# 2011 LS manual, clutch went out



## OnlyTaurus (Mar 20, 2012)

Not sure what happened man, but I'd call GM and tell them what you posted here.

Clutches are only covered 1 year/ 12k miles...


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## jdhowell0916 (Mar 9, 2013)

Oh I called. Since it's a wear and tear, it was on me for the repairs. So that's why I posted this to double check my driving habits


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## blk88verde (Apr 30, 2011)

I have 2011 ECO M6 just turning 15,000 miles. Clutch seems fine. Item 3 probably does not help with clutch life. I never start in 2nd from a stop.


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## Mick (Dec 31, 2011)

The third one is most likely the culprit. Probably overused it. 
I noticed this car doesn't like 2ND gear starts. I only start on second when there is still some rolling in the tires.
Do you use gas before letting go of clutch or start releasing clutch before giving gas?

Even though it's not your first stick shift, you almost have to relearn to drive it since the gearing is so much different (than any other car I drove anyway). Still it almost drives itself.


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## grs1961 (Oct 23, 2012)

First of all, the Cruze has "Delivered Fuel Cut Off" - DFCO - which means when you lift of the accelerator pedal, it stops sending fuel until the engine speed drops to the idle speed, so coasting is not necessarily the most fuel-efficient way to drive a Cruze.

"3. I sometimes start in 2nd when at a stoplight." - aaaaand this means you need a new clutch.

The Cruze is a car, not a truck, start off in first. Well, if you were pointing down a steep hill, then letting it coast up to <whatever> and shifting into the appropriate gear would be okay, but don't start the puir wee beastie off in second.


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## jdhowell0916 (Mar 9, 2013)

Thank Mick. I usually come off the clutch slow while giving it gas. I have noticed it doesn't like 2nd, so I will stop doing that. 

but as far as the Neutral parts, you don't think either of those could be the reason? It seems everyone is split on neutral and downshifting.


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## obermd (Mar 3, 2012)

I will even go so far as to shift to 1st before resuming from anything under about 5 MPH. This is the first car I've had to do that with.


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## jblackburn (Apr 14, 2012)

I start in 2nd if I'm rolling a small bit because first is so short. 

I don't think this was your fault at all and I'm sure you're driving just fine. 

There were some issues with the clutches in 2011-early 2012. The clutch plate only applies pressure to a very small part of the clutch, which burns it up quickly within a few thousand miles, and completely destroys the flywheel surface. 

There's a whole thread on this site somewhere about early clutch failures. Take it up with customer care and they might reimburse you. 


Sent from AutoGuide.com App


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## jdhowell0916 (Mar 9, 2013)

Thanks I will look for that


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## Patman (May 7, 2011)

Starting out in 2nd gear does not help esp if you need to rev. the engine up and slip the clutch to take off. Why are you starting in 2nd anyway? I know 1st is short but still. I find myself going from 1-3-6 sometimes just to avoid all the shifting. I would only start in 2nd going down hill and rarely at that. As Mick said the gearing of this car leads to relearning how to drive a manual again. You need to learn how to drive this manual(unlike most 5 speeds). I often find myself in too high of a gear and I am afraid of hurting the clutch because of that but nothing after 32000 miles in 2011 LS.


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## jblackburn (Apr 14, 2012)

Nonsense; the only one you need to re-learn how to drive is the Eco transmission with gaps so big between gears you could stuff another transmission in between. Otherwise, the Cruze is the 2nd easiest transmission I've _*ever*_ driven with the exception of the 2013 Accord.

OP, here's the thread you asked about:
http://www.cruzetalk.com/forum/9-ch...5-looking-others-whose-clutch-has-failed.html

Lotta reading, but he eventually gets to the good stuff.

In a PM to the guy who started the thread, here's what he found out.


> The email i recieve directly from the high ups at the clutch manufacturer (although he didn't know it would end up in my hands, it was completely by accident someone emailed me the interoffice email about my clutch) was that the break points for the defective clutches for the 1.4L is the middle of sept. and the 1.8 was middle of Nov.


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## sciphi (Aug 26, 2011)

Check the build date on your car to see if it might have been affected by the faulty clutch. 

Also, starting in 2nd is a bad idea on the Cruze. Unless the wheels are spinning in deep snow/ice when trying to start in 1st, start in 1st. 

51k miles on the clutch, most of that tuned, and no issues.


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