Car started jerking when put in reverse and slams hard into 5th gear only. Taken to transmission shop and they have no idea what's causing it. They said they've never seen something like this before, and said it doesn't feel like a major transmission failure. Car only had 98,000 miles on it when hard shifting started. Regularly maintained. Motor and trans mounts were checked and fine. More than normal amounts of metal in trans fluid when drain and fill was performed.
Chevrolet Cruze harsh shifting problems
23 of the 3,731 owner complaints about the Chevrolet Cruze describe harsh or hard shifting, most of them for the 2011 model year.
- owner complaints
- 23
- worst model year
- 2011
- typical mileage
- 58,715
Is there a fix? There are 5 recalls for this area of the car. See below
By model year
- 20171
- 20163
- 20151
- 20141
- 20132
- 20124
- 201111
Often reported together
Jerking 5Hesitation 4Stalling 3Check engine light 3Transmission failure 2Won't shift 2Slipping 2Loss of power 2
Trouble codes mentioned
P0171 1
What owners say
The contact owns a 2017 Chevrolet Cruze. The contact stated while driving at various speeds, there was a clunking sound, and the sound was more prominent while driving over small bumps or dents in the roadway. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed with a bent sway bar. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 34,000.
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.
When going from park or a complete stop, the vehicle violently slams into gear and catastrophic failure is only around the corner. It also shifts like this when going back and forth between 4th and 5th. Doing a full trans flush seems to make the issue slightly better but always comes back to being violent again. After speaking with multiple mechanics they all recommend driving it till the trans fails or buying a new car. My car has 213k highway miles on it and the issue has been there since 100k miles (about 3 years ago). Another odd thing about it is that if you shift into manual mode while coasting to a stop and then shifting back to automatic after you exit the complete stop, it avoids the hard slam. The vehicle also shifts fine in manual mode from 4th to 5th. After doing research in group forums ( www.cruzetalk.com ) there are a ton of threads with this EXACT issue.
Reoccuring problems with pcv system.emissions system, mass air flow sensors,o2 sensors,intake manifold, valve covers wont accelerrate, stalls while driving and idling, hard shifting, stability control ssues and stabilitrack issues, intake air flow system,fuel trim system lean bank
On multiple occasions while car is driving, check engine light turned on and car was unable to accelerate. (also happened once after car had been parked) it only lasts about an hour before car can accelerate again and then check engine light will eventually turn off. Also, car feels rough shifting between gears and has trouble accelerating often.
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
Tried twice, car did not start. No lights just dead. Tried once more started, all looked ok. Drove 1/4 mile engine died with a clunk and jerk, service power steering warning came on, then service traction control warning came on. Steered off road (power steering was working) put vehicle in park, tried to start several times. Interior light came on but would not start. After several minutes tried again, started and check engine light was lit. Drove to home and while in reverse to park, engine died again.
I will start with this has happened twice. I no longer feel safe in my car, but the mechanic cannot figure out what is wrong. My car got stuck at 3,000 rpms while driving in traffic. When I put my foot on the break the car would not come to a stop it kept bucking bucking forward with the engine roaring. I tried putting the car in neutral and that didn't do anything. I finally put the car in park and the car finally stopped moving, but was still revving at 3,000 rpms. I finally had to turn the car off. Once I turned the car back on the guages were were swiping back and forth and then finally I heard a loud clunk and then the gauges went back to normal and the car was okay. I did check to make sure the gas pedal wasn't stuck I pulled it up with my foot, but it was up all the way so the I know the gas pedal was not stuck. This happened during rush hour traffic twice. I fear next time I will not be so lucky. I'm 21 weeks pregnant and I have an 11 year child that drives often with me. This is not safe someone has to do something.
Takata recall very hard shifting and clunking nose when shifting
Related recalls
Power train: automatic transmission
- What is wrong
- General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2018-2019 Chevrolet Cruze and Buick LaCrosse, 2018-2020 Chevrolet Equinox, Chevrolet Traverse and GMC Terrain, 2018 Chevrolet Malibu, 2019-2020 Buick Encore, Buick Enclave, Cadillac XT4, Chevrolet Blazer and GMC Acadia, and 2020 Cadillac XT6 vehicles. The start/stop accumulator endcap may have missing bolts.
- Risk
- Missing bolts on the start-stop accumulator endcap could result in a transmission oil leak and may progress to a loss of propulsion, increasing the risk of a crash. A transmission fluid leak in the presence of an ignition source may increase the risk of fire.
- Remedy
- GM will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the start-stop transmission accumulator and replace it if any bolts are missing, free of charge. The recall began December 15, 2020. Owners may contact GMC customer service at 1‑888‑988‑7267, Buick Customer service at 1‑866‑608‑8080, Chevrolet customer service at 1‑800‑222‑1020 or Cadillac customer service at 1‑800‑458‑8006. GM's number for this recall is N202313440.
Recall number 20V668000 · Recall details
Power train: axle assembly: axle shaft
- What is wrong
- General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2013 and 2014 Chevrolet Cruze vehicles equipped with a 1.4L turbo engine, and manufactured between November 28, 2012, and March 7, 2014. On the affected vehicles, the right front half shaft may fracture and separate.
- Risk
- If the half shaft fractures and separates while driving, the vehicle would lose power and coast to a stop. If a vehicle with a fractured half shaft is parked without the parking brake applied, the vehicle could move unexpectedly. Either condition increases the risk of a crash.
- Remedy
- GM will notify owners, and dealers will inspect and replace the right half shaft, as needed, free of charge. Parts for the remedy are not currently available. GM will send an interim letter to owners in May 2014. A second owner letter will be mailed when parts are available. Owners may contact Chevrolet at 1‑866‑694‑6546. GM's number for this recall is 14079. This is an expansion of recall 13V‑452. NOTE: Some vehicles subject to this recall were subject to the recall campaign initiated in 2013. Some of those vehicles were repaired using defective parts. Those owners will be advised that they must have their vehicles remedied again under this campaign and that having the earlier recall completed did not remedy their vehicles.
Recall number 14V151000 · Recall details
Power train: automatic transmission
- What is wrong
- General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2014 Buick Regal, LaCrosse, Verano, and Enclave, and Chevrolet Impala, Malibu, Cruze, and Traverse, and GMC Acadia vehicles equipped with automatic transmissions. In the affected vehicles, the transmission shift cable adjuster may disengage from the transmission shift lever. As such, these vehicles do not conform to Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 102, "Transmission Shift Lever Sequence, Starter Interlock, and Transmission Braking Effect." They also fail to conform to FMVSS number 114, "Theft Protection and Rollaway Prevention."
- Risk
- If a vehicle's shift cable disengages from the transmission shift lever, a driver may be unable to shift gear positions and the indicated shift position may not represent the gear position the vehicle is in. Should a disengagement occur while the vehicle is being driven, when the driver goes to stop and park the vehicle, the driver may be able to shift the lever to the "PARK" position, but the vehicle transmission may not be in the "PARK" gear position. If the vehicle is not in the "PARK" position there is a risk the vehicle will roll away as the driver and other occupants exit the vehicle or anytime thereafter. A vehicle rollaway increases the risk of injury to exiting occupants and bystanders.
- Remedy
- General Motors will notify owners, and dealers will inspect and replace any affected transmission shift cable adjusters, free of charge. The recall began on April 10, 2014. Chevrolet owners may contact General Motors at 1‑800‑222‑1020, Buick owners at 1‑800‑521‑7300, and GMC owners at 1‑800‑462‑8782. General Motors' number associated with this recall is 14048.
Recall number 14V092000 · Recall details
Power train: axle assembly: axle shaft
- What is wrong
- General Motors (GM) is recalling certain model year 2013 and 2014 Chevrolet Cruze vehicles equipped with manual transmissions (MF3/MR5) and manufactured January 24, 2013, through August 1, 2013. On the affected vehicles, the right front half shaft may fracture and separate.
- Risk
- If the half shaft fractures and separates while driving, the vehicle would lose power and coast to a stop. If a vehicle with a fractured half shaft is parked without the parking brake applied, the vehicle could move unexpectedly. Either condition increases the risk of a crash.
- Remedy
- General Motors has notified owners. Dealers will replace the half shaft assembly, free of charge. The safety recall began on October 15, 2013. Owners may contact General Motors at 1‑800‑521‑7300. This is General Motors campaign number 13276.
Recall number 13V452000 · Recall details
Power train: automatic transmission: gear position indication (PRNDL)
- What is wrong
- General motors is recalling certain model year 2011 chevrolet cruze vehicles manufactured from october 6, 2009, through april 27, 2011 and equipped with an automatic transmission for failing to comply with federal motor vehicle safety standard no. 102, 'transmission shift lever sequence, starter interlock, and transmission braking effect,' and federal motor vehicle safety standard no. 114, 'theft protection.' these vehicles may have been built with a transmission shift linkage that is not properly installed. If the linkage is not properly installed, the prndl shift lever may not accurately reflect the position of the transmission gear. With this condition, the driver could move the shifter to park and remove the ignition key, but the transmission gear may not be in park.
- Risk
- The driver may not be able to restart the vehicle and the vehicle could roll away after the driver has exited the vehicle, resulting in a possible crash without prior warning.
- Remedy
- Dealers will inspect the transmission shift linkage for correct installation and adjust the shift linkage system free of charge. The safety recall began on may 23, 2011. Owners may contact chevrolet at 1‑800‑630‑2438, or www.gmownercenter.com.
Recall number 11V273000 · Recall details
Questions about the Chevrolet Cruze harsh shifting
Which Chevrolet Cruze years have harsh or hard shifting problems?
The model years with the most reports are 2011 (11 complaints), 2012 (4 complaints) and 2016 (3 complaints).
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