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.
2011 Chevrolet Cruze transmission complaints
Page 7 of 8: complaints 161 to 190 of 193, newest first, as owners wrote them.
Car will not accelerate when pulling into traffic. This is a problem that happens intermediately. You let up on the brakes and press the accelerator and the car just creeps forward and does not accelerate. Occurs most often when the car is cold or the A/C in on and/or you are making a right or left turn, however, it can occur at anytime. The only solution is to press the accelerator to the floor at which point the car will accelerate too quickly and throws the vehicle into traffic. The dates and mileage given above are estimates on my part. The car has been acting this way since we got it.
2011 chevy cruze. Consumer states vehicle slows down by itself *tgw the consumer stated the vehicle would slow down as if it were in first gear, instead of high gear.
I bought this vehicle as a present for my father. After getting it home, (driving it home was all highway), he drove it around the block and noticed it had a lag in the vehicle speed. It almost felt as though it was a manual transmission. I drove it home that night and noticed the same feeling. It's almost as though it takes a lot of effort out ofthe car to keep driving. It downshifts before its supposed to when driving and as a results isn't getting the gas mileage its supposed too. Driving city, it was only getting 18-19mpg for me. It does much better on the highway, over 55mph, then with city driving. Took it back to the dealer, who took it to a bigger chevy dealer and they stated nothing was wrong. Got it back and its the same way. We love the car but will not drive it because we are afraid of not knowing what's wrong with it and possibly having something serious happen to it. We have 2 little ones that we need to worry about who ride in the car as well. Seems pretty unsafe to have a car downshift and lag with speed aspect when its not supposed too. Wish a recall would come out.
Since I purchased the car last year, it has shifted hard either in auto or manual. Mostly auto. However, when it shifts down to first gear in manual, it jerks me forward. This is an ongoing problem and no real date to be associated to. I have had it in the dealership twice but the 'compuater' says there is not a problem. After much frustration and being honked at when I can't accelerate quick enough at a light, I filed a complaint with general motors last week. They responded quickly but today I find out that the dealership will not work with me on getting out of the car. It's basically about paying more to get in another vehicle. The computer said it was fine, so it's fine. If I had a small child, I would not want them in this car! I will not be driving my grandson in this car. This is absolute insanity to completely ignore a common issue. I googled and found hundreds of people complaining about the very thing on the ls model. Even a salesperson told me he doesn't not recommend this car to anyone!
Severe drive train decoupling, and hook up delay, when attempting to accelerate into traffic and subsequent attempts to change lanes in traffic. Close calls numerous!!!! Accidents and deaths inevitable!!!!!!! Further assessment has shown the only way to resolve the issue is to shift transmission to manual mode and keeping engine speed above 2500rpm. Thereby reducing turbo lag and disabling major computer control over transmission shift function. This type of engineering is unacceptable in any modern production automobile and should be immediately addressed by the manufacturer. Or class action lawsuits should be brought forth by the owners of these vehicles. Is this the real reason this vehicle boasts so many airbags???
Have had the car less than 1 year and had 50 miles on the car when I bought it 8/2011. On 6/19/2012 traveling on the highway at 65 miles an hour my 2011 chevy cruze (14,500 miles) suddenly began slowing and the engine was revving high. I pulled over and a light on the dash appeared indicating "emissions problems" according to the manual. It is an automatic transmission but the car didn't want to shift any higher than 3rd gear and would go no faster than 30-35 miles an hour without revving in the danger zone. Car was towed to dealer. The transmission control module failed. $1300 for the part plus labor costs and not covered by warranty. Worried it may occur again because I am finding similar stories posted online.
2-10-12 - 15422 mileage car towed to dealership - would start / shifter would go into gear / car would not drive - check engine, traction control & stabilitrak light were on. - shaft detent lever switch replaced. 3-12-12 - 16471 mileage - brought to dealership car would not engage from the stop position to acceleration & poor gas mileage since 2-10 repair - caused to roll into intersection. - control solenoid valve & transmission control module replaced. Could not duplicate gas mileage problem 4-25-12 - brought into dealership for loud popping & jolting into gear from the stop position to acceleration - dealer ship could not duplicate/ no repair 5-5-12 17661 mileage car towed to dealership - driving on highway 65mph / burning smell coming through A/C vents/ transmission hot (overheat) /traction control & stabilitrak light appeared. Dealer ship could not duplicate/ no repair ( opened case with gm [xxx]) 5-18-12 18165 mileage car towed to dealership - driving on highway 65mph / burning smell coming through A/C vents/ transmission hot (overheat) /traction control & stabilitrak light & transmission light appeared. Plus continued poor gas mileage since 2/12 fix. Transmission control module replaced (again) 6-6-12 18800 mileage brought to dealership ( currently there) transmission light appeared upon starting the engine after sitting for 8hrs. - intermittent burning smell from engine noticed after 15-20 mile drives *js parts of this document have been redacted to protect personally identifiable information pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u.s.c. 552(b)(6).
Tl* the contact owns a 2011 chevrolet cruze. The contact stated that while driving 20 MPH, the vehicle could not be shifted into gear, causing the transmission to fail. The contact pulled the vehicle over and the transmission control module light illuminated. The contact stated that the vehicle was towed to a local dealer to be inspected and he was informed that the transmission control module sent an erroneous signal to the instrument panel, causing the vehicle not to shift into the next gear. The dealer repaired the vehicle but the failure recurred. The manufacturer was not notified. The failure mileage was 33,000.
Tl* the contact owns a 2011 chevrolet cruze. The contact stated that the vehicle hesitated to accelerate from stops. The contact also stated that there would be a slight delay before the vehicle jerked into gear. The dealer stated the were no gas or oil leaks. The dealer stated that the vehicle needed to be driven more to operate properly. The contact also stated he smelled a burning odor when the vehicle was stopped and shut off. The contact had not seen any smoke, but the smell came from underneath the vehicle. The failure mileage was unknown and the current mileage was 6,000. Updated 07/13/12
I have been having transmission problems with his vehicle since its purchase in july 2011. First incident was the day after I accepted delivery of the vehicle. Dealer stated there was nothing wrong after driving with me and no record of the service was created. After changing dealers, I was told there was nothing wrong with the transmission and they could not duplicate the problem. On future visits, the transmission software was updated which helped some, but did not alleviate the problem completely. Yesterday, the following warnings were displayed: service stabilitrack system service traction control system I have opened another complaint with chevy stating the transmission has ongoing problems and I want my money refunded. This is the second complaint I have opened with them. The first complaint was "resolved" by offering full coverage maintenance for 9000 miles at this point in time, I am reluctant to drive the vehicle anywhere because I am afraid it will fail. If you need any additional information, please let me know. Thank you.
Tl* the contact owns a 2011 chevrolet cruze. The contact stated that the vehicle hesitated to accelerate while driving at various speeds. The vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer on two occasions, but they were unable to diagnose the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 10,000. The VIN was unavailable.
The vehicle experiences a severe delay in throttle and transmission response, to the point of endangerment. When driving at 60-65mph and commanding passing power, the vehicle normally will bog down as the pedal is depressed, then disengage the gear, wait up to 3 seconds, rev up 500-1,000rpm and then engage the gear and begin moving forward (at which point it is within a few hundred RPM of redline and bounces off of the fuel cutoff.... While in drive, not manual mode). The transmission also shifts harshly up and down randomly. Upon a cold start, the vehicle nearly stalls when coming out of a parking garage with an incline, then proceeds to idle at 1,800rpm and push the vehicle forward with nearly enough thrust to cause a collision if the brake pedal is not stood on. The vehicle has almost stalled on me while driving on flat ground, a handful of times (sometimes when I turn on the rear defroster, sometimes just coming to a stop). Additionally, there is a pulsating that can be felt throughout the car (most notably through the brake pedal) and a grinding noise coming from the engine bay. The vehicle has been brought in to power chevrolet in mesa, arizona where these concerns were brought up, including the concern for safety, at which point the ECM and TCM were reset to default values (which made the transmission even more horrible, due to deleting the adaptive values). I was spoken to like a child and given a printout explaining how an automatic transmission and auto-stop feature worked and told that the pulsating (which is widely acknowledged as a bad AC compressor part for this vehicle and was mentioned to the dealer when the car was brought in) and other issues were non-existent. I guess that I will have to wait for these parts to fail, hoping and praying that it doesn't kill me or my passengers in the process, in order to get these issues addressed.
Engine seems to momentarily cutoff when accelerating after moving about 15 feet or less with accelerator in steady position from a stop after idling in gear. Dealer description hesitation, sometimes it does hesitate when pressing the accelerator but mostly seems to lose all power momentarily. Issue is repeatable and has been noted on at least two vehicles by this owner. This issue is a safety concern, no accident yet but could happen unexpectedly to a driver if not yet aware of the problem. Owner was told by service center gm is aware of problem and a possible software update may be available, unknown date of release as of december 2011. This owner believes all 2011 cruze's have this issue, just have to be in the right circumstance and know how to reproduce it. If you have been told it is turbo lag do not fall for it, if this was the case it would happen all the time.
2011 chevy cruze manual transmission 6 spd. Random occurrence of speedometer spikes digital and needle (anywhere from 20-120 MPH), volume on radio will also spike with this issue. When speedometer spiking the steering wheel will also unwontedly move 1/2 - 2 inches left or right every time which could distract/startle driver leading to a possible accident. Chevy refuses to look for a problem that "isn't there". As stated by dealership without code or a tech witnessing it. Occurrence happens when rolling at slow speeds (0-7 MPH) or stopped with clutch engaged or slowly being released. Happens, 10-15 times+ a month. Has startled me several times once including me letting off the clutch and stalling the vehicle from being startled. Vehicle assembled: lordstown,ohio mileage when first noticing this issue: 78.0 current mileage, issue still occurring: 18,749. Seen dealership :3 times about current issue.
Tl* the contact owns a 2011 chevrolet cruze. The contact stated she reported problems with the handling of the vehicle within the first three months. Problems reported included: shifting issues in which the vehicle appeared to slip out of gear, the vehicle intermittently lunged foward when her foot was on the brake, when in park and once while driving. She also reported incidences of unusually long periods of hesitation when stepping on the accelerator pedal. The service stabliizer, serivce power steering, traction control and engine lights illuminated periodically as well as the instrument panel going blank while driving. Updated 01/04/12
Vehicle was in the park position, when the key was turned in the off position the car started to roll backward down a hill dragging my child with it.
The car's transmission stalls and hesitates since the 1st day I got the car. I found out today that my car has four recalls! And I have not been notified in any way by chevy of them one of which is the streeing wheel can come off while driving. While driving today 09/28/2011 the car came to a random and complete stop in the middle of the road and would not move forward at all.
Tl* the contact owns a 2011 chevrolet cruze. The contact stated that while driving approximately 65 MPH, the transmission failed to shift and there was an illumination of the engine warning indicator. The vehicle was towed to an authorized dealer for diagnosis, where the technician replaced the faulty transmission. In addition, the driver's side rear view mirror would emit a loud whistling noise whenever the vehicle was in motion. The dealer was in the process of replacing the mirror. There was also a large hole in the air conditioner compressor, which required replacement. The contact also stated that the exterior body paint was peeling near the front passenger side headlight. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failures. The approximate failure mileage was 64.
Tl* the contact owns a 2011 chevrolet cruze. The contact stated that when the vehicle would hesitate when accelerating between 45-65 MPH. The vehicle was taken to the dealer several times but the dealer was unable to produce any failure codes when diagnosed. The dealer performed a test drive and was able to duplicate the failure but there were no repairs. The failure mileage was 40 and the current mileage was 1,000. Updated 11/16/2011 *ln
When accelerating from a stopped position the vehicle has a two (2) second delay before it engages the transmission. This is very dangerous issue when entering a busy road from a parking lot or other stopped location. A two second delay can place a driver in a life or death situation. The vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer who was unable to diagnose the problem. They did mention that it could be "turbo lag" since it needs time to build up. They also stated that all software programs were up to date. It is still dangerous turbo lag or not. According to a road test conducted by consumer guide automotive this problem was a issue for them: "several test cars exhibited issues with the automatic transmission, including delayed response and slurred shifts. Gm was aware of these problems and issued a fix that involved re-programming the transmission's software." it's obvious that this is not a software fix issue since all programs were updated on the vehicle and the problem still exists.
The six speed automatic transmission bogs down while changing gears. It also shifts very roughly. The gas mileage is well below standard; I believe due to the transmission problems. I have had it to the dealer two times in the first 7000 miles, but they claim there is nothing wrong. Help!
Tl* the contact owns a 2011 chevrolet cruze. The contact stated that the shifter was very difficult to maneuver and that the shift cable was faulty. The contact was unable to shift into first or second gear. While downshifting at 25 MPH, the shifter would become stuck and cause the vehicle to coast while in traffic. The contact took the vehicle to a dealer but the dealer was unable to locate a failure within the shifter. The contact called the manufacturer regarding the failure and was advised to take the vehicle back to the dealer. The dealer then adjusted the shifter cable, which remedied the failure. The failure mileage was 200.
Tl* the contact owns a 2011 chevrolet cruze. While attempting to accelerate, the contact stated that the vehicle suddenly stalled without warning. She was able to restart the vehicle and continue driving normally. The vehicle was towed to the dealer where it was inspected and diagnosed with a faulty fuel injector. The manufacturer was aware of the failure. No repairs were performed. The current and failure mileages were 12,528. Updated 09/21/11 *bf the consumer stated there is a hesitation from the vehicle, when trying to pull out in traffic. The consumer noticed the vehicle would stall when the AC was on high. Updated 10/07/11
My new 2011 chevy cruze has a major hesitation when trying to accelerate the car. This problem occurs consistently all the time from day 1. Brought the car in for service for this problem to the chevy dealer where I purchased the car from and they said there is nothing they can do to correct this hesitation problem. They said they have had a lot of complaints about this hesitation problem. This is dangerous when you need the speed to pass on the highway and you don't have it when the accelerator is pushed. I was told at the chevy dealer that this car has six gears with a 4 cylinder engine it needs a 6 cylinder engine to change these six gears properly. Why would gm chevrolet design a car like this with this problem???????
I am very disappointed with my new 2011 chevy cruze eco (1.4l 6 speed manual transmission) the car looses power especially when try to accelerate up hills, total loss of power and lack of response. This keeps happening out on the freeway. I have my foot pressed all the way down on accelerator, but no response from the car. Car has slowed down to 30 MPH going up the hills on freeway putting me in an unsafe position. It happens on level services too, try to get the car going when at a stop light is hard too, I give the car gas and get very slow response, when it does respond the car is very jerky going thru the gears, afraid this may cause an accident for failure to move out and with the traffic. It happens with all the gears ! I have problems too with the car over- accelerating going now hills. All the above continue to happen despite following the owners manual for operating the vehicle. I feel strongly that this is a unsafe vehicle. I bought the car with a 4 cyl turbo with hopes I would have a little extra power, I haven't seen it yet.
I have a 2011 chevy cruze it has a shifting problem. I was driving it home one day and the transmission would not shift and the car basically stopped suddenly. This almost caused an accident because the car behind me almost rear ended me because of the sudden stop. I took the car to the dealer and the replaced the transmission components and it still has the same problem. They are not sure what is causing this problem. The car also would not accelerate when tring to pass someone. These are some serious issues with the car and no one seems to know how to fix them.
Tl* the contact owns a 2011 chevrolet cruze. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, she would notice that the vehicle would hesitate or jerk forward. The vehicle was inspected by a dealer and they advised her that the TCM needed to be replaced. The vehicle was reprogrammed for the TCM yet the failure persisted and the vehicle became hesitant to acceleration attempts within moments of leaving the dealer. The vehicle was then taken back to dealer and they advised her that all of her particular year, make and model vehicle operated in that manner. The failure mileage was approximately 24. Updated 07/21/11 *bf updated 3/20/12
Tl*the contact owns a 2011 chevrolet cruze. The contact stated the vehicle would intermittently hesitate before jerking into gear when accelerating from a stop light. The vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer who was unable to diagnose the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 3,000 and the current mileage was 6,000.
Tl*the contact owns a 2011 chevrolet cruze. The contact stated the transmission was reprogrammed, but the failure was not corrected when the vehicle lost power while accelerating at any speed. The brake pedal extended to the floor when the brakes were applied. The vehicle moved backwards while the brake was depressed causing the contact to crash into a vehicle. The vehicle was taken back to the dealer who did not replace any parts and advised the contact how the vehicle was designed. The failure mileage was 150,000 and the current mileage was 752,000.
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