# Issues with cruze



## Chris.Hudson87 (May 8, 2014)

Hi there!

Recently I purchased a certified pre owned 2013 chevy cruze 1.4 turbo lt. I had a friend with the car and I absolutely loved it. I took one for a test drive and loved it even more! It has been less than a month since purchase and I am becoming less and less happy with my cruze. I am wondering If anyone else has had these issues. Also how should I best deal with these issues. 

My first issue was that when looking at the car originally and when picking it up, the car looked flawless! After a touch less car wash, however, all the scratches and chips revealed themselves! The car only had 15,000 km on it. I was not happy and emailed the dealer. I will be bringing it to him this weekend. 

After this, other issues began to be noticed. They are as follows....

Brake vibrations under moderate-heavy braking
Scratches and dings that became very visible after a single touch less car wash. 
Loud interior noise from engine - acceleration throaty noise
Excessive road wind noise - interior is not quiet on highway. 
Water draining noise in car wash. 
Transmission can be a bit jerky/clunky

Thanks in advance


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## MiamiMichael (Mar 12, 2014)

Mine is a 2014 Red Hot 1.4 turbo 2LT.

...bought _new,_ approximately 12 weeks ago.

...4,400 miles on it, now.

I have none of the issues you mention...so far.


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## stamas (Mar 7, 2014)

Chris.Hudson87 said:


> Hi there!
> 
> Recently I purchased a certified pre owned 2013 chevy cruze 1.4 turbo lt. I had a friend with the car and I absolutely loved it. I took one for a test drive and loved it even more! It has been less than a month since purchase and I am becoming less and less happy with my cruze. I am wondering If anyone else has had these issues. Also how should I best deal with these issues.
> 
> ...


hello congrats on new cruze . mabey i can help you a bit....
1 .the brake vıbration is either your abs kickng in or warped dıscs which can be from hitting a big puddle when the disc is hot (2) scratches and dings are ınevatable but nothing a good polish cannot solve (still the dealer sgould of made you more aware of the fact . what coulor is the car) (3) when you say loud noise have you compared it to other cruzes ? (4) how excessive is the wind noise have u compared it to another cruze ?(4) dont worry about the water drin noise my car has done it from new its the water going through your heater core(5) is your car an auto or maunel? to be fair though you should of picked up on the brakes . engine . interior . trassmisson when you test drove it . did you buy the car without bothering to drive it or somthing . all in all its kind of on your head . nobody is to be trusted especialy when buying a second hand car thats usaly inscripted into out male brains. hope you get it sorted


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## jblackburn (Apr 14, 2012)

> Brake vibrations under moderate-heavy braking


The stock rotors on these things just aren't very good. Mine have been resurfaced once already (at 8K under warranty), and I'm getting ready to throw them away and buy some better replacements. Hopefully the dealer will make good on the sale of the pre-owned car and replace them for you. In the future, when you brake hard to slow to a light, creep forward once stopped and don't let the hot pads stay in contact with the same portion of the rotor - the pads will bake on to the surface, causing uneven braking feel.



> Loud interior noise from engine - acceleration throaty noise


Sounds normal - small 4-cylinder engine, and it does get a little raspy when worked hard.



> Water draining noise in car wash.


Normal - windshield/pillar drains.



> Transmission can be a bit jerky/clunky


A common complaint of auto Cruze owners. Try a reset of the transmission computer by pulling the negative battery cable. Step on the brake pedal, reconnect the cable. This will make it "forget" the adaptive settings that it learned, possibly from the past owner, possibly from you getting used to the car. It helped my girlfriend's car immensely, and it now drives the best it has since new (not a Cruze).



> Excessive road wind noise - interior is not quiet on highway.


Have the dealer look at the drivers door seal - this is not characteristic of the Cruze on the highway.


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## Chris.Hudson87 (May 8, 2014)

It is my understanding that the Cruze is supposed to have a very quiet ride in the interior. Mine is not. I can hear the engine acceleration throaty noise very audibly even over loud music. The wind is annoying. My friends cruze does not do either. His is a 2012. Same trim.


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## jblackburn (Apr 14, 2012)

> I can hear the engine acceleration throaty noise very audibly even over loud music.


Does it happen only at a certain RPM? I think there was a TSB out for fuel lines vibrating against the frame of the car at 2200-2500 RPM or somewhere in that range.

If not, was any intake/exhaust work done to the car before you bought it from the previous owner?


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## Chris.Hudson87 (May 8, 2014)

Sorry, I did not see your reply! Thank you so much for the information. I will try the computer reset tonight 
Very detailed and helpful response. The loud acceleration noise could be due to me having a heavier foot than my friend. 
I will mention this all to the dealer on Saturday as well. Thanks so much. 

What do you think the dealer should/would do about the scratches and stone chips? I know I did not cause them. I feel that they were covered up with polish and wax. They only revealed themselves once it has been washed.


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## spacedout (Dec 7, 2010)

Chris.Hudson87 said:


> Excessive road wind noise - interior is not quiet on highway.


Driving by a parked cruze the other day I noticed the chrome trim along door did not line up and on back door was 1/2 higher than it should be at rear edge. If you have so much wind noise I would suspect door alignment issues. 



Chris.Hudson87 said:


> Water draining noise in car wash.


Do you have a sunroof? There is also drains at the base of the windshield I suspect this is what you were hearing and nothing to be concerned about.


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## Chris.Hudson87 (May 8, 2014)

jblackburn said:


> Does it happen only at a certain RPM? I think there was a TSB out for fuel lines vibrating against the frame of the car at 2200-2500 RPM or somewhere in that range.
> 
> If not, was any intake/exhaust work done to the car before you bought it from the previous owner?


it mainly happens when accelerating from a standstill or on a hill.


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## jblackburn (Apr 14, 2012)

> What do you think the dealer should/would do about the scratches and stone chips? I know I did not cause them. I feel that they were covered up with polish and wax. They only revealed themselves once it has been washed.


I've got a few scratches here and there, but nothing a good detailing job won't take care of. Rock chips are more difficult as there's actually chips of paint missing. 

If they are a reputable dealer that wants your satisfaction, I would figure they might offer to professionally detail the car and then take it from there.


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## Chris.Hudson87 (May 8, 2014)

spacedout said:


> Driving by a parked cruze the other day I noticed the chrome trim along door did not line up and on back door was 1/2 higher than it should be at rear edge. If you have so much wind noise I would suspect door alignment issues.
> 
> 
> 
> Do you have a sunroof? There is also drains at the base of the windshield I suspect this is what you were hearing and nothing to be concerned about.


my trim does not line up! Thank you. I will have them look at that.


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## Chris.Hudson87 (May 8, 2014)

stamas said:


> hello congrats on new cruze . mabey i can help you a bit....
> 1 .the brake vıbration is either your abs kickng in or warped dıscs which can be from hitting a big puddle when the disc is hot (2) scratches and dings are ınevatable but nothing a good polish cannot solve (still the dealer sgould of made you more aware of the fact . what coulor is the car) (3) when you say loud noise have you compared it to other cruzes ? (4) how excessive is the wind noise have u compared it to another cruze ?(4) dont worry about the water drin noise my car has done it from new its the water going through your heater core(5) is your car an auto or maunel? to be fair though you should of picked up on the brakes . engine . interior . trassmisson when you test drove it . did you buy the car without bothering to drive it or somthing . all in all its kind of on your head . nobody is to be trusted especialy when buying a second hand car thats usaly inscripted into out male brains. hope you get it sorted



I did test drive the car! I rennet thinking how nice the brakes were and how little road/wind noise there was. 
The dealer had my windows professionally tinted before I picked it up. Could this have caused the extra wind noise?
i also did an extrely thorough walk around of the car before I purchased and picked up the car. Zero scratches were visible. I would have noticed these scratches and rock chips.


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## 06mistreSS (Feb 20, 2014)

jblackburn said:


> A common complaint of auto Cruze owners. Try a reset of the transmission computer by pulling the negative battery cable. Step on the brake pedal, reconnect the cable. This will make it "forget" the adaptive settings that it learned, possibly from the past owner, possibly from you getting used to the car. It helped my girlfriend's car immensely, and it now drives the best it has since new (not a Cruze).


I may try doing this soon. Mine's the auto and the car tends to be jerky, more than I would like. I recently drove a new 2014 Cruze LT as a loaner and it wasn't nearly as jerky as mine.

OP, let us know if you see a noticeable difference when you try this method of resetting.


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## Zach.K (Apr 17, 2014)

I disagree with those stating warped rotors, as rotors doe not warp. See Stoptechs on writeup and explanation of this. Heavy brake deposits are the culprit, which can be fixed as Jblackburn saw by resurfacing the face, or to rebed the pads. 

Also the vibration can be caused by tires being out of balance such as hitting a pothole like Stamas mentioned. Ask them to balance your tires, or even go to a tireshop, have them balanced and take the receipt back to the dealer if they state something like "the tech couldn't replicate the problem".


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## Jim Frye (Mar 16, 2011)

06mistreSS said:


> I may try doing this soon. Mine's the auto and the car tends to be jerky, more than I would like. I recently drove a new 2014 Cruze LT as a loaner and it wasn't nearly as jerky as mine.


The 2011 6T40 automatics were known for their rough, jerky shifting. GM did a redesign of the transmission that included new shift solenoids, new bearings, a new Transmission Control Module (TCM), and new firmware, or programming. The changes were not retrofitted to the 2011 unit and I've read that you can't put a 2012 or later 6T40 in a 2011 as the TCM will not communicate with the ECM. I have a relative that works in the plant where these transmissions are built. That may be different now, but the gist is; I don't think resetting your system will change the way your transmission shifts.


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## 06mistreSS (Feb 20, 2014)

Jim Frye said:


> The 2011 6T40 automatics were known for their rough, jerky shifting. GM did a redesign of the transmission that included new shift solenoids, new bearings, a new Transmission Control Module (TCM), and new firmware, or programming. The changes were not retrofitted to the 2011 unit and I've read that you can't put a 2012 or later 6T40 in a 2011 as the TCM will not communicate with the ECM. I have a relative that works in the plant where these transmissions are built. That may be different now, but the gist is; I don't think resetting your system will change the way your transmission shifts.


Hmm okay. I can live with it. Good to know though, thanks for the info.


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## jblackburn (Apr 14, 2012)

06mistreSS said:


> Hmm okay. I can live with it. Good to know though, thanks for the info.


Supposedly the Trifecta tune helps shifts immensely for the 2011's.


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## Jim Frye (Mar 16, 2011)

jblackburn said:


> Supposedly the Trifecta tune helps shifts immensely for the 2011's.


Definately cheaper than a new car!


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## 99_XC600 (Feb 24, 2013)

Since it's a CPO purchase, You're still under the original 3/36 B2B warranty along with 10/100 power train warranty. I would bring it back to the dealer and let them straighten out the mechanical and noise issues.

As far as the scratching and chips, good luck. Since it seems the majority of them were caused from abuse. I would be willing to bet this is a former rental car.


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## obermd (Mar 3, 2012)

I wonder if the previous owner did the resonator delete and the dealership didn't catch it. You have to open the air box to see this.


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## Sunline Fan (Jul 29, 2012)

jblackburn said:


> A common complaint of auto Cruze owners.


I noticed my trans has shifted even better with the Amsoil ATF than ever since getting back from Lordstown. And I had an improvement after taking a shorter (150 mile) road trip before too. It's like my commuting heats it up, but not enough. Or it doesn't cycle it through enough, but the long distance highway trips help pump it through.

On my drive home the other day, I started noticing that I literally can't feel most of the shifts now. Look down and be like, oh, it shifted. Awesome.

Sent from my toaster with egg poacher attachment.


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## stamas (Mar 7, 2014)

im not trying to jump to conclusıons but 15.000km is around 9000 miles . after 9 k i doubt all these problems would be there .... and the chrome trim on the door moves over time usaly due to ....high millage ..... do u belive the miles that are shown on your car . with 9k miles it should in theory still look almost like new . my trans has always shifted like butter and i have yet to change the oıl but mine has only done 8000 km .


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## Chris.Hudson87 (May 8, 2014)

06mistreSS said:


> I may try doing this soon. Mine's the auto and the car tends to be jerky, more than I would like. I recently drove a new 2014 Cruze LT as a loaner and it wasn't nearly as jerky as mine.
> 
> OP, let us know if you see a noticeable difference when you try this method of resetting.


I did the reset as mentioned above. On my lunch break I disconnected the negative terminal and let it sit for about 15 minutes. After starting my car, it asked me to roll down my window and then roll it back up again. I reset my trip counter and waited till end of day to drive it home. 

Well... After a 51.6 km trip, my gas mileage has already improved by .8 liters/100 km. I've never actually seen it go this low. It sounds better and drives better. Much happier with the vehicle now - based on this one trip. A lot quieter ride... It's nice. Thank you so much, everyone. 

The wind noise and scratches the dealer has agreed to do something about. Same with the brakes. Much happier mood now. 

My friend who has the same car said he also experienced vibrations/noise when braking from a high speed. Maybe it's just a common issue or fault of the car?

anyways, thanks again for the replies.


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## jblackburn (Apr 14, 2012)

Chris.Hudson87 said:


> I did the reset as mentioned above. On my lunch break I disconnected the negative terminal and let it sit for about 15 minutes. After starting my car, it asked me to roll down my window and then roll it back up again. I reset my trip counter and waited till end of day to drive it home.
> 
> Well... After a 51.6 km trip, my gas mileage has already improved by .8 liters/100 km. I've never actually seen it go this low. It sounds better and drives better. Much happier with the vehicle now - based on this one trip. A lot quieter ride... It's nice. Thank you so much, everyone.
> 
> ...


Glad to hear it worked - and the dealer is addressing your other issues as well. 

The rotors shake at high speed or repeated braking like heavy traffic because they overheat pretty easily. If this is a 1LT model with drum brakes on the rear of the car, please check out "how to adjust drum brakes" in the how-to section of the forum - many are improperly adjusted from the factory and 100% of the braking is put on the small front discs. Your dealer might take a look at it; they might not. 


Sent from AutoGuide.com App


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## Zach.K (Apr 17, 2014)

Chris.Hudson87 said:


> I did the reset as mentioned above. On my lunch break I disconnected the negative terminal and let it sit for about 15 minutes. After starting my car, it asked me to roll down my window and then roll it back up again. I reset my trip counter and waited till end of day to drive it home.
> 
> Well... After a 51.6 km trip, my gas mileage has already improved by .8 liters/100 km. I've never actually seen it go this low. It sounds better and drives better. Much happier with the vehicle now - based on this one trip. A lot quieter ride... It's nice. Thank you so much, everyone.
> 
> ...


I'm willing to bet he never had the rear drum adjusted and that led to heavier usage of the front causing heavy pad deposits on the rotor. Take it to the dealer and complain about the vibration under heavy braking. They will probably just replace the rotors which would be great. 

Sent from my Thumbs.


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