Thermostat problems (P0597)
 

My check engine light came on recently and I found out that it was code P0597 which is Thermostat Heater Control Circuit/Open. The dealer said to bring it in but since I have around 43,000 miles I will have to pay for the diagnostic test if it is not covered by my power train or emissions warranty. I don't think I should have to pay for them to test to see what the problem is.( since I already know the code)I have read online that many other Sonic and Cruze owners are having issues with their thermostats. I will post later today the results of what the dealer finds, and if they say it's covered or not. In my opinion it should be covered under either the power train or emissions warranty since it is linked to both

the code gives you a diagnosis starting point. It doesn't tell you which part is bad. The only thing that can do that is a crystal ball.


If your paying, you can always tell them what you want replaced, they will do just that...just don't be wrong.

Sonic P0597 code
 

We bought my college age daughter a 2012 Sonic to go back and forth to school. She also now has the P0597 code. Her check engine light goes on occasionally and then goes off after a few days she says. We had it checked at the local shop and they said it was a Thermostat heater control unit. They also recommended I take it to the dealer since it might be covered by the powertrain warranty. My daughter has 56,000 miles on the car now. Dealer has said it is not covered by the warranty. What was the results of your problem? Was it the thermostat? Seems a shame they wont cover this. This is the second problem we've run into that was not covered. She had to have the breather hose replaced because it was cracked almost in half. The dealer told her he had seen it a few times but that she was passed the warranty so it cost her over a $100 to have it replaced.

It was the thermostat. Dealer fixed it for no charge. Good luck

the code gives you a diagnosis starting point. It doesn't tell you which part is bad. The only thing that can do that is a crystal

The code was pretty right on. It was the thermostat just as the code indicated

Sorry to hear about your daughter's Sonic, rclksr. If you'd like to PM us her VIN, mileage, contact information and dealership we can explore some additional options on her behalf.

Amber N.
Chevrolet Customer Care

read through a diagnostic test procedure and you will know what i'm talking about. You really don't want the guy repairing your car to use the shot gun diagnostic approach. This forum has many posts of people replacing long lists of parts.

I'm having the same problem now :( I am a college student as well! How much are the repairs for the Thermostat heater control unit?

I am having the same problem! I took my 2012 Sonic to my mechanic because the check engine light is on. 6 error codes pop up all relating to the thermostat. The car is running too cold, the thermostat is staying open etc., etc...The car is too new to be having these types of problems. It is at the dealer now because I think that is has to be some kind of issue that needs a recall.

Had P0597 pop up on my wifes car yesterday, called the dealership this morning, they wouldn't tell me the cost to replace the thermostat. UGH!!!

My dealer took care of the problem for free. It was the thermostat. My Sonic was past the 36,000 warranty but I guess they included it in the power train warranty

Thermostat is covered under warranty!!
 

Hello,

My name is Ashley, I have also had 6 codes pop up related to the thermostat control circuit being open or closed.
I’m a college student and I didn’t have the money on hand to just pay for it to be replaced and I didn’t know how much it would cost me, because they wouldn’t tell me either. The problem started in about DEC 2014, (2012 Chevy Sonic) I just got it fixed at the end of February 2015, and it was covered under a warranty I don’t have gap or any of the other warranties and my car has 58,000 miles on it over the bump to bump as well… I took it back to the dealer (of course they tried to charge me the $90 diagnostic fee) they had it fixed in one day and I have no problems as of now and I didn’t pay one penny. I believe the part was $130 - $150.

Not happy
 

I own a 2012 Cruze that has 31,000 miles and is 3 1/2 yrs. old. Of course ck engine light is on(it has come on & off for 6 months) I have an error code of P05297 and the dealer wants $115.00 just to check code. John S.

Hello John,

We apologize for any inconvenience you've experienced relating to the check engine light in your 2012 Cruze. We'd like to gather your information via private message and reach out to the dealership to explore possible options in getting this issue diagnosed. If interested, please send your VIN, mileage, contact information, and the name of the dealership you prefer to work with.

Thanks John, we hope to receive a message from you soon!

Jasmine F
Chevrolet Customer Care

Good luck John, after I received that code, I called the dealership to find out what it would cost me, and they refused to tell me. I then contacted Chevy Customer service, who after 2 days of back and forth phone calls sided with the dealership and said "we can't give you an estimate to replace the part without first diagnosing it for $115, but when you get the repair done the $115 goes toward it."

Are you folks talking about the thermostat that regulates the flow of coolant through the engine and radiator ?

If so , lets get real , that is not cutting edge technology . Those type of thermostats have been around for ages .

Or is this some new gadget that GM dreamed up ?

God bless
Wyr

From what little I have been able to dig up , it seems GM did dream up a new , more expensive , gadget . :-(

Murray Temperature Control Plus 72521 - Thermostat | O'Reilly Auto Parts

This is a combination of thermostat housing , thermostat and some sort of electrical gismo . And , of course , when it goes bad , no telling if it is the mechanical thermostat , or the electrical gismo ( wonder if this is a coolant sensor ? ) . But it certainly costs more $$$ to replace , than a thermostat .

God bless
Wyr

P0597
 

I am also having this issue with my 2012 Chevy Cruze with 28,477 miles. Less than 45 days out of bumper to bumper warranty. Dealership says the thermostat and gasket are NOT covered under powers train warranty. $382 for replacement including the $47.50 for diagnostic testing.

I also just had the same code on my 2012 Crude. However, the light was on on my dashboard and then was gone the next day. Why did the light come on and then go off again? Does it still need to be checked? My car has roughly 31000 miles and I'm concerned it may not be under warranty.

The thermostat and housing is covered under the Power Train warranty. I would call Chevrolet directly. They will work with the dealership on your behalf (800)222-1020. The dealership I went to fixed it and diagnosed it for free even though my car no longer had the bumper to bumper coverage.

I had the same problem. What I didn't know is that the codes get stored. So even if the light is off they should still be able to diagnose.

Hi Jt323,

We apologize for the recent concerns with your Cruze. We would be more than happy to look into this further for you. Please feel free to send us a private message along with your VIN, current mileage, contact information and preferred dealership. Looking forward to hearing from you soon.

Patsy G
Chevrolet Customer Care

My 2013 Cruze is having this issue, on and off. I really hope it is covered under Powertrain warranty. This is why I bought a brand new car, so I wouldn't have repair costs down he road for a long time. Otherwise, I really love my Cruze, and it has run very well for me so far.

Hi Happychristina,

Glad to hear that you love your Cruze! We would be happy to look into this further for you. Feel free to send us a private message along with your VIN, current mileage, contact information and preferred dealership. Looking forward to your response!

Patsy G
Chevrolet Customer Care

p0597
 

My cruze is sending a code of p0597 ever sense I got my car with 32,000 miles and now has 49,000 miles and the garage won't help me with this. My fan stays on all the time even when I turn my key over. Please help me someone, I called the 800 number and got a lady that doesn't speak fluent English and she tells me it's not covered by warranty. WTH!

I'm having the same problem! I'm getting error code po700 which is my transmission control module and po597 which is the engine thermostat. I took it to dealership yesterday the guy was an ass and this was after calling gmc to make my complaints and having them appoint me to a dealership and set up the appointment. I'm now having to drive my car 45 mins away from home with it randomly malfunctioning. At random the engine light will come on I press on the gas and it literally barely moves. I had people behind me honking at me because the car will move so slow. My miles till empty gauge and other displays will go haywire when this happens. I took a video of it yesterday.The dude at the dealership tried to say this was "normal"... obviously not. My car has 39,000 miles I bought it haveing 9,000 on it I've owned it less than 3 years and I can't believe I'm having these issues with it! I take great care of it and get it serviced when it's due. It's unbelievable.

Hi Cholablade,

We certainly understand how frustrating this may have been for you, and we truly apologize for the negative experience. We would be more than happy to investigate this further. Feel free to send us a private message along with your VIN, current mileage, contact information and preferred dealership. We look forward to hearing from you soon.

Patsy G
Chevrolet Customer Care

I also have a 2012 Chevrolet Sonic with just over 60,000 mi. Recently, my engine fan started running all the time and my check engine light came on. My boyfriend got my code - P0599 - "Thermostat Heater Control Circuit High". I recently moved and have called the dealers in my area - all 45 minutes away atleast, and they cannot see me for five days, told me I have to pay for the repair and the diagnostic fees because it's not covered under warranty, without giving me a free loaner or rental while I will be out of a car for a few days. I work ten hour days and do not have time or money to deal with this problem - I have read up on this and it seems to be a big problem for cruze's and sonics - why is this not a recall? I hope this is covered under my powertrain warranty - I will not be owning another chevrolet if it is not.

Chevy sonic thermostat problems
 

I am having the same problem as the rest of you. My car is only 2 years old this month. I can't believe that with this being a known problem Chevy has not recalled or corrected this. I am disappointed. The last 3 cars I've owned have been Chevy and I rave about it. My local dealership is giving me the same runaround. I have to pay for the diagnosis even though I know what the problem is and it may or may not be covered? Not happy!

no one knows what the problem is until its diagnosed. the dealership cannot throw parts at cars without diagnosis or risk charge back on warranty repairs or a come back in which the technician will not get paid.

If you are so sure this is the fault. Instruct them to install the new part with no diagnosis at your cost. that takes the dealership off the hook if it doesn't fix anything.

Business as usual
 

I understand how business works as I own my own and have worked for several. I understand that most businesses operate to keep costs down and protect themselves from unwarranted costs. I also understand that companies weigh the cost of putting out product with faulty parts against the cost of fixing them prior to or after release. Its a part of business ethics. However, I also understand the importance of customer service and integrity in a business such as this where there is no shortage of options and brand loyalty is growing rare. The reponsible thing to do, since so many people are having this problem, would be to offer the diagnosis free to anyone who is showing this code since upon researching it myself it can only be a handful of things...which any professional should be able to discern between. If it turns out to be the same problem that most here have had it should be covered as a factory defect and if not the customer pays for the repair...but then that would be ethical and fair.

I would probably fix it myself , to avoid the aggravation of messing with the dealer .

But I agree , GM should issue a recall .

God bless
Wyr

my furnace broke down last winter...they didn't fix that for free. Someone has to pay for the technician wages for the time that is spent determining the root cause.
Why should an independent business owner have to pay to fix your car?
The warranty has very clear time and mileage expirations. If you out, its on you.
complaining after the warranty expiration...ethical and fair?

2013 spark
 

Daughter has a 2013 spark. Engine light came so took to dealer. Thermostat gone bad and not covered by powertrain warranty per dealer. $295.00. This is highway robbery. Car has less than 40k. She is in school so doesn't have the $$. Costing me for telling her to buy car

Grr
 

I am also having the same code on my 2012 Sonic. The problem is now causing my car to over heat. Called chevy to see if the thermostat is covered and they said that the thermostat is NOT covered under the power train warranty. This car has had so many problems since I've had it that I'm ready to drive it into the ocean. Did anybody get different info about it being covered or not?

Jjjjessica101, it is not covered by the warranty. I ended up buying a new thermostat on amazon for $30 and watch a tutorial on YouTube, was pretty simple to replace.

ConChaos, Do you by any chance have the link to the exact thermostat that you bought on amazon? I don't want to get the wrong part.

I have a 2014 Chevy Sonic, I bought this car so I wouldn't run into constant issues. My check engine light came on couple weeks ago and it turned out that I needed a new engine intake hose, this was not under warranty and I had to pay out of my pocket! My check engine light came on again yesterday and the P0597 code came out. My dealer will charge me $130 just to tell me what's wrong. Everything has been extremely inconvenient. Is it important to get the thermostat checked out? About how much does it cost?

Natalie6496, actually my thermostat was causing my vehicle to overheat so yes it was important. But the thermostat WAS covered under the power train warranty. The repair would have cost me over 300 dollars but if the repair is covered under the warranty then you should not have to pay for the diagnostic test. They told me that if it the problem was not coveted then I would have had to pay the diagnostic fee but because it was covered I did not have to pay for anything. And just an FYI I called chevy customer service and they were complete idiots and told me it wasn't covered when it actually was.

I own a chevy cruze 2012 with 29k miles, I got this fault code P0597 as well. Do you guys know if this is covered under powertrain warranty? I called the dealership and they want to charge me for the diagnostic testing whether or not part could be covered by warranty. Of course they did not say it is cover. What a big shame.