The contact owns a 2011 Chevrolet Cruze. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds and raising the foot off the accelerator pedal, the vehicle decelerated drastically. Additionally, the vehicle occasionally hesitated while accelerating and failed to immediately accelerate while depressing the accelerator pedal. Occasionally, the vehicle lurched forward suddenly. The cause of the failure was not yet determined. The dealer was notified of the failure, but no assistance was offered. The failure mileage was 129,000.
Chevrolet Cruze jerking problems
187 of the 3,731 owner complaints about the Chevrolet Cruze describe jerking or lurching, most of them for the 2011 model year.
- owner complaints
- 187
- worst model year
- 2011
- typical repair cost reported
- $3,674
- typical mileage
- 47,500
Is there a fix? There are 5 recalls for this area of the car. See below
By model year
Often reported together
Check engine light 38Hesitation 23Stalling 21Loss of power 15Overheating 9Misfire 8Won't shift 7Won't start 5
Trouble codes mentioned
P0700 1P057C 1P0325 1P015B 1P0101 1P0016 1
What owners say
The contact owns a 2014 Chevrolet Cruze. The contact stated that while driving the vehicle stalled. The vehicle was able to restart. The vehicle began jerking motions and misfiring. The vehicle was taken to the dealer and was diagnosed with a cam shaft failure and diagnostic codes P0016, P0101. The manufacturer was notified of the issue. The approximate failure mileage was 82,000
The contact owns a 2015 Chevrolet Cruze. The contact stated that while driving approximately 55 MPH, the “Service Stabili-trak” message was displayed. The warning light turned on and off, and the vehicle suddenly stalled. The vehicle failed to restart. The contact stated that the vehicle started jerking and rolling while on the side of the road. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic, but was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 113,000.
My vehicle would jerk while driving and sometimes not want to even go at a stop light when it turned green. Check engine light has been on. Even when I was at a stop light it would just start jerking forward. I took it to an automotive repair shop after replacing multiple parts on the vehicle. Automotive shop ran a compression test and said it failed. Internal cylinder issue. So the vehicle barely runs and I just got it close to three years ago.
I have had car repairs done identical with the 2014 models with the same exact issues described in those year recalls, car hesitant and jerking, breaking down on numerous occasions and replacing gaskets hoses and many codes common with fuel and traction control and finally engine blown!
Had a 3-5-R wave plate failure. Symptoms started at around 87,000 miles. Bouncing/jerking when put into reverse. 5th gear slams hard into gear when upshifting and downshifting, making it feel like I have been rear ended. Now 3rd gear is starting to shift hard like 5th. Soon I'll have no gears. Car has been both regular and preventative maintained so should not have such a massive failure at under 100k miles. Other vehicles with the same transmission (6t40) have been recalled due to similar issues, like the 1.4 turbocharged Cruze, but not the 1.8l Cruze for whatever reason. Now I have to pay $4k for a rebuild on something that Chevrolet should be liable to pay.
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.
Vehicle does not shift gears, jumpy, sluggish, disengages then jerks back into gear. Hazard when trying to pickup speed to accelerate into highway traffic. Does not engage in reverse gear at times, have to turn vehicle off, wait a few minutes then turn vehicle back on for reverse gear to engage. Sometimes when vehicle is in park, vehicle will not start, have to fidget with gear and key, sometimes for several minutes before it will register in park and allow you to start the vehicle. When on highway transmission will jolt and jerk making you think you have lost your transmission on the roadway. This is a major hazard for my daughter who drives this vehicle to college. I am aware of a lift plate that can be installed to fix this problem that has existed in all 2011 Chevy Cruze s since they were manufactured. the federal safety agency Bulletin issued Oct. 10, 2024 the federal safety agency ID#11010651 Manufacture Communication #24-NA-223 Bulletin to all technicians for an alternative procedure for a lift plate that can be installed into the transmission to correct this problem. This needs to be a nationwide issued RECALL because of the endangerment people are being put in while driving these unsafe Chevy Cruze with faulty transmission issues.
Was parked on a slight incline with the car completely off and keys out of ignition. My daughter, her cousin and I exited the car and were walking in front of it. As we got in front of it my car made a sound like it was about to start. The headlights came on and the entire vehicle jerked forward a bit. It almost hit us.
On [XXX], the right front passenger side control arm/ball joint broke as my daughters were driving home. The car was in motion on a major street in Kansas City, KS when the control arm/ball joint broke. My daughter was in the right-hand lane when it broke as the car was in motion. The front of the car forcefully propelled in the air, landed, and jerked my daughter into the side walk. Afterwards, she fought the car over to the left-hand turn lane to stop in a somewhat safer spot on a major street. My oldest daughter driving suffered neck injuries from the seatbelt and my youngest daughter bumped her head. Both were hurt. An independent mechanic diagnosed the issue as well as Hendrick Chevrolet in Shawnee Mission Kansas. The parts are available for inspection. Hendrick Chevrolet failed to properly diagnose this issue when my car was in their care and service department on 06/14/24. I paid for an inspection but Hendrick Chevrolet's technician failed to record play in the broken wheel and if the car was in need of an alignment. This is unacceptable behavior considering the technician had both front tires off to inspect the brakes and was paid to perform a complete inspection on my car as described in Chevy's inspection literature provided by the dealership. He also provided an incorrect brake pad measurement. Through several Chevrolet/Chevy Cruze online forums, Cruze owners have asked several questions and recorded several comments regarding having a broken control arm and having to replace the ball joint bolt. Also, recalls were previously issued with other GM vehicles having a right-front passenger side defective control arm, which potentially could be a GM fabrication issue with control arms. No warning lamps, noises, or messages alerted to this issue. This would have been a fatal incident involving my daughters and other drivers if it occurred on the highway at a higher rate of speed. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
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 jerking
Which Chevrolet Cruze years have jerking or lurching problems?
The model years with the most reports are 2011 (57 complaints), 2012 (53 complaints) and 2013 (23 complaints).
How much does it cost to fix jerking or lurching on the Chevrolet Cruze?
Owners who mentioned a price put the repair at about $3,674 (median of 6 complaints that include a dollar amount). Costs vary with mileage, warranty and where the work is done.
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