I have a 2011 Cruze with 28,000miles (bought new) in May 2011. I was disappointed with the drive the first time I drove it.I was told the car has to learn how you drive, about 2000-3000 miles.
Recently, my husband test drove a 2013 Cruze, it drove real nice. I went back to the repair shop and told them the new car drives better than mine!! They said it should drive the same. Mind you, I had been reading these forums and saw people were having some of the same issues. Which were:
1)hard upshift and downshift, real hard shifting into 2nd
2)delayed downshift
3)delay when shifted from park to reverse
4)jerk when the car has been stopped and brake is released to go again
5)slight bump feel right after car has been stopped

Anyway, the repair shop, at the dealer I purchased the car from, said bring it in and they will test it. I also did some searching, again, on the net and found someone with the same problems who offered a solution. It was to update the transmission control module (TCM). I offered this solution to the repair shop. They had said there was no update found for my car, but they would try it if they could. They made an update and what a difference it has made. I am so happy. I feel I can finally start "bonding" with my car.

I joined this forum so maybe I can help someone else who is feeling just as frustrated as I was. I hope this helps.

 

You sir, are a good Samaritan. I was wondering when someone else was going to bring this up.

Some dealers attribute this to a faulty Transmission control module when a simple software update is all that is needed. Sometimes you can not change the software and just replace the module. (Like with the other person who replied before about having the module replaced).
Any software updates, the dealer ships who sold the vehicles are supposed to recall the select vehicles they sold that requires it and do the task.

But a lot of the downshifting and pausing does still happen when the person keeps popping down on the gas at random, basically a driver without a steady foot.

This is supossed to help with "instant response" Just in case the driver lets off the gas for a few seconds and decides to go again, the car does not waste time shifting.

As for the vehicle "learning"...
This is called something like "Block Learning" or whatever. What happens is the vehicle records your style of controlling the gas, break, steering, etc... given the different driving conditions.
Then it controls the transmission, engine, etc... (Based upon a program someone made) to best operate the vehicle to accomidate you in the best way possible.

There are people who study these things, The very first use of this was in the Block Learning on the EPROM chips in the old OBD-1 vehicles.
But it was more so geared towards the vehicle learning how to operate given the weather.

This is why when winter ends, and summer starts I will have to disconnect my battery again for 30 minutes to reset the ECM on my 1990 Beretta.
Same goes for when summer ends and winter starts.

It also learns the best idle RPM within a given range based upon the operating conditions.


Your OBD2 and up vehicles do this and more.


I can go on, but its probably not necessary to explain everything else in detail...

EDIT: This is the case with certain car models, when someone borrows your car, and when you get it back, something seems different for a short time...

 

I had my Cruze for 6 months and 27,000 miles. I have experienced stalling and engine dieing (from stop) numerous times when it is hot and a/c blowing. This is very dangerous and a serious problem. I have brought it to my dealership twice, asking them to check it immediately. They do not and bring it back to the service dept. where it has cooled off. The engine light does not go on and they show me the printout from the computer where nothing is wrong. This was the third different problem I have experienced. My Cruze used to get 27 mpg avg; now it is doing below 20mpg. I am not happy with this engine and transmission; which is not efficient and lagging. I am not happy with the service dept.. I traded this car in for a Nissan Altima which I hope does better. I took a big loss but I need a reliable car because my car is essential for the type of work that I do. I talked a reputable person who owns a Cruze and has the same problem. Chevrolet does not know what to do. That person also knows another who has the same identical problem. This car needs to be recalled to fix this problem before someone gets seriously hurt or killed.

 

Its funny how you people are.
You get a car, something might go wrong, then you whine for a while and trade it in for some foreign junk car.
Guess what. That Nissan Altima will not last as long as a Cruz.
They rust faster, and do not get as good milage.
They also have Styrofoam where there should be a real crash bar.
So they are not as safe either.

Take it for what you will, thats how it is.

Now back to your car.
If you actually cared and tried to make sure they knew the problem. and to make sure they could find it.
You would have been there and kept making the car have the problem.
Instead of drinking coffee in the waiting room, next time, get out there and keep running the car.
Record video.
Show them the video, etc...

You are just one person out of less than 3% of people who have a problem with the Cruze.
What I find funny is how you all converge on places like these forums, and then pretend like every car is bad. When that is not the case.

EVERY vehicle model, design, year, Manufacturer, etc...
They ALL WILL have that small percentage of cars that wind up with a part that happens to not work correctly.

This is why ALL manufacturers, and I know for a caft that GM is into this more than most. its called "Quality Control."
That is where they pick random parts and check them every so many parts they make.
This process is not perfect, now and then a bad item will get past as they make many hundreds of thousands of parts, etc.

Just look at the vin number on the car, you have between 000000-999999
and then all the previous letter/number combinations that each have their 6 set of digits in that range.
It only stands to reason a few parts here and there might be faulty.


Now, to your problem, Your engine gets hot, and wants to stall/not run.
You do not have any codes in the computer.

This shows that the sensors are all functioning correctly, as a bad sensor throws a code which IS stored in memory.
Now engines need 3 things to run, air fuel and spark.

Your getting your air, as your sensors are working and wold show otherwise if not. and if not, the engine would run, rev high, and stall, every time.

So now its fuel and spark.
Lets look at the spark, you have coils and ignition module.
The coils on ALL cars, through time, from the Model T till today, have always been known to show signs of being bad when they get hot.

For ALL ignition modules, you will see they will also show signs of being bad when hot.
Now the fun part is when the ignition system goes bad, or the engine runs rough, you get a code called cylinder misfire, or something of those lines.

Some cars will remember this code happened, others will only show it when it is happening. That is why the Service light comes on.
The service light also comes on EVERY time the engine stalls, no matter the reason, that is just how it is designed.

So it is possible you had a faulty ignition coil. Or a faulty ignition module.
The only REAL way to find out with those is to guess and check, swap out with new ones.
That is how it is with EVERY car on the road today, foreign and domestic.
(Problems only happen when hot, you can not work on engine until it cools off, you remove part, test it, chances are it will read good, unless you bake it in the oven and then check it with gloves on, but who has time for that? Get the idea?)

Last is fuel.
Injectors will also show signs of fail when hot, sometimes faulty injectors can happen.
Again, with EVERY car model, foreign and domestic, on the road today with injectors, the only real way to test a failing injector coil is to swap them out and run the engine.
Sometimes the coil stays broke for the meter, sometimes not.
Also, injectors are mechanical as well. Sometimes the pin gets stuck open or closed, or half way.
This can cause the engine to have running problems as well, thus causing stall.

Chances are the car was not overheating, if this was the case, then the gauge would read FULL HOT.
Now it is possible your engine was overheating, sometimes the thermostat can get stuck and the water will stop flowing through the radiator.
If that is the case, do not at dumb and tell the dealer the car is not running.
Tell them what is happening.

Being a vehicle owner meand having responsibility at a certain level.
It means knowing what is happening to your car up to a certain point.
If it is overheating, do not keep driving it, stop using it and tell a mechanic or fix it yourself.

If it is in fact stalling when hot, take the advice I said above on the general situation.
Its not that hard.

Also, back to injectors and fuel problems.
Bad gasoline can cause the engine to run bad, a missing or bad running engine can cause the engine to get hot fast.

Did you let your car idle with the engine hood open and the A/C on?
Did you observe the engine fan running?

It is the simple things like this, even for the people who know nothing about cars, that can help your car have a better longer life.
And make it easier when it comes time for a part to fail.

Car are machines, and machines need maintenance, some machines will get a defective part.
Others will run just fine for years on end.
No two cars are exactly the same, when each car is made the same, they each were made at different times, and with different materials.
Nothing is perfect.

But you go ahead and keep your Nissan.
You are one of the many hypocrites living in this country that do not support their own work force and country.
Sure their night be a nissan dealer or maybe a factory here. But where do you think 90% of the money you spent goes?
Here is a hint, back to the companies headquarters location.

Just something for you to remember when your Nissan starts breaking here in a few weeks because most foreign companies have WAY lower quality standards.
And good luck if a Truck like a ford 250 or a chevy S10 ever hits you, I hope you realize what you actually traded that nice Cruze for.
And that you did take a big loss, because you traded WAY DOWN instead of up.
Maybe you should look behind those plastic bumper covers to see what that crash bar is really made of. and Like I said, you will find regular Styrofoam.

Here is another random fact about your car, the doors are not as strong as the ones on the Cruze. So if a smart car hits you in the nissan driver door going 25 mph, good luck, I hope you live.

 

i used to worked for nissan. hope they got there oil consumption problems fixed. Altimas with the 2.5 engine, overtime the cats break up and the variable valve timing that is used to draw combustion gases back into the engine also pulls the dust from the degraded cats into the engine. This scratches the cylinder walls and creates a oil burner.

 

Another 1 time poster whining about his Car like they are all like that..LOL.

I wonder if he has ever had the Oil changed....LOL.
Our Cruz has been absolutely wonderful with almost 30,000 miles on it.

 

Most people probably don't post more because of the insane level of ignorance they're treated to by a few people on this site. A lot of us had Cruze lemons-and GM chose to do nothing about their concerns. Wonder how many sales-and loyal customers-they've lost because of it? Don't bother calling me names-just had to let that poster know that he's not the only one who has been subjected to the BS from a few regular trolls.

 

Hello all,

We are here to assist if you have any questions or concerns in regards to your vehicle. Please private message us your name, VIN, mileage, phone number, address, and the name of your GM dealership. We can assist you with working with your dealership in order to address your vehicle concerns.

Erica Tiffany
Chevrolet Customer Service

 

I love helping people.
However when someone shows up just to complain and to try to make a car brand look bad because they feel like they were shafted by the manufacturer, then I have an issue with it. Especially when they atempt to gloat that they traded up to a so called "better" foreign junk. And have the nerve to say they lost money because of the car they had before.

Like I said, There is always the chance that a defective part will show up. It is bound to happen at some point. Someone is bound to have it on their car eventually.
And it does not matter if it is a defective part or not, if you do not take care of your car, the car will stop working, that is a guarantee.

If this person still had their Cruze, and they came here saying it was having trouble and needed help fixing it, they would have received warm welcomes and people happy to volunteer their time to help fix the vehicle as much as possible across the internet.

Just like a mechanic shop or dealer will say go away when they get a customer who is nothing but a total pain and just there to complain.
Unless the customer was asking for help and willing to provide as much info as possible, then they would be happy to accept the car for repairs, then charge for parts and labor later, etc...

That is how it is in the real world, I do not see how it would be any different on the internet.

 

Guess you live in a better world than I do. 1. Have always bought North American made (over 45 years) have never complained before...EVER. 2. A defect I could live with-multiple ones in one vehicle not acceptable. 3. Multiple trips back to dealer..was shown how to shift an automatic as a cure for the lousy transmission. 4. Asked GM Canada customer service for help-got me nowhere. 5.Went to this site for suggestions-got no help,lots of insults (including being told to get off of my fat a--,remember? Outcome is-stuck with a car that is branded as a repair nightmare in consumer reports and lemon-aid,not reliable-and I have all of 12,000 km. on it. Lots of 2011's for sale here-most with a very low mileage. Waiting for the next break down.