, 2014 at 2:14 pm
@Dana: We vare taking these claims. Please visit https://www.lemonlaw.com/state-lemon-laws/ to find out if you qualify under your state’s Law or fill out our Get Rid of Your Lemon form at https://www.lemonlaw.com/rid.html and we will see if/how we can help.
June 18th, 2014 at 7:15 pm
50xxx miles 12 cruze 1.4 no issues until 2 weeks ago..noticed low coolant level. Took to dealer and found bad radiator. Not covered under warranty. Got car home and the coolant level was lower than it was when I dropped it off. Took back and they topped off and said keep an eye on it. Let’s see how it goes.
June 26th, 2014 at 7:25 pm
I purchased my 2012 cruze in july of 2012. About late august 2012 i noticed the antifreeze smell in the car, i asked the service guys about it when i took the car in for the oil change and no one (including my ex husband) could smell anything. come winter the smell got stronger and now i only smell from time to time. About a month ago i was driving to work and the fans kicked on high, it was morning and not hot, but the car temp was fine. The next day the check engine light came on. I went to the dealership where i have all my maintance done on the car and scheduled to have the check engine light checked out. That night on my way home the light turned off, was informed by dealership the light would have to be on for them to get a reading. two weeks later the light came back on. i also noticed at that time the car was low in antifreeze. i filled the coolant went to drive to the dealership and the light went off. The light will never stay on long enough to get a reading but the fan comes on more often, i am leaking coolant, and the dealership says i will have to pay to have them hook up the machine do any diagnostic at all. i still have powertrain till 100,000miles but it doesnt cover coolant system ect. I bought the car BRAND new so i wouldnt have to keep repairing a vehicle. I am a single mother, money is already tight (especially with car payment) and now i have to pay to have them tell me whats wrong when it sounds like they already know because there are to many of us out there having the same problem. why no recall? i have always sworn by GM but after my ex-husbands truck and now the car i will NEVER EVER buy chevy again.
July 2nd, 2014 at 3:24 pm
@Mandy: I would certainly look into your lemon law rights. Visit https://www.lemonlaw.com/lemon-laws/ to take our Lemon Law quiz.
July 22nd, 2014 at 10:02 pm
I own a 2012 Chevy cruze. Its going to the shop tomorrow for an overheating message on the dash and a coolant leak or thermostat issue. I haven’t had any recall repairs nor was I notified. My brakes grind when I slow from high speeds. Really hope I don’t have to get a lemon law attorney involved but I will. I too smell antifreeze and my kids ride in this car. As a military family my husband purchased me this car so he wouldn’t have to worry about a vehicle while deployed and now look at this mess. I’m under 22,000 miles so both warranties apply thankfully.
September 2nd, 2014 at 3:57 pm
I purchased my 2012 Cruze in Dec 2012, it was used…about 2,200 miles on it. The problems started about 4 months after I got it. The radio goes in and out & all my warning lights flash & then they go off. Sometimes the power steering seems stiff when I go to turn, & this happens in the midst of the radio going in & out. One day it overheated & took it in, they did the recall & that should’ve been it…NOT! Also my car is losing antifreeze. I haven’t seen a leak under the car. I take it to a GM dealership today & he tells me it has a really bad leak (BS), and that it would cost me around $1300 to fix. No leaks & all of a sudden a large puddle when it gets to the dealer?! Am I covered under the Lemon Law?!
September 9th, 2014 at 12:45 pm
@Shanell: I am wondering why they would change you to fix this?
October 11th, 2014 at 5:19 pm
Purchased a 2011 Chevy Cruze Lt (tagged RS series) used in June of 2014. It had a little over 42,000 miles when we drove it off the lot. In the 4 months that we have owned it, we have noticed
1. a huge loss of power whenever the air conditioner is turned on.
2. a moldy smell due to the cabin air filter
3. a coolant leak that we just received a recall about
4. a ABS brake light that pops ON/OFF on its own
and
5. a battery that needed replacement after the positive terminal corroded to both the cable and the fuse connector under the plastic battery box.
I have contacted GM already and they requested that I go to my local dealership to have a “diagnosis” of the car but our local dealership won’t return our call.
Not real happy.
October 24th, 2014 at 8:29 pm
I took my 2012 in because the car will not heat when I am idling, when I am driving it heats. I found out from my local garage the water pump is bad. This is covered by the Powertrain warranty.
November 7th, 2014 at 12:16 am
I’ve had my Cruze for a year and a half and have had the problem for sometime but at first it was very intermittent. Now at 35k miles it got bad enough to take in. The dealer said flat out that G.M. doesn’t have a TSB that will actually fix it but they will perform them anyways. Funny story is since day one I started having not only allergies but eye problems. I have been in and out of doc and was finally diagnosed with Blepharitis. Hmmmm coincidence! I think not! The dealer pretty much told me im screwed! No LIE! Can anything be done at this point? Is it too late or do i have to pointlessly keep taking it back to get any kind of recourse?
November 19th, 2014 at 11:01 am
@Clark: If you want recourse, you should reach out to a lemon law lawyer to discuss strategy. Visit https://www.lemonlaw.com/lemon-law-firm.html
December 1st, 2014 at 9:03 pm
do not buya cruze 2011,mine just had problems with the ac,power windows,power seat,lights,smell coagulant,horrible
December 3rd, 2014 at 8:32 pm
I bought my used 2013 Cruze about 4 months ago. Up until this morning, I had no problems. This morning as I was pulling out of my driveway, the lights started flashing and the message “Reduced Power Failure” came on and the car wouldn’t hardly move. I pulled the car over and shut it down. I then started it back up and started to take off and it done it again. I then shut the car down again and just turned it around and parked it and switched vehicles. My friend purchased a 2014 Cruze 2 months ago and it has been in the shop three times with the last time the dealership having the car for 2 1/2 weeks. Her car was doing the same thing as mine. I haven’t noticed any smells (but I have really bad allergies so I cant smell a lot of things) When I got home today, I fooled with the car and the only light on is the MIL (Check Engine Light) and when you push the brakes in, it makes a weird buzzing noise in the motor. I had the oil changed last week and the dealership told me that I had a leak around my water pump but it would be a while before they could fix it. Does anyone have any idea what could be causing this to happen??? Also, I have noticed the “rainbow” on my windshield. If this is supposed to be fixed with a recall, how can I find out if mine has been worked on?
December 13th, 2014 at 6:18 pm
I have a 2011 Cruze Eco with just over 42,000 miles and starting getting a bad smell in my car. Since the car had been to the dealer 4x already this year (1-brake compression hose $400 2-transmission rebuild covered by warranty 3-check engine light p057c code $266) I decided to take it to my mechanic as it’s off warranty. It turns out there is a crack in the plastic coolant housing that will cost me $250 to replace (part plus labor). In contrast I also have a 2005 Mazda 6i with over 80k miles that never broke down and only required standard maintenance and no recalls.
I ‘m thinking of contacting a lemon law lawyer before anything else goes wrong. A 3.5 year old car should not have all these issues plus 6 recalls.
December 22nd, 2014 at 12:27 pm
I didn’t read all of the posts, but I noticed the smell of coolant fairly soon once I started driving my wife’s car (girlfriend at the time) Went to on for a couple years and just last month I noticed the car overheating. Of course the reservoir was empty so I added more water and tried to find the leak. I noticed coolant puddles on the block, etc. Drove the car home and popped the hood, its seeping out from the Water Outlet housing, its cracked.
gmpartsdepartment.com/parts/2011/Chevrolet/Cruze/LT?siteid=214533&vehicleid=313733&diagram=ZB5010&diagramCallOut=5 – (original link no longer available – admin)
Item #5. a $30 dollar part and will fix it this weekend. Not sure if this will stop the coolant smell, but I bet it would. If not I will report back and let you all know. 2011 Chevy Cruze, 1.4 turbo.
December 25th, 2014 at 10:47 pm
I own a 2013 chevy cruze,it has 60,000 miles,their was a recal put out on the chevy cruze for antifreeze leaking.unfortunitly I found out 6 months after recal is put out.the car now ticks,and runs like a log wagon.i love the car but too many problems
December 29th, 2014 at 11:55 am
Fixed the water outlet/thermostat. When replacing, I noticed the overflow and or the hose from the reservoir to the water outlet housing was now leaking. So I also replaced the hose. $11 part and so far both of these items has fixed my issue. The reservoir hose fitting has been completely remodeled. Makes you wonder why it wasn’t done this way to begin with. I’ll post back if I smell anymore coolant.
January 26th, 2015 at 8:22 pm
2014 chevy Cruz, car will not stay at operational temperature. Always have to have foot on gas pedal. Been shop 3 times and still does it new water pump and thermostat
January 28th, 2015 at 5:13 pm
@John: It’s time to look into your lemon law rights. Visit https://www.lemonlaw.com/rid.html if you would like a free case review.
February 2nd, 2015 at 12:53 pm
I bought a brand new 2012 cruz and it has been in the shop multiple times for different reasons. I fought with corporate over all the problems including burnt rubber smell and now I have a habitual radiator leak from the coolant loss poll. Corporate wouldn’t help with a trade or or take it back or anything, I have been “stuck” with this car and it’s problems for 2 years. It now has 103,000 miles on it and no longer under warranty, they are selling crap cars and don’t care! Is there anything I can do?? I live in Oklahoma
February 7th, 2015 at 5:06 pm
I also replaced engine water outlet.I had a very small visual leak that was about a 1/4 tea spoon a day.The smell has gone away. My cost $30.00/ labor mine. I will report back at another date to give results.This part is right near the oil filter against the engine also has a electronic thermometer for engine outlet coolant Temp. I also wonder that since the turbo is also water cooled on this vehicle. Maybe there is an internal slow leak that is burning antifreeze through the turbo on the exhaust side of the turbo system? That might be the reason for some folks and mechanics are not seeing a leak. Item 5 for below link.
(link no longer available, removed by Admin)
February 23rd, 2015 at 10:56 am
I own a Chevy cruz 2013 and I have been complaining about a chemical smell coming from vents when defrost/heat is on. It gives me and my husband and kids such a headache that I have to turn off in middle of dead winter when my windows fog up so bad I have to turn it back on…..it really gives us such a headache this can’t be right and the dealership just says when they hook it up its not detecting anything……what can we do about this??
February 25th, 2015 at 1:06 am
Bought a Chevrolet 2012 Cruze brand new. After 3000 miles started noticing antifreeze smell in the garage when we come home. It was a gradual smell that got worse at about 5000 miles. We took it in and the dealership could not find any solution. They tested everything. The reservoir was low so that was topped off. Been in the shop three times. This time they say it is a normal smell that another Cruze has when they checked another vehicle at the dealership. I pick it up tomorrow. It only has 10k miles. I sure wish there was a solution.
February 25th, 2015 at 3:57 pm
@Tina: If you have been back repetitively for the same issue, you look into your State and federal rights. Visit https://www.lemonlaw.com/lemon-law-firm.html to find a firm in your state.
March 15th, 2015 at 5:27 am
I am having the same issue. I just purchased a 2012 Cruze two weeks ago with 12k miles on it. It smells like antifreeze when the heater is on. It is making me nauseous and giving me headaches. I’m reading all of this and it is scaring me. If I take my car into the dealership it may never get fixed, that’s scary. I will call them Monday to get it in for the first time but it seems like I have a long road ahead of me trying to get the problem fixed. I also see that the Cruze has a faulty transmission for the 2011, well let me tell you that my 2012 has a faulty one also. It shifts so hard that the entire car moves. When it downshifts the car actually jerks backwards…HARD. I’ve only had this car 2 weeks and I’m about fed up already.
May 28th, 2015 at 10:07 am
I bought a Chevy Cruze LT in March 2014. Within a few months I had to bring in my car for repairs. First it was warped brake drums on the rear tires. Then a squeaking belt when I put on the air or heat (guessing when I increased speed of the fan) they said they fixed it? To this date, it still squeaks and only getting worse. Then my antifreeze issue started about 6 months ago and I could smell it in my the cabin of my car. I brought it in about 5 times but of course they only recorded customer complains of antifreeze smell twice on repair orders. They replaced the heater core but it still will strike up that smell so Im sure its still not fixed. Even the Service Manager took it home and said he experienced film on windows, fogged up windows (making him stop on a expressway because he could not see) I mentioned class actions suits to the General Manager of the dealership (of course he stated he never heard of it). I tried to trade it in somewhere else to just get rid of it. However, Im told they cant help me because I would be upside down on a loan. I contacted a lemon lawyer back in January 2015 but was told that I would need at least 3 more complaints on paper before I would be taken seriously. I also contacted GM and they were nice in the beginning then became rude. The only thing that was done , was the dealership told GM they would offer an extension on my bumper to bumper warranty from 36/36000 miles to now 94,000 miles. How does this help my issues with this car? I just want GM to take this car back so I can get another loan and get a more safe car without having to be sick by the smell of antifreeze or have to worry about other problems. My car was in service for aprox 27 days in Dec 2014 to Jan 2015. They gave me a loaner but I had to pay my car payment for a car I wasn’t using? Its horrible. Ive been complaining about a thump sound coming from right rear end when I hit bumps they tell me they hear nothing. Every time I bring the car in, I take picture of the mileage to see if they are even driving my car to hear the issue with that. I need help getting rid of this car. Any suggestions?
June 28th, 2015 at 8:18 pm
I purchased a 2013 Chevy Cruze I am at 52000 miles and got to church parked air was working fine I purchased this car November of 2013 it had 14000 miles on it from dealership at the time Stanley chevelot in Marlin Texas today ac water leaked on the carpet mat on passenger side what must I do first I live in Texas and it is hot I have a health conditions where I can’t be hot I will get sick any suggestions on what to do first
July 3rd, 2015 at 8:55 am
@Carlie: Visit https://www.lemonlaw.com/lemon-law-firm.html to find a lemon law firm in your state to discuss your matter.
July 23rd, 2015 at 1:37 pm
I bought a new 2015 Cruze in March. Took it to get looked at 2 weeks after I bought it. Weird noise, more like a quick grind, that occurred between 11 – 14 mph. Two different dealership. Finally some told me that noise was the ABS doing self check to ensure the tires are spinning. Road noise is horrendous. Lost radio function twice. Screen froze. Had dealership do a global reset on it twice. Now since it started to get hot, I’ve been using the AC. Smells like coolant when it starts at lower setting. Can only get it to stop if I crank it up on high. But then if I drop it down to low its back. Windshield has film in on it where the defroster are produces condensation on the windshield. Worse purchase I have every made…..
July 27th, 2015 at 8:19 am
I have 2013 chevy cruze. 6 months ago had the water pump replaced under warranty . Now the thermostat housing is leaking not covered under the power train.this car is full of recalls every time I turn around. Now is costing me 360 dollars for this.
August 30th, 2015 at 4:37 pm
More of the same! 2012 Chevrolet Cruze was fine for almost 3 years and now car sent message to say overheating and shutting down…dealer replaced thermostat…car still was leaking under the front middle of car..took back and they said water pump was leaking, oh and they found the thermostat housing was cracked…they are the ones that were just working on that area!! Actually there is a recall..Chevy does not like that word tho, they just call it replacement of water pump, wording sounds just like what happened and should have been fixed at time of thermostat change. Now I have a burnt orange oily substance leaking under car and fan runs after car is shut off, never happened for 3 years but now it does it??? Car sounds like a cement mixer when starts in morning and transmission slips while driving. Taking it back AGAIN this week. Also contacted Chevrolet about fan and of course they said they have never heard that problem. They offered to pay for 1 hour of diagnostics to figure out what is going on as we paid $250 when I first heard engine noise about 8 months ago..of course they found NOTHING too! NEVER a Chevy product again.
August 31st, 2015 at 12:18 pm
I just bought my 2011 Chevy Cruze LT in December. I had a coolant leak fixed less then a month ago and today my check engine light came on. Safe to say my coolant was low AGAIN. I had the low coolant “recall” fixed. Since then it’s been nothing but problems.
September 22nd, 2015 at 8:56 pm
I have a 2011 Chevy Cruz and have been dealing with this coolant recall for about 2 years or more now. The last time I had it in the dealership for this, they kept my car for 10 days because they didn’t know how to fix it and needed to connect with GM headquarters and watch videos and a bunch of nonsense. Anyway, that was about a year ago (or less). Now my car is overheating and since I was never convinced the recall on the coolant was never really fixed, I am not sure if this is another issue with that or if my radiator is leaking for some other reason. I really don’t want to go back to the dealership, but if this is because of the coolant issue I will not be charged for it (and shouldn’t be) if I go to the dealership. Do I give it another try or just take it to a local car shop who I am sure can replace my radiator…..Is it too late for me to apply for the lemon law and get rid of this car? I cannot trust or depend on it. It only has 35,000 miles because I wont drive it out of town – cant trust it
October 26th, 2015 at 3:20 am
The main big issue is the thermostat housing unit on the Cruze period !!!!! This is your problem open ur hood and see for yourself
This unit is crackes due to the heat
I have a Chevy Cruze myself
There is a top hose from your resovoir tank that goes down to your thermostat housing plastic unit
The only thing that holds the hose plastic tip connecting to the resovoir housing is a metal pin
The part that leaks is in between the hose and the resovoir housing , from the head the plastic cracks and causes it to leak
I fixed this by buying a bigger hose and cutting cracked area off and fitting the bigger hose onto the plastic
After that the thermostat housing unit cracked on me again but now underneath were the bigger hose runs from the thermostat housing down into the radiator
Now I’m sure I have to take it to be replaced
Someone help us !
November 8th, 2015 at 10:53 am
When I first purchased my 2012 Chevy cruze not even within a week I needed my thermostat replaced dealer did it I been since noticing that I have a eggy smell when I turn on AC/HEAT on I recently had a engine light on code was P0001 cam sensor then a message appeared for me to replace timing belt took to dealer and was told by dealer I had a defected water pump so I had everything worked on as soon as I left dealer car died and reset it self I need a jump never needed one before so I kept smelling coolant eggy smell contacted dealer due to coolant leaking I was told the replaced a valve tube as well dealer never contacted or returned calls now I drove car to dealer they kept it put me in a free rental stating neither or any of my fans are working and they didn’t know why.
November 21st, 2015 at 6:22 pm
I bought my 2012 Chevy Cruze back in June 14′ and have just learned there are two recalls from last year that i was never notified about through the dealership i purchased it from (Coolant internal leak and engine module reprogramming). Do i contact my local chevy dealership or the one i bought the car from ?
December 24th, 2015 at 9:33 pm
I got a 2016 Chevy cruze Lt and having a problem with a rainbow color on my windshield and problem drinking gas like its going out of style and problem with speeding up by itself what do I do when the dealership don’t want to fix it and saying that’s nothing wrong with the car
December 30th, 2015 at 3:36 pm
2011 Chevy Cruze, same issue with coolant smell yet I’m not losing coolant. Dealership is great but they can’t find out what’s causing it.
Chevy definitely released a car before it was tested.
January 5th, 2016 at 2:40 pm
2012 Cruz for my wife to drive for work. The first problem we had was the antifreeze smell told nothing could be done. Second at 50 thousand miles the valve cover needed replaced. Then at 100 thousand miles started to leak water and valve cover again. I replaced valve cover, water hoses, and the plastic water neck. Now at 111 thousand miles I have another water leak and the smell of oil burning. I’m not happy with it me and my family all ways been buying and owning Chevy rigs.
January 17th, 2016 at 9:39 pm
You are all lucky. My 2012 went to the shop 45 times the first year for so many issues it wasn’t funny. When I bought the car it was getting 38 to 42 mpg. I first blew a fuel rail and valve cover. After replacing it my mph dropped to 28 to 32. I questioned the dealership and was told they had to back off on boost due to blowing components. This was bs because I bought the car for gas mileage. This car is my service vehicle so it has racked up many miles. My last adventure at 100k was another blown valve cover which they fixed and it was pouring oil itself. Took it back for yet another replacement and a few weeks later my coil pack went out. Dealership said it wasn’t covered so I purchased thearts and fixed myself. When I took it out number one and two spark plug hole were completely full of oil which caused the failure. To date there has been no explanation of why my coolant leak keeps coming back. I have spent uncountable hours and parts to keep this car running. I purchased an extended warranty to 150k but after 100k dealership tells me that’s not covered over and over. I throw my hands up. This is the worst car I have ever owned and never will I own another Chevy after this. End rant.
January 22nd, 2016 at 5:58 am
I had a 2012 ECO that lost coolant and smell inside. Dealer checked, did recalls, replaced thermostat and even heater core. GM does not know what problem is and cannot fix it. They bought back my ECO but still cost me on trade. I got a 2015 ECO and has same issue. I think all Cuze ECO’s will eventually have same problems.
January 27th, 2016 at 3:26 pm
2011 Cruze LTE Had coolant and antifreeze leak “fixed” about a year ago but now recently I’ve noticed a white smoke and burning smell that comes out of my dashboard occasionally then goes away. I’ve also had to refill my antifreeze more than I’ve had the oil changed in the last 6mo so there is clearly something consistently wrong.
May 6th, 2016 at 2:11 am
I’m driving a 2011 cruze suddenly the a/c stopped and indicate the temp was high immediately I pulled to the gas station and filled with water tomorrow I’m going to the dealer. Yesterday I noticed the coolant was low and completed, when I was going out from my garage notice water coolant in the floor.
September 29th, 2016 at 1:52 pm
I drive a Chevy cruze 2012 LT 1.4 turbo
made several repairs and it continues to have leaks. nothing seems to be working. new tubes, new hose’s, new hose clamp’s, and coolant flush.
still having the same issues and I would like to know if there is a possible way to get GM Chevy dealer to replace a broken car they sold me.
used to love GM Chevy car’s until I owned this car.
October 11th, 2016 at 11:48 am
@Jose: Reach out to a firm in your state to find out if you have rights. Visit https://www.lemonlaw.com/lemon-law-firm.html for a list of lemon law firms.
December 22nd, 2016 at 12:25 pm
I’m having the same problems. I have a 2012 Chevy Cruze ECO. I was smelling antifreeze then coolant light came on. Then started over heating. Took it to dealer, they fixed the problem of over heating. I can still smell antifreeze when I get out and walk past the car. Now I have 107,000 miles on it. The warranty has expired. I see what looks like smoke come out of the vents every now and then. Now when I have the heat on and stop at a light or let the car idle, a strong burning smell is coming in. Plus when the car is idling there’s no heat. When I accelerate the heat starts working again. I hope some can tell us what is going on here.
January 4th, 2017 at 12:34 pm
I have the same smell in my 2012 chevy cruze and I took it back to the dealer ship where I bought it and they said they could not find nothing wrong with it I took it back several times they said they could not find nothing wrong with it when I first bought it new thirty six thousand miles are up now
January 25th, 2017 at 10:42 am
Well i own a 2014 chevy cruze. I have 29,000 miles on it. And months ago, my car just pegged out to red hot. I was only 2 blocks from the dealers as we are a small town. They external checked it, did the pressure test, said they are stumped at why the coolant jug was empty. I have been keeping an eye on the coolant and making sure it stays where it needs to. Well two days ago, my check engine light pops on, i take it right back to the dealer. I was informed yesterday, that i now have a head gasket gone bad. That the car needs a new engine, and i am awaiting word today, to see if G.M. will pay for a new motor. The dealership told me, well they may try to say it is customer neglect. Are you kidding me, First off, they checked the overheating issue and could not find anything leaking anywhere, and topped off my coolant sent me on my way. I went in shortly after that had my oil changed. And no one said if there was anything in my oil. Months after my oil change They are saying that my antifreeze has been leaking into my oil, why the head gasket is blown now. If they could not find externally why my coolant jug was empty at 25,000 miles, why did they not do an internal check then. Now here i am with this issue, because they did not do their job , they are the professionals here not me. And now i have to wait to see if G.M. will honor having my car fixed. This is not right. The mechanics do not want to tell G.M. they did not do what they should have done to find the issue. So with that being said, i am guessing G.M. will say nope, it is at her cost putting a new engine in. I am at a loss here. I cannot know what goes on inside my car internally, that is why they are the supposed experts. I don’t know what to even do, if they come back and say, sorry. Its on you, lady!
February 19th, 2017 at 3:06 pm
My fiancé owns a 2013 Cruze 1.4 Eco turbo with 35000 miles. It’s always had a bad antifreeze smell coming into the car and has issues with having to fill up the reservoir with antifreeze. Recently I started looking into this in forums and I can’t believe how Chevy has approached this issue. Now the car is leaking from 2 different areas, the top hose that connects to the reservoir, and now it looks to be leaking from the plastic piping that’s connected to the engine? What’s the deal with this? How come Chevy hasn’t taken care of this shitty design?????
February 22nd, 2017 at 9:11 am
2014 Chevy Cruze same over heating issue as in this forum. The pvc valve, thermostat, water pump and head gasket have been replaced. My wife will be taking it to the shop for the 6th time in 4 months later today.
February 23rd, 2017 at 10:22 pm
I have the same issue, with my 2013 Cruze overheating. I’ve had the water pump replaced and still the car kept over heating. The car is back in the shop now because of a blown head gasket, GO figure. Now the mechanic tells me the water pump is still bad. Now so I called the dealership again, now they tell me to bring it in and that only the water pump is covered still under the warranty. I HATE THIS CAR, I had a Tahoe before and is was great, I purchased this car because of the gas mileage. Never again
March 8th, 2017 at 9:29 pm
Kind of the same deal. I bought my 2011 Chevy cruze 3 years ago. Had the whole ordeal of it smelling like my car wad over heating and send it in for the recal on my waterpump. That was in 2014……fast forward to last week. I noticed my car was dumping an entire bottle of coolant in a week, it was pooling in certain plaves and had sprayed on the heat pad on the underbelly of my hood, it looked like a hose leak. Very concerning so I brought my cruze into the local dealers. How ironic my warrenty went out 3 months ago, never received any mail to extend it…anywho. Coolant is literally leaking out of any possible place it can inside my engine block…..so therefore my car is getting a brand new engine. Luckily GM has decided to eat 60% of the costs leaving us with a $2,000 bill but better than $6,000.
Long story short if you are dumping a lot of coolant and it looks like a hose from the water pump please get it checked immediately. Hopefully it will save your engine.
March 9th, 2017 at 8:07 pm
So I have had 2 coolant leaks in my 2012 chevy Cruz and the leaks are coming from the thermostat housing as they stated, I have replaced that piece twice now and am about to replace it a third time because I have yet another leak in the thermostat housing. Now I’m about to replace it a third time to have it leak again?! Has anyone else had this issue? Of the same recurring leak?
March 17th, 2017 at 3:23 pm
i have a 2016 chevy cruze. i’ve had it exactly a year now, temperatures have not been horrible but while driving to work monday i noticed my temperature gauge got to the normal spot right before the half way mark after about 10-15 minutes of driving it; right after that point hits the temperature gauge drops dramatically & the air starts to turn cool. i took it in the put dye in the lines saw no leaks. said it could be a air bubble they don’t see it happening again. picked my car up tuesday evening, it’s not friday & it has happened every day every time i drive my car. no matter the distance or length i drive it. i’ve never seen a car do this. i’m dropping it back off tomorrow but want other imputs if possible. thanks .
March 24th, 2017 at 4:27 pm
I can tell GM how to repair the problem. It is a simple recall and the problem should go away. I have been through the same problem but I have not damage my motor yet . right now I am testing my theory of what is wrong. It is a simple engineering error ,because they are not mechanics. I want it understood I work for money. Not for the love of my peers. I played that game of free information to all and it cost dearly in blood and pain. If GM want the fix. What is it worth to make this lemon in to lemonade
April 6th, 2017 at 8:58 pm
I bought my 2015 Chevy Cruze in 2015 but it was used. It was fine until I had to start doing more driving and my miles are in the 50,000ish miles. Well in 2016 I had to get the turbo hose went out and now in 2017 its got a coolant leak like this person : “#93 john mills says:
July 23rd, 2015 at 1:37 pm
I bought a new 2015 Cruze in March. Took it to get looked at 2 weeks after I bought it. Weird noise, more like a quick grind, that occurred between 11 – 14 mph. Two different dealership. Finally some told me that noise was the ABS doing self check to ensure the tires are spinning. Road noise is horrendous. Lost radio function twice. Screen froze. Had dealership do a global reset on it twice. Now since it started to get hot, I’ve been using the AC. Smells like coolant when it starts at lower setting. Can only get it to stop if I crank it up on high. But then if I drop it down to low its back. Windshield has film in on it where the defroster are produces condensation on the windshield. Worse purchase I have every made…..” Now the complaints are out here what do we do?
April 21st, 2017 at 1:03 pm
Our 2012 Chevy Cruze LS was a leased car, but decided to purchase it a yr later. Unfortunately for me when driving in Florida and having no need to use my heater I wasn’t smelling rubber burning like I do here in NY, where the evenings can be a quite chilly. The odd thing is that I did smell rubber burning in Fla and blamed it on a truck or car ahead of me the culprit….so, I would close the inside vents n open the windows to clear out the inside air. Little did I know that there was a problem. Now I’m in NY and I have the problem that my dealership has info on the problem. I found a ‘RECALL’ published on line through CHEVY website, but I can’t print it out…cannot open a URL. I tried other venues to find it but no luck. Maybe someone else will b lucky. Help,
April 29th, 2017 at 1:45 pm
i have 2012 cruze wirh 11500 miles so out of warranty. Has had 2 water pumps replaced under warranty. now had to relace other hoses due,to coolant leaks. after last fix,at dealer my check engine light came on and now it needs new intake manifold.
May 17th, 2017 at 12:58 am
I have a 2016 Chevy Cruze. I’ve had it for less than a year and have had a few problems so far. Today I’m dealing with a new one that I cannot understand. A warning will appear stating the A/C is turned off because the engine temperature is too high. Then almost instantly after the temperature gauge on the dash shoots up to high and it says my engine is overheating. The fan begins to sound like a jet. It has happened twice now and both times I have popped the hood and there are no sights, sounds, or clues as to why this is happening. I’ve been researching for the past few hours and similar issues to mine have happened on older models ( models 5 years and younger ). The part I have heard the most about is the temperature sensors. I need some more Intel before I take the car to the dealership. Someone help
June 2nd, 2017 at 11:00 am
I bought my car about a year ago. Since the purchase I’ve had it in the shop 4 times where I was without a vehicle and another couple of times where I waited for service to be completed. When I first bought the car I was told that it’s a “4 banger” and not to expect much as it’s a base model. Okay, fine. I started driving it and noticed it was surging. IU called and left multiple voice messages for a manager because my car buying experience was terrible but I needed a car and couldn’t find another in my price range. I finally had to send a letter to the GM and to the service manager. Within a day of receiving my letter they were calling me to get the car in and looked at. Turns out they needed to replace 4 gears in the transmission. I’ve also had to have them replace my engine cover because the PCL valve went faulty. I’ve also had my intake replaced amongst many other issues. Now, my car is at the dealer because I have a coolant leak and cannot figure out where it’s coming from. I have a 2013 Chevy Cruze LT with less than 60k miles on it. Since I am unable to remember everything they’ve done to the car in the last year, when I pick my car up next I will be requesting a print out of each line item repaired. The dealership finds it to be GM’s responsibility for making a crappy car. I find it to be the dealerships responsibility to not sell these – especially since it’s a GM dealership and isn’t one of those wonky hole in the wall dealerships. Does anyone have any advice?
September 15th, 2017 at 3:52 pm
Got a 2011 bought used 29,000 miles on it. Now has 63500 and have replaced water pump 4 times, on second turbo, some weird clicking under certain load conditions. Besides the nagging little things like auto climate that works only when its wants too and on the hottest days typically stops working. Have to use premium on hot days just to stop the power loss. On a good day its already under powered and on a hot day with AC running its a three legged dog. Worst car I have ever owned. Oh, and the depreciation is so bad, I could never get rid of this car. Have to make a lot more payments to catch up. So upside down, most likely because its such a bad car. No more GM the rest of my life.
October 3rd, 2017 at 6:59 pm
After seeing everyone’s comments, I am wondering why I should even be stuck paying for fixes that evidently do not work on this junky car. I had complained to the dealership within months of buying this car of weird clunking noises when accelerating and turning. The dealership simply said they felt nothing was wrong. The car has always had horrible acceleration and now acts as if it’s stalling out even trying to get up to 25mph at times with the rpms hitting over 4,000. Awhile ago after an oil change the technicians thought I had a transmission leak and after having the car serviced for an entire day they found nothing. They then assumed I had an oil leak and asked me to come back in. Upon asking them if this was going to be covered under warranty I kept being told they weren’t sure until taking a look at everything and trying to fix it, which left me with the feeling that if I had them fixed it and gm did not admit a fault or cover it under the warranty, I would just be stuck with some outrageous bill. Which at the time I could barely afford to live, let alone pay ridiculous car repair bill. Fast forward a bit to today taking it back to the dealership, after having a check engine light come on for a bit now. The radiator fan has been running like crazy lately and check engine light has been coming on with a code for either a temperature sensor or some coolant system issue. I had gotte the code from an O’reilly store and the employee had said this is something he sees all the time with the chevy cruzes but GM will not admit any fauly om this crappy car. At that time of getting the code, we had noticed the coolant was low and after adding some coolant, the fan still comes on like crazy, but less frequently. Back to today at the dealership, after telling them everything with the fan and coolant being low, the did a diagnostic for around $60. They are telling me there is no problem with the radiator or coolant tank and there is no coolant leak. They try telling me again that they think the oil pan is leaking and there are seals that need to be replaced… *** FYI – I have never had any oil or oil pan component replaced and any time I have checked my oil, I have NEVER once been low on oil, even going over 6,000 miles and over 7 months between oil changes, never once low.*** I got the diagnostic report today with the invoice amounts of stuff that needs to be fixed. 1. Thermostat replacement = $263.42; 2. Transmission componentservice recommended(torque converter seal leak) = $1,008.42; 3. Recommended engine leak repair= $348.67; 4. (Yes normal wear and tear for this 4th item) front brakes and routers = $279.95. So, the stuff that is because this is a crappy car, which would have to be paid out of pocket as I am out of warranty is $1,620.51 and $279.95 for normal wear and tear. Everything I think I have read about Lemon laws was that you had to let the dealer attempt to repair first before reporting as a lemon. But why after seeing so many people with the exact same or at least very similar issues, paying thousands in repairs, should more consumers be left paying out of pocket for fixes that don’t fix anything. I have also noticed a funky smell with the heater, but wasn’t really sure what it was and just kind of dismissed it as I am a smoker and just wasnt recognizing it as a smell that wasny supposed to be there. GM needs to realize this car is just a lemon instead of continue to screw consumers out of their hard earned money. I am one that can’t afford to “try” these expensive fixes and shouldnt have to go broke first in order to get compensation for being sold a crappy car for way more than i should have made. Also, as a side note, the advertised mileage for the car was complete BS and with around 43,000 miles, my average mpg for the life of the car is around 23-24 mpg.
October 27th, 2017 at 12:31 pm
In Response to #118 – I have a 2015 Cruze. I had experienced the same issue. Low coolant – adding coolant every other day, etc. Dealership said nothing wrong. Months later, and gallons of coolant later, it was found to a cracked cylinder head. That was around 28k miles. Purchased car brand new, 11 miles on it. Now at 50k miles, coolant low again, smell of coolant is back….who knows now.
November 15th, 2017 at 10:14 pm
I have a 2013 Chevy Cruz, recently had the burning smell and now heat doesn’t come out at the windshield to defrost, learned that’s some $7.00 plastic clips that weren’t made correctly in the first place and $1,000 to pull the dash for $14.00 worth of parts. Then to find out heat is cold at idle and it’s very low on coolant which could be why we’ve been hearing a knocking sound, come to find out dealer said it’s a crack in the thermostat housing. Sounds to me like their needs to be a public law suit put together of all of us and take GM to court. This is ridiculous considering back in the 90’s ford had the same issue and issued a recall but yet GM is to good to issue a recall. I believe people need to group together and bring this out in the public, nothing better then public humiliation and let’s take that shit to court!!
December 8th, 2017 at 10:04 pm
Having the same issues with the smell. Bought my 2012 Cruze in 2014. A week or so after buying, my heat did not work and would only blow cold air. Got it in and they fixed that issue…but then the smell started. Had it in twice to be fixed and it still comes back. For me, the smell doesn’t happen every time, but I do notice it the most when I am stopped. Once I start driving it seems to fade, but as soon as I stop again, it comes back. Like others, I also notice it more on days when it’s colder, but I live in Michigan so it’s just the beginning of a long winter of the nasty smell. I do also worry about the health issues that I’ve read about. Just hit 70,000 miles and debating whether to take it in yet again for them to “maybe” fix it, or just get rid of it..
December 10th, 2017 at 11:39 pm
Drove my 2012 Cruze off the lot with 5 miles on it on May 17th, 2012. I took my car in for a separate issue and they found that the coolant reservoir had a crack in it and was leaking coolant. The other issue was that if I hit the gas pedal on my car, the RPMs would go up but my car would not accelerate. Seems like it’s a failing transmission on a 5 year car with 67,000 miles. Lots of issues with my comprehensive warranty since it’s a third party warranty and the dealership I purchased my car from was bought out shortly after. No words for just how frustrating the whole situation, especially considering less than 2 months ago I had to take my car in for the dying battery. Put less money into my last car that was a 2001 Ford Focus in the 5 years I drove that car.
December 16th, 2017 at 12:53 pm
Bought my 2012 Chevy Cruze in 2013 with only 14,000 on it. No problems until about a year ago when my transmission was saying it was overheating we changed out the transmission fluid in it and it was burnt. We couldn’t figure out why then a week before thanks giving the transmission quit work. GM refuses to do anything because I am just out of warranty as it ended in April. Anyone have any suggestions?
December 21st, 2017 at 6:24 pm
Please Help!
I have a 2014 Chevy Cruze 1.4l turbo.
When I got my car used Nov 2015 I would service it regularly. They would top off my coolant each time I got the oil change and the inspection I had done.
Being a newer car, I always had old cars, I didn’t look in the coolant tank for a level often. I often noticed a heavy coolant smell but did not see a physical leak.
In the summer 2017, my coolant gauge went up, and fan came on and cooled it. I then investigated and found the infamous leak on the now discontinued part numbered water outlet and overflow hose.
2 oil changes ago I went to the Chevy dealer for oil change. The tech said there was a small puddle of coolant while doing the job. He said if it is leaking from the water pump area, they would fix it if it’s covered under powertrain warranty which I was still under. By now I already knew about the water outlet and overflow house needing replacing. I told him I have the parts on order. At that point I should’ve checked the water pump.
After keeping coolant filled often I finally repaired the parts, only to find the water pump leaking.
The coolant system I had to stay on top of every other day to refill, while I researched the knowledge to compete the job myself. It got to the point of needing to check coolant every time I got in the vehicle because I’d get surprised by overheating.
The last time my car overheated, when I let it cool then refill and resume driving it would overheat really quick. I search symptoms online differently than I have before and stumbled upon a service bulletin for my model car regarding the water pump leaking and failure. I should have been emailed or called about this to make me aware prior to this. Or completed when Chevy dealer replaced my timing cover and oil soaked belt, or my full service trips.
I had the work done by Chevy to replace the pump and components as specified by the Service Bulletin but it was too late. Damage to the engine has occurred. I found this out after picking up my car, driving off and it overheated. I towed it there again and they let it idle for 45 min, and it never overheated so they didn’t look past that. It is when I drive it, it overheats. Exhaust gas entering coolant system overheating the car. Moisture it of exhaust pipe and white smoke.
Something has to be done about this situation on Chevy’s behalf. I have emailed and called Chevrolet Customer Care, it will be next week when a Senior Adviser reaches out to me, after expressing my concern.
December 24th, 2017 at 2:04 pm
2011 Cruze fogged windows that wont clear even with defrost on high and antifreeze smell pretty bad. Is this a recall by chance?
December 27th, 2017 at 8:36 am
I purchased a 2015 Chevy Cruze in 2016 with around 15,677 miles. In 2017 I been experiencing lost of coolant. Wife complained about no heat coming out of heater. I check coolant and reservoir was low. So I purchased Dex Coolant and filled the reservoir. The heat started working again. A month and half later driving to work this morning the morning putting out good heat then the temperature gauge stated dropping off to the first 1/4 line. Heat started to cooling off. Pop hood open to check reservoir was about empty again. NEVER IN MY LIFE HAD THIS HAPPEN TO ME ONCE LET ALONE TWICE NOW.
January 9th, 2018 at 10:19 pm
2015 Chevy Cruze, I purchased July 2016 with 8 miles and this is first problem. Coolant leak started this week. Calling dealer tmrw to take in. I get oil changed at dealer and they never mentioned any problems and I get diagnostic report from onstar every month. It stated everything was fine no issues. This should be a recall based on over 120 complaints about the same issue.
January 15th, 2018 at 2:45 pm
2014 chevy cruze I went in for an oil change afterwards dealer tells me I have an water outlet and coolant hose issue this should seriously be a recall I haven’t even had my car for a year Before that there was a coolant issue now this!
January 16th, 2018 at 4:13 pm
I bought a 2012 Chevy Cruze, used, 40,000 miles, with some warranty remaining luckily. Within a month the air conditoner quit working and very soon after that the smell came. I had mechanics at work hook it up to machine and nothing showed up wrong so they filled my anti freeze, looked for a leak, found none, and said should be fine. The next day my alarms started going off and smoke started pouring out of hood. By the way, I thought I was lucky to be pulling to to WalMart, but they will not touch coolant issues, won’t even pour it in for you. I do not remember exactly how much the repairs were because warranty covered most so I was lucky. But the air conditioner was $550, not covered under warranty which to me is ridiculous. I have drove many cars over 100,000 and a/c fine. More than the loss of money to me is the loss of security. I went from a Tahoe to this to save gas and feel like I had a dependable vehicle since I have little money and zero knowledge on how to fix things my self. Very disappointed.
January 22nd, 2018 at 1:38 pm
2015 chevy cruze i bought it in 2015 with around 20,000 miles. It now has 60,000 miles on it. I started having issues with the radio going black and restarting a few times around 30,000 miles. When i took it for an oil change to a dealer i mentioned it he said it would not be covered under warranty and i would be liable for problem so i chose not to have it looked at since it was intermitten. I then began having issues with my car starting and throwing all kinds of codes so i would have to turn the car off let it sit then restart it. It would act like nothing ever happened. No codes anymore. Around 50,000 miles driving my son to school the heater would not get warm then my dash began to flash and say my a/c was turned off because my car was getting hot (my heat was on not my a/c) then it kept flashing hot as i smelled coolant. I pulled over turned the car off. Restarted and it was fine. Got to work and checked coolant, it was low. Filled it and it was fine for a while. Began Having to fill the coolant every couple of days. Now car won’t stay started without me pushing on the gas to keep it going when its cold. Took it to dealer they said nothing is wrong and check engine light has to stay on for them to diagnose.
Attempt to drive while its still cold and the car just stops driving. It stays started but won’t go anywhere until its ready. A week later and my car is back in the shop. I should not have to pay for any of these problems and should not have to find a ride or rent a vehicle to get around while they figure out this POS car. I have already missed some work because of it as well. Chevy really needs to stop selling these crappy cars. CHEVY BUY BACK YOUR POS CAR!!!
February 23rd, 2018 at 10:29 am
Bought a 2012 Cruze (I’m the 2nd owner) from a dealership. It now has 32800+ miles on it. Started noticing that the coolant was leaking and the heater doesn’t work anymore. Still waiting for my appointment to have the car serviced at the same dealership to know if they will cover the expense of having it repaired even though the bumper-to-bumper warranty has already expired.
March 28th, 2018 at 12:56 pm
Bought out of showroom 2013 Chevrolet Trax 1.4 Liter (Not sold in U.S in 2013) Smell and see vapor coolant after first 5-10 minutes then it stops, GM should fix all these issues for free
April 8th, 2018 at 1:33 pm
Bought 2014 Cruze 7/16 with 44k on odometer, no problems for two years, recently the coolant level has been a little low, even more recent the level is running low weekly and noticed white smoke/steam out of tailpipe. I fear that head gasket or worse and with 90k on motor things don’t look good, but all this premature deterioration is due to some of the similar problems others are experiencing. I have repaired a coolant leak at the water neck o-ring connection. I have owned a lot of vehicles over the years but never had serious malfunction under a 100k miles like all the people in this forum, and yes GM should fess up and fix or make good since we bailed them out at their most lowest point years back.
April 21st, 2018 at 2:58 pm
Wish I had seen this forum before I bought my 2015 Cruze brand new. 3yrs old, 40+k miles. Losing coolant just as the others. We’ve replaced the water pump which is where it’s coming from and it’s still losing coolant. I saw the service bulletin for the 2011-2014 coolant issues. Clearly this needs to be expanded to newer models as well. This issue has not been fixed.
May 22nd, 2018 at 11:34 pm
I had a problem in the colder weather; in that the windows were fogging up so bad we could hardly see through any windows. I tried changing the damper to outside air and inside air with no change. I then would crack the windows with the defroster on high and that helped a bit.
I did a little research and discovered the damper gear motor behind the glove box was not functioning. It was in the closed position which did not allow any outside air to enter the car. This trapped any moisture, i.e. out breath to accumulate onto the cold glass and fog up. The only way I could correct that problem was to access the gear motor and using a zip tie… tether the gear so the damper was in the open position, allowing fresh air in. We have not had a problem with that issue since. Now we had engine oil leaking from the intake manifold and just had it replaced along with a new gasket and a PCV valve. We also smell antifreeze now in then in the cabin of the car. This oil leak problem is costing us around $300.00. Who knows if this will be the end of our problems… I sure hope so.
June 12th, 2018 at 11:27 pm
I have a 2013 Chevy Cruze that had a coolant leak, because I no longer have a warranty I paid an independent mechanic $900 to fix the leak. I didn’t know there is or was a recall for the coolant. I have other issues with this vehicle as well. I’ve only had the vehicle for 4 years. What can I do?
September 4th, 2018 at 9:12 am
I purchased my cruze not even 6 months ago and i had a major issue with my coolant that leaked out and caused my car to overheat. My step dad who is a mechanic fixed the problem but i didnt know about the recall. Am still having minor issues. The dealership will not help at all. They dont return my calls iv driven 3hrs to the dealership only to get turn done because i had no warranty. What can i do??
October 1st, 2018 at 6:30 pm
I have a 2011 chevy cruze. Started as a coolant leak. The machanic said its the water housing. The smell if coolant is very bad! I hope We can fix it. Is there recall im not aware of?
November 26th, 2018 at 8:12 pm
I purchased a 2016 Cruze in 2017. It was a year old no problems 1st year. Then this winter of 2018 the heater started blowing out cold air when at a idle or stopped. When going down the highway the heater really blows out hot air almost to hot. One day I noticed that the inside windshield had a film on it as I was trying to defrost the window. It smeared and was hard to get off. I havent taken it to the dealer yet but after reading similar complaints with the leaking of coolant I need to check this. I think I should just trade it off asap also this problem sounds like it is not fixable.
December 9th, 2018 at 10:06 am
I just purchased my 2015 Chevy Cruze about 6 months ago with 54k miles on it. While driving I noticed my vehicle wasn’t giving out much heat, I was freezing and I even let my car heat up before leaving. Soon a warning light came on saying “ac off due to high engine temp” it was then I looked and noticed my temperature gage and realized my car was overheating. Then on my way to get the car looked at it completely overheats and starts idling. I ended up getting coolant because it was completely out and then drove it to the mechanic to which he said I had a coolant leak and needed a new water pump which was way to common in this vehicle. Water pumps, generally, are supposed to last from 90 to 100k miles. Chevy needs to add this to the recall list.
December 12th, 2018 at 10:08 pm
My 2016 LT Cruze has a burning plastic smell after the heat is on for a few minutes. Any suggestions on what the problem might be and how to fix it??
January 3rd, 2019 at 11:12 am
2013 Chevy Cruze LT with around 70k miles inside of windshield fogs up. Coolant smell in the cabin and coolant level is going down. Going to try and replace the heater core to hopefully fix the issue and get rid of the STENCH!!!!!!!
January 9th, 2019 at 11:57 am
We own a 2015 Chevy Trax with the 1.4l turbo which is the same engine as the Cruze and the turbo coolant line leaks in behind the turbo and is very hard to diagnose because it burns most of the coolant away as it leaks. GM knows they have an issue but have turned their backs on the consumer in taking care of this repair after 3600 miles under the power train warranty.. A class action suit should be started on this engine due to its many issues with antifreeze leaks. I have owned many vehicles in my lifetime and this is the first one with antifreeze leaks before 100,000 miles.
February 11th, 2019 at 9:17 am
I have a 2013 Cruze Eco. About 2 years ago I was driving to work and an alert came on stating it was turning off the AC because the engine was overheating. I took it into the dealer because all of the coolant leaked out. It was repaired. In January 2019 I experienced the same issue. I took it in and they diagnosed it with a number of leaks. They replaced the part replaced the last time at no charge but the bill came to over $800. Now, February 2019, I am leaking coolant yet again. I have an appointment tomorrow. I will be demanding it be fixed at no cost to me.
I have never had so many problems with a vehicle. I am trying to keep it for a bit longer so that I can save for a down payment but you bet I am not purchasing another Chevy product.
This should be a recall!
March 18th, 2019 at 10:13 pm
I was losing coolant, discovered that the coolant recovery tank had a pinhole that only leaked once at full operating temperature.
March 25th, 2019 at 9:04 am
With only 75000 miles on my 2012 Chevy cruze , I My car started over heating had replaced the coolant resievor tank. Then a code that
indicated the timing belt had jumped time, took it to the Chevy dealer for another diagonistics but they drained my battery cause they didn’t know how to start a stick shift.so that clear the code, So they ran a water pressure test Instead. Now the engine has water in the oil , they say the thermostats needs replaced , the water pump needs replaced and there is a major knock in the engine. Drove it to the dealer towed it home. They are taking no responsibility for blowing up my motor. Talked to several mechanics they said I would be better off buying a new motor so I did. I only owe 2800 dollars and it will be paid off the amount I have paid so far for the new long block engine is 1300 dollars. Now I still have to pay for somebody to put it in. All the engine problems my car has, has been mentioned several several times in just this web site alone. Why are we letting Chevy get away with ripping people off ? We all need to get together and stand up for our rights. I will be starting a Facebook page so we can get together and figure out a way to make Chevy do the right thing. Go to Facebook,” stand up against Chevy ” I hope everybody will join me.
April 5th, 2019 at 10:42 pm
After two overheating and loss of engine coolant and observation of 2 TOTALLY closed thermostat, I have cured my granddaughters 2011 Cruze by removing the thermostat and it was carefully disassembled, the seal disc and seal area on the disc was ground flat on opposite sides,( not a lot of material removed), reassembled and installed back in the vehicle. This has solved the problem and the car has travelled in excess of 2000 Km since modification.
The problem is caused by the fact there no by pass of any kind for the totally closed thermostat and the design of fluid hoses connected to the header tank originating lower than steam generation point in the motor thus steam pressure forces the coolant into the header tank and out through pressure relief valve on the header tank.
From the above, it can be understood why smell and windscreen problems are encountered.
May 5th, 2019 at 9:28 am
Our 2016 Cruze we bought new – now 81,000 freeway miles – Always serviced at a GM dealer #1 Coolant level kept dropping – could never find a leak anywhere but could smell the coolant hot smell & had to always watch the coolant level & keep adding to it – #2 During oil change visit dealer said front crank seal was leaking & would cost about 900 to do the job. While on trip to Northern Arizona car began acting poorly between Phoenix & Flagstaff. Went to a dealer in Cottonwood. PCV valve built into valve cover went bad causing engine internal pressure spent around 400 +/- to fix it & was advised engine oil pan gasket was leaking & that would have been another 300 or so – we declined & just kept an eye on the oil level. (I think the pcv valve cover pressure unit was what caused the oil leaks ) #3 After that repair car showed turbo related problem symptom of a puff of smoke (?related to repair?) Bottom line We went & bought a new Honda Civic 4 door NOTE: OUR 2003 Saturn Vue with 220,000 miles still has never had a oil leak or a coolant leak…..
May 21st, 2019 at 3:37 pm
i have a 2014 chevy cruze that hot smell coolant that car is a junk.
May 21st, 2019 at 3:37 pm
i have a 2014 chevy cruze that hot smell coolant
November 26th, 2019 at 6:42 pm
I have just purchaded a 2011 chevy cruze. And have been experiencing over heating. I’ve replaced a hose due to leaks and a new thermostat and ive only had the car 3 months! I am so upset and can not afford to keep repairing multiple issues to only have the same problem!
December 9th, 2019 at 10:29 am
Has anyone actually gotten legal help from this firm? All the complaints here, and clearly nothing is being done by Chevy anytime soon. Please everyone report your issues using the links on this article here : https://www.edmunds.com/car-safety/how-nhtsa-gets-cars-recalled.html https://www.edmunds.com/car-safety/how-nhtsa-gets-cars-recalled.html
I have a 2015 Cruze and am having absolutely all of the same problems everyone else is having.
December 10th, 2019 at 2:16 pm
@Carla: Over 85,000 people have received help from us and we have handled many Cruze claims. If you want to find out if you qualify, call 800 536 6652.
January 4th, 2020 at 11:03 am
The 2011 Cruze is nothing but trouble. NEVER buying Chev again.