2011 cruze huge disappointment!
 

I had purchased a 2011 chevy cruze last year, and it's been nothing but problem after problem with little solutions! The smaller problems such as sensors and the touch pad on the trunk have been fixed. I have had it in to the dealership now 5 times for brakes problems once was an abs issue which caused my brakes to lock on completely when I applied the peddle and the other times for the brakes failing completely! Seems to be mostly in reverse but the peddle will go to the floor without stopping my car. Every time I've taken it in they say they can't duplicate the problem so they can't fix it. (That has to be the worst service ever!) with a problem like this I am not happy with it bein brushed off! What's it gonna take for them to realize there's a problem? An accident? I have had an odor of antifreeze in the car since I bought it an they say there is nothing wrong.
On top of the big issues I've had multiple smaller ones trunk now working, my oil life sensor failing, rattling from the dash sensor. Makes a person rethink their purchase rather quickly!

I feel your pain a.lei! My wife also has a 2011 Cruze and the thing has been riddled with issues, and the dealer we used to take it to was the biggest bunch of uselessness I have ever seen. It started when she bought the car - it arrived completely paint chipped on the left side, so right away it goes into the shop to get repainted. That took 5 weeks!!! There was also a smell of antifreeze in the car right from the getgo, and the windows would fog up when it was cold outside... She took it in but they said there was nothing wrong. The weather warmed up and the fog issue naturally went away but the smell persisted. I ended up taking it to the dealer myself after they were EXTREMELY rude to my wife and told her that the smell was just her imagining things and the windows fogged up because got in the car with wet hair! So when I went in there they told me that the fog and smell was likely because we weren't using GM approved cleaning products on the dash and the plastic was evaporating from the chemicals in our cleaning products attacking the molecular structure in there. I wish I was making this up! I showed them that I had made a mark on the coolant expansion tank where the level was a few days prior and where the level was now and was told that it was completely normal for the coolant level to go down when the car warms up! I point blank asked them how dumb they think we are and they went on this long rhetoric about how many times they've seen this, that they're experienced professionals, yadda yadda yadda and that I had no clue. I've never been so insulted by anyone, never mind a car dealership and their customer service department who should look after their customers and make sure they are happy with the product and service they received, instead I was furioius and ready to kill somebody there. I made it VERY clear to them we would not ever purchase another GM product, especially not from them and would let everybody know how terrible their customer service skills are. As I left I mentioned to them that I have been working on cars with my dad since I was a little kid and now am a very experienced aircraft maintenance technician and do have a clue what I am talking about. They all turned about as red as tomatoes but no appologies came forth.

My wife since has taken the car to another dealership for service and the difference in customer service is night and day! These guys look after their customers and do whatever it takes to make us happy. We took the car to them and they poked around for days trying to find the issue but they didn't find it. Finally a few months ago my wife and I drove about 3 hours out of town and we both had a splitting headache and were feeling ill when we got to where we were going. After a bit of fresh air all was well again. On the way home, again we got headaches and felt ill and the car fogged up bigtime on the inside. Again off to the dealer we go and this time they finally found the problem! The water pump was leaking fluid and somehow this got sucked into the HVAC system causing the smell and fogging issues. They replaced the pump and cleaned out the HVAC ducts as best they could and lo and behold the problem is gone!

The car has since been in and out of their shop for a number of other issues, the latest being that the transmission had developed a massive leak. I was quite surprised that there is no way to check the fluid level in the transmission! I guess they design these cars to be disposable!

Anyway, enough of me ranting. I'd have them check the water pump on yours, hopefully that solves the issue.

We're now in the market for a replacement vehicle, and I can pretty much guarantee it won't be a GM product! At least our dealer we're at now does go the extra mile to make us happy, and I can't say anything bad about them. If anybody in Calgary AB has issues with their GM vehicle, Shaganappi GM is the place to take it.

Sorry for the long winded rant...

a.lei,

I am truly sorry you are experiencing this concern. I would like to look into this situation for you. Can you please private message me your name, VIN, mileage, address, phone number, and the name of the GM dealership you are working with? I look forward to hearing from you!

Erica Tiffany
Chevrolet Customer Service

Thanks for the suggestion! I too have gotten the same run around, they say they test it and cant find a problem. I was not happy when i first discovered no place to check the transmission fluid. How can you monitor it if you cant check it?!?! that and along with the tire repair kit in place of a spare, i personally thought this was ridiculous as some tires cant be repaired then what? As for the service at my dealership, its been the worst i have seen, alot of places have mediocre service but here i cant stand, my car was in for warranty work for 2 weeks and i wasn't offered a rental or replacement car which made it impossible to get to work. They test drove my car and put 600 km on it used my fuel and didn't have the decency to leave any gas in it i pick it up with the low fuel light on!! my car is back in the shop yet again and this is a kicker, they give me a replacement which i end up having to take back to get a tire changed and they keep the replacement for 3 days leaving my car less again :( Two days ago i went to pick up my car after they have reportedly fixed the brake problem, i was told they have replaced pretty much everything related to the brake system so i thank them and get in my car and as im backing out the the parking stall in front of the service doors they brakes fail!! I was livid! I run back in and let them know its happening right in the parking lot and the mechanic says you better leave it here and we will try something else. HA I am beyond frustrated with this car and the service! The car doesnt even have 50,000 km and im sure its been at the dealership more then its been with me.

a.lei which do have the turbo or non-turbo engine? The reason i ask is that Turbo's will run a different brake booster assist system.

Tech2 I have the turbo. Any ideas or insights would be greatly appreciated! :)

I agree, I have replaced two windshield wiper motors and transmissions and no the radiator fan runs REALLY high (hopefully just a sensor). I have never had this much trouble in a "new" car.