2011 Chevrolet Cruze: harsh or hard shifting

Filed Jun 6, 2023 · Engine, Transmission · NY

Noticed a very hard transmission shift when accelerating from approximately 35 to 40 mph. Hard shifting in this vehicle has been observed over the past year. Milage is approximately 60,000 miles.

Filed Apr 7, 2019 · Driver assistance, Engine · 120,000 miles · IL

My car is hard shifting and no gm dealer can figure it out they say nothing but take my money and my car will alert transmission hot idle engine very scary has even up and stopped going 35 miles in my hometown

Filed Aug 25, 2017 · Engine, Fuel system · 28,296 miles · NJ

2011 chevy cruze transmission problem. Occasional hesitation accelerating, clunking jerking transitioning through gears accelerating or slowing down while driving on city streets and highway. Tried to accelerate on highway and car took a long while to get up to speed while other cars behind me were honking horns for me to speed up. Dealer says all is fine and that's just how the transmission and turbo engine is! Can never duplicate this problem. Now no longer under warranty, the dealer is willing to keep the car for a longer period. Gm says it would "see" what they could do after the dealer physically inspects the transmission at my cost. The dealer charges $145. Per hr. Labor rate!! I went to another mechanic and had them change the transmission fluid because the dealer said the fluid doesn't need and he said it was black! Had it changed after I read complaints on carcomplaints.com. I am just afraid that it will quit on me while traveling at high speed! I can't afford to spend money on a new trans if I will continue to have the same problems. Gm should have a full recall on the 2011 cruze. The car had only 29,000 mi. On it the first time I complained and now it has 69,000 and the problem manifests itself a little more frequently but not on a weekly basis. I am at my wits end and the problem is not in my head. People are in danger and gm isn't "owning" this problem. Extremely disappointed. I've maintained this vehicle faithfully with oil changes, etc. Since day one...responded to all recalls. Not going to dealer again. Always have something to repair or replace.

Filed Mar 11, 2016 · Transmission · 59,352 miles · VA

I own a 2011 cruze it has had a slew of problems, trans cell blown, water pumps replaced, trans reprogramed, turbo replaced and much more, now the valve body in the trans is bad car has less than 60k and I have mentioned the trans issue since 20k in which I was told I was crazy by dealership and no recall has been issued for this. I do not think gm should be allowed to sell the cruze anymore this car is a death trap waiting to happen just like the cobalt. I am fustrated and fed up. Service department is a joke. And the cruze has over 24,000 complaints regarding all the same issues and nothing is nothing being done about the trans issue. Dealer opened up my trans today and found clogged 1 and 2 cellinoid and clogged screen as well as broken clip causing hesitation, hard shifting and valve body movement. I think this matter should be further investigated.

Filed Nov 14, 2015 · Acceleration, Driver assistance · 80,000 miles · CA

Stability trac and traction control light appears, vehicle experiences immediate loss of power. Experienced while driving on freeway attempting to change lanes. Due to the sudden loss of power I was nearly struck by a big rig. Dealer can not identify codes only code that appeared was po171,fuel trim lean code was addressed by dealer, dealer claims original complaint was tied to the p0171 code. While driving home experienced sudden loss of power and rough shifting. No warning lights or indicators appeared. Vehicle smells like burnt oil, and noticed a loud ticking noise. Notified dealer and was told it is normal vehicle will be fine after 400 miles of driving. My families life will be placed in jeapordy for the next 400 miles. The unresponsive acceleration and sudden loss of power is a serious safety issue.

Filed Jul 22, 2014 · Acceleration, Transmission · 18,700 miles · OH

The transmission does not engage from a stop to move and almost caused a collision. Even on the highway the vehicle does not shift properly and hesitates and when it finally shifts it slams into gear. The mostly occurs from a stopped position and then during acceleration. The dealership said that is how it is designed and nothing is wrong. But the problem just keeps getting progressively worse. Longer hesitations and harder shifting.

Filed Jun 24, 2013 · Transmission · PA

6/22/2013 I noticed transmission leaking oil. Before that transmission started to slip on highway and in traffic. I told dealer before that I think the transmission is bad. Did not change gears properly. Dealer updated computer but transmission still had a hard shift. Car will be taken to dealer to have checked. Right now it looks like transmission has to be replaced. Gm should recalled and replaced transmissions. Transmissions can slip on highway or in traffic and could cause an crash or brake down. Also I here that other people are having problems with their cruze.

Filed Jun 17, 2013 · Transmission · IN

I bought my 2011 chevy cruze december 31, 2011 and have had problems with the transmission ever since. I took a trip 06.2011 6 months after I had my car and went to accelerate and had nothing total transmission gone. They had my car for over 30 days and I still have problems. The transmission is choppy and erratic. When I am stopped or nearly stopped and accelerate to go again, the transmission just revs as if it is in neutral. This is not safe - make me a prime candidate for a rear-end collision. When traveling at cruising speed of 50-60mph, it is choppy and shifting when you would not expect it to shift. When coming to a fast stop, it clunks and then lunges - so firm pressure on the brake pedal is necessary not to hit the car in front of me. I have had the car into the chevy dealership 5 times now and am told that since the chevy mechanic cannot duplicate the problems and there are no lights on there is nothing that can be done. And it is currently in the shop right now for the above problems for the 5th time.

Filed May 21, 2013 · Transmission · PA

I purchased my new car in may of 2011, my first year I had no problems. My second year I have lost brakes took it to dealer and they replaced my brake switch. And now it is having shifting issues. It revs high when removed from park to drive when you left off the break it jerks hard throwing you back into the seat. It also loses power. If im stopped and try to pull out it does not want to go. It hesitates then it will take off quickly. The hesitation is very un safe. I have been almost hit by an on coming car due to it. Luckily it took off so no accident that time. I do not trust it. I recently lost power going up hill around a turn I was accelerating but losing speed. I completely left off the accelerator and reapplied it was a slow response but finally took off and drove. It is not shifting properly. I have an automatic. It just seems hard shifting and jerky when it does shift. This is a major issue. Someone is going to get killed from the sluggish delay these vehicles are having then gm will be sued. Mine seems to be getting worse yesterday 20 may 2013 was the first for lose of power up hill. I have not yet had my back to dealer over this issue but since it is getting worse and acting up more often I will taking it in and see what they say about it.

Filed Dec 14, 2012 · Acceleration, Engine · 19,000 miles · MN

Vehicle was purchased used with 18*** miles on the odometer. Vehicle transmission shifts erratically when driving in city conditions. Problem may cause stalling of vehicle at lower highway speeds. The transmission appears to slip at slow speeds. Before shifting, vehicle regularly hits maximum (red line) RPM. Poor downshifting into lower gears causes vehicle to lunge forward at lower speeds. Most notably from park to drive. On icy roads, the hard shifting may cause the vehicle to loose traction, resulting in a crash, causing fatalities or injuries to the occupants. Vehicle was taken to dealership, technicians were unable to reproduce customer complaint. Manufacturer was not contacted. Current mileage 28***.

Filed Nov 30, 2012 · Transmission · 2,000 miles · FL

The automatic transmission shifts very hard between first and second gear, and second and third gear. This happens when the transmission is shifting up or down. The occupants in the vehicle get a whiplash effect every time the car shifts between these gears. Also the transmission takes too long to find a gear resulting in the vehicle not accelerating when the driver commands it. The car has stalled while starting driving away from a red light from a full stop, requiring the driver to restart the vehicle. This should not happen in a car with an automatic transmission. While in motion the car will shift into neutral and will not respond to the drivers push on the gas pedal. It will then slam into gear, causing a more violent whiplash effect than when it is shifting as mentioned earlier in this complaint. I have taken the car to the local dealership multiple times for these issues and they keep telling me that the transmission is operating normally. No transmission should operate this way, and no other vehicle I have ever driven operates as bad as this 2011 chevy cruze. The gm customer service people have opened multiple cases and tried to help me with this but they have not followed through well enough and I am stuck with a defective transmission in this car.