jaynv0i

I have been reading all of the threads which people are stating they are having problems with the Cruze's transmission. I am experiencing the same problems as everyone else (rough shifting, lag when stepping on the accelerator), and it is getting worse now that the weather is turning cold.

Mine has 15,000 miles and will be going back to the dealer for the third time for transmission issues. The first time, I was told I just had to get used to the transmission. The second time, there were no errors in the computer and the technician was not able to duplicate the problem when he test drove the car. And, they also confirmed the computer had the most recent software.

Has anyone been able to pinpoint the problem with the transmission? Or, what questions should I be asking the service department?

Thanks,


Jay

in2pro

Welcome to the forum...
I am not as familiar with the Cruze, however the "lag" could be because the vehicle is "throttle by wire" meaning there is no direct link between the accelerator peddle and the throttle body... Older vehicles that had a throttle cable can be more responsive when the peddle is pressed... throttle by wire means the accelerator is rheostat that sends a signal to the engine controller to tell engine to speed up based upon the position of the peddle being depressed... this creates some delay... also there may be some "torque management" built in to help protect the drive train from too much torque being applied ( so you can't do front wheel burnouts)

Just some thoughts...

Chevrolet Customer Service

jaynv01,

I am sorry to hear of your frustrations with your Cruze. If you would like, I can research your vehicle further if you PM your VIN number. Please keep us posted on the results of your next visit.

If you have any additional questions, please feel free to contact me.

I look forward to your response.

Have a great day!

Louis
GM Customer Service

chevycruzeque

I can understand your frustration jay. After having my cruze for about a month or two, I noticed a strong hesitation with the transmission engaging. Taking off from a complete stop the engine would rev as if it was in neutral before finally catching. I told a dealership about the problem and they said it was "normal". I've been driving for 15 years and didn't think it was normal.

At 8,000 miles, my transmission went out completely. Well, not completely, I could still go in reverse. lol. Car was towed to a dealership where it sat for over a month. Yep, a whole 32 days before it was fixed. I'm thinking that my initial problem would have been solved, but only slightly. Transmission still seems to drag when shifting gears. Not very smooth transition from one gear to the next. When in the manual transmission mode, car jerks when coming to a complete stop. I assumed my issues where just the way the cruze was. That was until my mother bought a 2012 model. Night and day. Her car accelerates and shifts gears quickly and smoothly. When in manual mode, car doesn't jerk when stopping or slowing down like mine does. I hate her car because it's everything I wished mine was.

bosox43

I also had a 2011 Cruze that never seemed to shift correctly. Like the above poster I was driving along and it suddenly would not go forward, fine in reverse but would not go forward. I was told by the dealership they had never seen this before, never heard of happening, etc etc. The replaced the transmission but still drove the same and then it had a vibration issue that no one could seem to find in the car.

Dealership said not to worry the transmission was fine. . . so I told them buy it back and I will get 2012 model. . . suddenly when the trade in value negotiations started the price was well below blue book value because the dealership was planning to ship the lemon off to auction. After a threat of the "lemon Law" I got full trade in value and now have a 2012 cruze which drives completely different!

jaynv0i

I took the vehicle back to the dealer and they looked at me like I was nuts. Fortunately, the gentleman behind me in line was having the EXACT SAME PROBLEM.

They have replaced all of the electronic parts on the transmission. My guess is this is a design problem and no amount of work by the dealer is going to make the transmission work correctly.

I am going back to the dealer next week for the same problem. And, as an added bonus, when the vehicle is put into drive, it does not always engage. Put it back in park, turn it off, restart and everything works like it should.

Does anyone of any specific questions I should be asking regarding this issue?

gigahurtz

My girlfriend's 2011 Cruze has the exact same issues. We've been to the dealership at least 4-5 times for this transmission issue. It's extremely frustrating. I am disappointed in the build quality of this car and would not recommend a Chevrolet to anyone who's in the market for a new car.

Chevrolet Customer Service

I'm sorry you are experiencing this issue with your Cruze vehicle. Have you contact Customer Service regarding this issue? If so, would you please provide the SR#, so I can look into your case further for you?

If not, I would be happy to look into this issue, please PM me your contact information.

I look forward to your reply.

Louis
GM Customer Service

Jackman

My daughter has a 2011 Cruze with 26,000. She has had multiple issues with starting and transmission. She had the vehicle in this past June, they said they could find nothing, but replaced the throttle body and reprogrammed the computer. Put it in the shop a couple of weeks ago and they replaced the starter, however the issues showed up again the next evening. Put the car in the shop last week for 4 days, allowed them to drive it home and back to the shop to try and re-create the issue of driving/sitting in the sun for 8+hours and then not starting. Got the car back last Saturday 8/18 with nothing identified as the problem, but with body damage. The following day I drove the vehicle and experienced the transmission shift/slipping issue. Am pursuing the lemon law and have informed my company’s fleet administrator to stay away from this vehicle as they look for vehicles.

ksellers

I started looking today into where my rpm's should be at 70 mph, because 3000 seemed high.. When I started reading these posts, I was a little disappointed to find that pretty much everyone has been experiencing the problems I've had. I bought my 2011 Cruze just over a month ago when I moved for my new job after college. (first purchase on my own) I thought maybe I just needed to get used to the car since I Had been driving a 2000 Tahoe, lifted, with huge tires and dual exhaust.. But the transmission is really pi*sing me off now. It doesnt shift smoothly AT ALL, sometimes bangs so loud I look out the rearview mirror to see if the whole damn thing is laying in the road. The pick-up/ response time between accelerator and actually going anywhere almost gets me hit half the time. I don't get the fuel mileage that is boasted about. I started it up one time and the whole car started shaking like I was in an earthquake, "service stabilitrak" light came on, had to turn it off anad back on to make it stop. Drove not even an hour to my boyfriend's last night and almost there I got "A/C has been turned off due to high engine temp". I'm fed up with this car. Disappointed that it was my first big purchase on my own.