# 2011 Cruze 1LT Clunking noise at 10-12 mph



## cruze01 (Mar 25, 2011)

I have been hearing and feeling a clunking noise in my Cruze at around 10 mph. It will only happen one time per trip with one clunk (the first time I start out) then not again until I start another trip in the car. Took it to the dealer and they noticed it to but said they could find no answer and asdvised I wait until it gets worse so it can be found. Have any of you noticed this problem?


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## MikeW (Nov 29, 2010)

Read here http://www.cruzetalk.com/forum/10-c...discussion/936-11-1lt-auto-strange-noise.html


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## 7plagues7 (Mar 15, 2011)

According to the computer program at school (I go to UTI) there should be an open campaign for a drive axle issue that displays those symptoms. The dealership should be aware of this and it should be covered under warranty.


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## robertbick (Jan 1, 2011)

7plagues7 said:


> According to the computer program at school (I go to UTI) there should be an open campaign for a drive axle issue that displays those symptoms. The dealership should be aware of this and it should be covered under warranty.


Wrong. It's the *ABS self test*. Read your manual.


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## cruze01 (Mar 25, 2011)

Thanks! Sounds like you may be rite but it sure doesnt sound like a motor or click as the manual says. Wonder why the dealer could'nt tell me this? I will investigate further. Does your car make the same sound?


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## robertbick (Jan 1, 2011)

cruze01 said:


> Thanks! Sounds like you may be rite but it sure doesnt sound like a motor or click as the manual says. Wonder why the dealer could'nt tell me this? I will investigate further. Does your car make the same sound?


Mine is very hard to hear... not really a click... a weird sorta sound. I only heard it twice pulling out of my driveway.


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## SunnyinHollister (Mar 17, 2011)

robertbick said:


> Wrong. It's the *ABS self test*. Read your manual.


That's why I love online forums - you get to resolve an "issue" without ever going to the dealership. I was wondering what that noise was! I thought it was wierd how it only happened when it was cold.


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## 70AARCUDA (Nov 14, 2010)

...quoted from page 9-30 of our *2011 Chevrolet Cruze Owner Manual*:

*Antilock Brake
System (ABS)​*This vehicle has the Antilock Brake
System (ABS), an advanced
electronic braking system that helps
prevent a braking skid.
When the engine is started and the
vehicle begins to drive away, ABS
checks itself. A momentary motor or
clicking noise might be heard while
this test is going on, and it might
even be noticed that the brake​pedal moves a little. This is normal.


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## shawn672 (Oct 31, 2010)

robertbick said:


> Mine is very hard to hear... not really a click... a weird sorta sound. I only heard it twice pulling out of my driveway.


I hear mine all the time when I first pull out of the garage in the morning. It sounds like my front air dam scrapped the ground, the first few times I freaked out thinking I was dragging or hit something but when it happened a 4th time in the morning and there was nothing hanging, I ruled it as something thats supposed to happen.

Good to know its the ABS self check!


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## cruze01 (Mar 25, 2011)

It's realy quite annoying in my car! I am going to persue the dealer about it.


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## scaredpoet (Nov 29, 2010)

cruze01 said:


> It's realy quite annoying in my car! I am going to persue the dealer about it.


Short of disabling your ABS (and probably the traction control and stabilitrak and throwing up all kinds of trouble codes), there's nothing the dealer can do about it. That's how the car operates.

If it only happens one per trip, it's not that big a deal. I hardly even notice it anymore.


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## robertbick (Jan 1, 2011)

cruze01 said:


> It's realy quite annoying in my car! I am going to persue the dealer about it.


C'mon... really??? I have to have my radio off, complete silence in the car, and really listening to be able to hear it.


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## cruze01 (Mar 25, 2011)

robertbick said:


> C'mon... really??? I have to have my radio off, complete silence in the car, and really listening to be able to hear it.


 
Apparently mine is much worse than yours. I hear a very annoying spring loaded clunk every time. It has gotten to be quit nerve racking!


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## 70AARCUDA (Nov 14, 2010)

...analogy: _one_ person's* rock* is _another_ Princess's *pea*.


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## forshee (Mar 28, 2011)

*cruze making noise when i first start off*

i have had my cruze in twice for this noise. along with recalls problems.
they listend and could not hear the noise i was talking about. 
it is when i first start off, very annoying. i asked if it was the ABS and they said no. i asked if it was the transmission, they said no.
i have NEVER in my life driven a car where this noise happends.
VERY upset with GM. very upset with COX CHEVROLET too.
they said all cruze comes with a cruise control, i was promised this one had one, and was lied to. looked in the face and lied to.
then i contacted the head quarters and they just had their secretary take it over. just to please me. im thinking of sueing them. 
then when i took my car in for the noise, they drove it 53 miles, my tank was full and when i got back in it, it was half a tank. i asked if they were going to fill it back up and they said "NO" and have a nice day.
NEVER EVER EVER GO TO COX CHEVROLET IN BRADENTON FLORIDA. THEY STINK!!!!!
so what do i do for this noise??? they suggested i take it to another dealership and try and drive another cruze and see if it makes the same noise....i never heard it when i took mine for a test drive. and then i hear it all the time now


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## cruze 2011 (Oct 20, 2010)

if its working like it should be then why is it a problem you know what it is and why its being done i dont get why its such a problem .


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## cruze 2011 (Oct 20, 2010)

i have a 1986 BMW 325e and i can hear the same noise in it so its nothing new cars with abs have been doing this for years its just heard more in some cars than others.........is this really anything to get all upset about ?


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## SilverCruzer (Nov 30, 2010)

cruze 2011 said:


> i have a 1986 BMW 325e and i can hear the same noise in it so its nothing new cars with abs have been doing this for years its just heard more in some cars than others.........is this really anything to get all upset about ?


Agree. Past three new cars I purchased (all three different brands) have done this. A CR-V I owned the noise was about three times louder than the Cruze. I thought a cable was snapping. They all seem to do it in the same situation - after switching from Reverse to Forward then driving off. So pulling out of a garage does it every time.


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## TSURacing (Jan 1, 2011)

I too have cars where it is more intrusive than the Cruze. In fact I didnt even pay attention to the noise until it was mentioned in the forum. So yeah, its there. The system does its check, no lights come on, I'm fully ABS enabled. Would you rather it not check?????


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## cruze 2011 (Oct 20, 2010)

i sit back here on this forum and watch what people are posting and all i can say is WOW! ive seen alot of things on this site . granted thats what it here for ,all of the cruze owners to talk about their cars and their experiences with them. but getting mad because the abs system is heard cycling everytime you start out in the car is just crazzy ,especially when he knows what it is and why its doing it . its the nature of the beast.
i will say ive owned all kinds of cars before the cruze ,i bought the cruze for the gas mileage and because it was a quiet and comfortable car loaded with the latest technology... for a great price .


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## cruze01 (Mar 25, 2011)

OK, so maybe I'm to picky! But I have owned 3 other vehicles that had ABS and none of them made this sound. I understand that they probably will not be able to do anything about it but I'm going to bring it up with the dealer anyway, who knows, if enough people complain maybe GM will fix it.


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## MikeW (Nov 29, 2010)

My 01 Eclipse GT has anti-lock brakes, but I have never heard it make such a sound so it was a new one for me. Now that I know what this noise is on the Cruze, that is the end of it for me. It is not "broken"--sort of like the engine makes a "growl" when you stomp on the gas--it is what it is. LOL


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## smitty (Nov 21, 2013)

Wow, people are nuts. It's the ABS system self checking to ensure your ABS is working. "If enough people complain GM will fix it..." really? GM is going to fix one audible "clunk" when you start up and go when it is an essential system? No, get real. And I hardly think many people will complain. It is what it is and if this is the worst thing you deal with all day, can we please trade places?


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## GBLAN (Apr 7, 2016)

My 2014 Cruze has done this since purchase: Always driving after power-off and around 13 MPH. Sounds like an actuator (like power locks) only from the bottom of the chassis. This is the ABS Built-in Test (BIT) check. You may observe a slight brake movement when this occurs but I don't recommend fixing eyes on the brake pedal--this is designed and normal.


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