# Engine power reduction



## mcdoer (Jan 15, 2013)

I bought a 2011 Chevy Cruze 2yrs ago. Nothing but problems..........less than a yr after purchase my family and I went on vacation. On our way, in the middle of no where at 2am all the electrical signs came on and the engine has a power reduction. Luckily no one was behind us or we would have been hit. Per ONSTAR we turned off the car for a few minutes, system reset and we were advised to get it in for service right away. Upon our return we did just that and they said that there was nothing wrong. Two months later it happened again. Took car in for recall services and explained the situation, again they can't find anything wrong. Today while driving it did it again, service department says they finally found the problem BUT guess what warranty is over so we have to pay for a new throttle and censor. Really funny that they found it after the warranty was over and it only took them 2hrs. All other times they had it for a day or two and couldn't find the problem. I can tell you that Chevy will not get anymore business from me or my family.


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## XtremeRevolution (Jan 19, 2012)

mcdoer said:


> I bought a 2011 Chevy Cruze 2yrs ago. Nothing but problems..........less than a yr after purchase my family and I went on vacation. On our way, in the middle of no where at 2am all the electrical signs came on and the engine has a power reduction. Luckily no one was behind us or we would have been hit. Per ONSTAR we turned off the car for a few minutes, system reset and we were advised to get it in for service right away. Upon our return we did just that and they said that there was nothing wrong. Two months later it happened again. Took car in for recall services and explained the situation, again they can't find anything wrong. Today while driving it did it again, service department says they finally found the problem BUT guess what warranty is over so we have to pay for a new throttle and censor. Really funny that they found it after the warranty was over and it only took them 2hrs. All other times they had it for a day or two and couldn't find the problem. I can tell you that Chevy will not get anymore business from me or my family.



If you took the car in for a problem twice and the dealership could not diagnose it while under warranty, they are required to cover the repair as the problem existed before the warranty expired. They were simply incapable of correctly diagnosing the issue. 

Call GM customer support and file a case with them if you haven't already. This should have been the first thing for you to do when the dealership failed to correctly resolve the problem the first time. 

That said, did you come here to troll, or did you come here to ask for help?


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## spacedout (Dec 7, 2010)

Call GM customer service, you have documented issue for each time you took it in, they may cover the cost. If that doesn't make you happy I would question why it takes 2 hours to diagnose a trouble code their computer reads from the car, labor should be no where near 2hrs to change a simple senor. 

How do you know it was not some other sensor causing the issue before? Just because the throttle position sensor fails now there is no way to prove that was the issue before.


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## sciphi (Aug 26, 2011)

Isn't the throttle body covered under the powertrain warranty? I'd check to see if it would be. 

Recall this car is DBW, so there's a chance the TPS is simply the engine reading the commanded position of the throttle. And a "TPS failure" would mean just replace the durned TB.


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## Chevy Customer Care (Oct 29, 2011)

mcdoer said:


> I bought a 2011 Chevy Cruze 2yrs ago. Nothing but problems..........less than a yr after purchase my family and I went on vacation. On our way, in the middle of no where at 2am all the electrical signs came on and the engine has a power reduction. Luckily no one was behind us or we would have been hit. Per ONSTAR we turned off the car for a few minutes, system reset and we were advised to get it in for service right away. Upon our return we did just that and they said that there was nothing wrong. Two months later it happened again. Took car in for recall services and explained the situation, again they can't find anything wrong. Today while driving it did it again, service department says they finally found the problem BUT guess what warranty is over so we have to pay for a new throttle and censor. Really funny that they found it after the warranty was over and it only took them 2hrs. All other times they had it for a day or two and couldn't find the problem. I can tell you that Chevy will not get anymore business from me or my family.




mcdoer,
I would like to apologize for the issues that you have experienced with your Cruze. I would like to look into this for you. Can you please send me a PM with your name, address, phone number, VIN, current mileage and the name of your dealer? I look forward to your response. 
Thank you,
Stacy Chevrolet Customer Service


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## kcnorth (Mar 6, 2013)

*Same thing happened to me*

I, too, have a 2011 Cruze that we bought new. Last Friday, as I was driving home on a VERY busy major road in our metro area, my car suddenly showed multiple indicator lights and the dash read "reduced engine power" and then powered down. I pulled off before it died, and turned on hazards, grabbed the manual and it said to let it sit off for a few minutes, then restart. It seemed to do ok, so I took off again, but turned onto a residential street so as not to get plowed over if it happened again. It did, twice. I called the dealer, who recommended we have it towed in ($150). They had it the whole day Saturday and said it performed flawlessly and they saw no issues and had us pick it up. 

Last night, coming home from work, it did it again. I was closer to home, thankfully and after several re-starts, I got it home. Today, it starts, but the check engine light remains on, and it won't go over 20 mph.

I'm afraid the dealer will say they can't find anything wrong and send it home again. I don't want to have a car that's a dice-roll every day, hoping I don't get plowed over on the road when the engine shuts down the next time. So far I've been lucky, but I don't have nine lives!

Nonetheless I did call the dealer and took it back to them and said not to call me until they identified and fixed the problem. I am NOT a happy camper, mostly because I'm scared it'll do it again in major traffic and cause me to be in an accident.

P.S. We are 1107 miles past our warranty, of course. Hoping and PRAYING power train warranty will cover it.


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## Chevy Customer Care (Oct 29, 2011)

kcnorth said:


> I, too, have a 2011 Cruze that we bought new. Last Friday, as I was driving home on a VERY busy major road in our metro area, my car suddenly showed multiple indicator lights and the dash read "reduced engine power" and then powered down. I pulled off before it died, and turned on hazards, grabbed the manual and it said to let it sit off for a few minutes, then restart. It seemed to do ok, so I took off again, but turned onto a residential street so as not to get plowed over if it happened again. It did, twice. I called the dealer, who recommended we have it towed in ($150). They had it the whole day Saturday and said it performed flawlessly and they saw no issues and had us pick it up.
> 
> Last night, coming home from work, it did it again. I was closer to home, thankfully and after several re-starts, I got it home. Today, it starts, but the check engine light remains on, and it won't go over 20 mph.
> 
> ...




kcnorth,
I would like to apologize for the issues that you are having with your Cruze. I do understand your concerns as well as frustrations with this. I would like to look into this for you. Can you please send me a PM with your name, address, phone number, VIN, current mileage and the name of your dealer? I look forward to your response. 
Thank you,
Stacy Chevrolet Customer Service


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## tagreath (Oct 22, 2012)

*Chevvy Cruze "Engine Reduced Power"*

I have had a very similar problem to this, about 6 months ago I was nearing the end of a 200 mile drive, having had cruise control on for about the previous 60 miles when several dash warning lights came on and a message came on that said "Engine Reduced Power" and despite pressing the gas pedal and changing gear the car continued to slow down. I pulled over to hard shoulder, turned engine off waited a few minutes and it started again and was ok for rest of journey, except for check engine light on. I took it to dealers next day and they checked it all over and could not find an issue, they also charged me $100 for the time to check it out. The problem did not happen again until yesterday, again I was travelling from Chicago, a journey or approx 500 miles, so i was using cruise control as the roads were not busy after about 300 miles it happened again, this time I noticed a message saying to service Stabilitrak, then the message about engine reduced power. I pulled over and waited a few minutes then continued again, about 50 miles later the same thing, then again after a similar distance, I tried driving for a while without cruise control and the problem did not ocurr, then I put cruise control on and after about 30 miles it did it again. In total 4 times during the trip. Luckily on each time the roads were not busy and there was somewhere to pull over, had that not been the case a serious accident could have resulted. i am about to take it to the dealer today for them to check it out.


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## Evofire (Oct 3, 2013)

I just had this problem....like last weekend....they replaced the ECU.


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## revjpeterson (Oct 2, 2013)

These problems sound exactly like what I used to get on my 2007 Grand Prix before I traded it in on my Diesel. 

Each time the codes read as a throttle position sensor mis-match. The traction control and other lights accompanying it were because those systems were reliant on the throttle system to function. This could have been caused by the pedal/sensor, throttle body, a computer malfunction or any of the wiring that runs between them, and my research showed there was a TSB on water entering an electrical connector. When it wasn't corrected after cleaning and greasing those 2 connectors, the only way to isolate which component was at fault, if there were no obvious visual cues, was to start replacing parts. If all three parts (computer, TB, pedal) were replaced, and it was still happening, then there was a wiring fault between the components. Fortunately for me, after step 1 (clean/grease connector) the Diesel came on the market before I had to start rolling the dice on which $200-400 part to replace first.


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## tagreath (Oct 22, 2012)

*Seems To be fixed*



tagreath said:


> I have had a very similar problem to this, about 6 months ago I was nearing the end of a 200 mile drive, having had cruise control on for about the previous 60 miles when several dash warning lights came on and a message came on that said "Engine Reduced Power" and despite pressing the gas pedal and changing gear the car continued to slow down. I pulled over to hard shoulder, turned engine off waited a few minutes and it started again and was ok for rest of journey, except for check engine light on. I took it to dealers next day and they checked it all over and could not find an issue, they also charged me $100 for the time to check it out. The problem did not happen again until yesterday, again I was travelling from Chicago, a journey or approx 500 miles, so i was using cruise control as the roads were not busy after about 300 miles it happened again, this time I noticed a message saying to service Stabilitrak, then the message about engine reduced power. I pulled over and waited a few minutes then continued again, about 50 miles later the same thing, then again after a similar distance, I tried driving for a while without cruise control and the problem did not ocurr, then I put cruise control on and after about 30 miles it did it again. In total 4 times during the trip. Luckily on each time the roads were not busy and there was somewhere to pull over, had that not been the case a serious accident could have resulted. i am about to take it to the dealer today for them to check it out.


OK I took it to the dealer and they diagnosed that the throttle body needed to be replaced, this has been done and so far about 600 miles later it has been OK. They also refunded the $100 from earlier in the year when they didnt find anything. Luckily this was all covered under my extended warranty which only has about 2,000 miles to go


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## 2011ChevyCruzeLT (Jan 3, 2014)

sciphi said:


> Isn't the throttle body covered under the powertrain warranty? I'd check to see if it would be.
> 
> Recall this car is DBW, so there's a chance the TPS is simply the engine reading the commanded position of the throttle. And a "TPS failure" would mean just replace the durned TB.


The throttle body is NOT covered under 5yr/100k (whichever 1st) powertrain warranty. How do I know? 

Was driving my 2011 Cruze LT1 yesterday (57k) in awful snowy road conditions in downtown Detroit when "Service Stabilitrak" warning comes on...immediately followed by "Engine Power Reduced"...immediately followed by this: my car's speed reduced to 5mph...on Woodward ave in not the best part of Detroit. NOT cool. Managed not to get rear-ended on poorly plowed slippery roads and turned the car onto side street, turned off ignition, then restarted, and car worked fine. Then 5 minutes later in Highland Park, MI (even worse neighborhood)...same problem, same solution. Was calling dealers who could take me--hoping I could keep turning car off and on if need be--and brought to Matthews-Hargreaves in Royal Oak after the problem did not recur for the next 20 minutes to dealer. 

When I got to MH Chevy, I was told by the service assistant that any number of problems trigger these warnings and cut power/gas to engine. He had seen the problem once before: coincidentally, that day. And in that case was a cheap fix to the accelerator. But in my car the diagnosis was a bad Throttle Body and, unfortunately, those are NOT covered by powertrain warranty even though they regulate air intake into engine. 

Cost? $403. Labor: $200. Part: $171. Tax: $30+. 

So I called Serra Chevrolet where I usually get car serviced and they said labor wasn't much--about $105-120 with exact same part cost--which added insult to injury (oh, and my wife's battery died earlier that day which is why I'd left work early in the first place... to service _that!)._

Add yesterday's Throttle Body problem to: 
-8 months ago: bad engine valve causing overactive Engine Cooling Fan running nonstop. Part was covered under PT warranty.
-3 months ago: battery died. Bad fuel cell. And being that the car is less than 3 years old, AAA doesn't even flag that it would be a bad battery and didn't diagnose correctly when the guy came out in the morning to my house. Then died at work in the evening and AAA admitted that they almost never see this. 

My dad just retired from GM but once my Cruze hit 50k+ miles, it's like it's falling apart! What's up, Chevy?!


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## silvercruze1lt (Sep 28, 2012)

why pay so much for labour and overpriced parts, rockauto sells the throttle body for less than 100 bucks and i cant see it taking longer than 15-20 minutes to replace it


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## JD505 (Jan 7, 2014)

Just had this very same issue. I bought my 2012 Cruze Eco on 11/17/13, and everything has been great until this morning. I was driving about 40mph to work, and all of a sudden the engine felt like it was gearing down. The check engine and traction control lights came on, then in the message up saying 'Reduced Engine Power'. I couldn't going past 20mph after that. I pulled over, remembered that I left the manual at home, and googled the message and found you all. I turned car off for 5 minutes and it started right back up, but check engine light was still on. I took it straight to the dealership. Later this afternoon they called me to say that not only was the throttle body the culprit, but they also found my water pump leaking. They advised me that since my car is still under warranty, everything is covered and I can pick it up tomorrow afternoon. 

You all are very helpful and I have visited this site a few times to find out info on my Cruze. I hope to contribute as much as I can here as well.


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## nebojsa (Jan 3, 2011)

My brother- in-law had the same problem on his car.Check engine light,Traction control light and reduced power.Pulled over, disconnected the battery cable for about 5 seconds put it back on and away we went. No problem . Check engine light ,track stability light,and the loss of power all gone.
Now all that problem started when he was at a stop light and when turned green he spun the wheels and jerked the car.


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## Blue Angel (Feb 18, 2011)

Funny timing on this thread. My GF's 2011 BMW 3 Series had this EXACT same problem on Saturday morning! She went to leave for work and upon starting the car the dash lit up like a Christmas tree, speed limited to about 20km/h. I had to drive her to work. I read all the DTCs from the OBDII port and three codes were set, all relating to a possible Throttle Position Sensor/Circuit and/or Throttle Body sticking malfunction. It's at the dealership now, still waiting for the call as to what's wrong.

So Cruzers, don't think you're alone or that this is a Chevy issue. It seems any new car with stability control will limit the car's speed if the throttle circuit is sensed to have a malfunction.


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## glm007 (Jan 9, 2014)

I have had this same problem. The car check engine light came on, then it said power reduced. Luckily no one was behind me. If I let the car set for a bit, it will start and run OK, but it usually happens at least 2 more times before I gert to work or home. The problem occurs only in the winter when it's damp or foggy and the temperature is at freezing. Last winter it happened twice. I had the car towed to the mechanic, and was told that although the car's computer told him when it happened, it could not be determined WHY it happened. This past Tuesday it was bitter cold outside, and it happened several times on the way to and from work. The next day, when it was warmer outside, it ran fine and continues to...FOR NOW...or until it gets colder again! I asked the dealer if this was a problem anyone else was experiencing and was told NO. Based on what I see from others, I AM NOT ALONE! It is OBVIOUSLY a factory defect, but GM won't offer a recall. I commute about 60 miles to work each way. As a result I have high mileage on the car. It would be nice to not have to watch the weather report to decide if I think the car is safe to drive because it might cold enough to have it happen again. I and my entire family have always bought Chevrolete vehicles. Now I am starting to think my next car may be something else. I am interested to see if GM will answer my posting here, and if so, what they are willing to do to correct an OBVIOUS factory defect.


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## Blue Angel (Feb 18, 2011)

glm007 said:


> I am interested to see if GM will answer my posting here, and if so, what they are willing to do to correct an OBVIOUS factory defect.


Send a PM to Chevy Customer Service, a member here on the forum. They can register your complaint at the GM level (dealerships are privately owned/operated) and push the info down to your local dealer and help you get some action on it.


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## Blue Angel (Feb 18, 2011)

Blue Angel said:


> My GF's 2011 BMW 3 Series had this EXACT same problem on Saturday morning...


We got the car back on Tuesday evening after the dealer replaced the throttle body assembly. I'm not sure if the issue was caused by an actual throttle sticking condition (frozen) or if it was a Throttle Position Sensor issue. The latter is looking slightly less probable since these complaints are surfacing in a time of cold weather.

Most cars used to have heated throttle bodies with a coolant passage plumbed through them. I just looked at my Eco and the Throttle Body does not appear to be heated, unless it's somehow done with electric heat? Doubtful. It has a composite intake manifold so no heat would get to the TB if it's not heated.

I'll check the GF's BMW as well, it also has a composite intake (Google image search seems to suggest no heated TB on her car). Heated TB's used to be the norm to avoid TB freezing, even my fair-weather Corvette has a heated TB. I'm thinking there may be a relation somehow...


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## Chevy Customer Care (Oct 29, 2011)

Hi glm007,

Sorry to hear about the issue that you are experiencing with your Cruze. We can set up a case for you and reach out to the Customer Care Specialist at your dealership. Please send us your name, VIN, mileage and the name of your dealership in a private message. 

Jackie
Chevrolet Customer Care


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## obermd (Mar 3, 2012)

2011ChevyCruzeLT said:


> -3 months ago: battery died. Bad fuel cell. And being that the car is less than 3 years old, AAA doesn't even flag that it would be a bad battery and didn't diagnose correctly when the guy came out in the morning to my house. Then died at work in the evening and AAA admitted that they almost never see this.


I wouldn't believe AAA on this one. JD Powers three year surveys show batteries being the number one item having to be replaced; even at a higher rate than the notoriously short lived OEM tires.


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## obermd (Mar 3, 2012)

Blue Angel said:


> So Cruzers, don't think you're alone or that this is a Chevy issue. It seems any new car with stability control will limit the car's speed if the throttle circuit is sensed to have a malfunction.


This is for our "safety". Just ask our wonderful Federal Government. We drove cars without all the nanny sensors for over 100 years and high power cars without these systems since the 60s and 70s yet now we "can't" do it safely.


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## glm007 (Jan 9, 2014)

glm007 said:


> I have had this same problem. The car check engine light came on, then it said power reduced. Luckily no one was behind me. If I let the car set for a bit, it will start and run OK, but it usually happens at least 2 more times before I gert to work or home. The problem occurs only in the winter when it's damp or foggy and the temperature is at freezing. Last winter it happened twice. I had the car towed to the mechanic, and was told that although the car's computer told him when it happened, it could not be determined WHY it happened. This past Tuesday it was bitter cold outside, and it happened several times on the way to and from work. The next day, when it was warmer outside, it ran fine and continues to...FOR NOW...or until it gets colder again! I asked the dealer if this was a problem anyone else was experiencing and was told NO. Based on what I see from others, I AM NOT ALONE! It is OBVIOUSLY a factory defect, but GM won't offer a recall. I commute about 60 miles to work each way. As a result I have high mileage on the car. It would be nice to not have to watch the weather report to decide if I think the car is safe to drive because it might cold enough to have it happen again. I and my entire family have always bought Chevrolete vehicles. Now I am starting to think my next car may be something else. I am interested to see if GM will answer my posting here, and if so, what they are willing to do to correct an OBVIOUS factory defect.


I was contacted by Chevrolet Customer Service, and was told that they would check into the problem with my car. All they did was refer me to my dealership where it would be fixed at my expense, and did not recognize or admit that this is a problem with the design of the engine (factory defect). I am VERY disappointed that GM will not recognize that there is a problem with the 2011 Cruze that many people, both on this website as well as others, are having to deal with. The conditions under which the car loses power (cold weather) cannot be simulated by the dealership mechanics because they run the diagnostics in a heated garage. The problem will not show up when they test it. It never has, and it never will. When the car loses power it happens abruptly. This is a safety concern as the car cannot maintain its speed, and during heavy traffic flow it is likely that someone is going to end up in a crash as a result. IT IS A DEFECT WITH THE CAR! If GM is unwilling to recognize or admit that the car is flawed, then I will have to seriously consider taking my business elsewhere as well as that of my family. I am EXTREMELY disappointed in GM.


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## Blue Angel (Feb 18, 2011)

glm007 said:


> All they did was refer me to my dealership where it would be fixed at my expense, and did not recognize or admit that this is a problem with the design of the engine (factory defect).


If it is out of the warranty period they are under no obligation to fix anything. I'm assuming your car is out of warranty since they said your car would be fixed "at your expense".

If you're not satisfied with the way GM is handling this issue, file a complaint with the NHTSA. If there are enough people complaining about an issue that's a safety concern they will look into it. If they see fit they will proceed with a recall.


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## Gina1971 (Jan 16, 2014)

Today my car was idling & all of a sudden the "engine power reduction" light came on, the car sputtered & my traction light & CEL came on. I turned the car off & waited about 15 minutes. It started just fine, but the CEL is still on. I called the Dealership & they said it w/not be covered under the power train. After reading this forum, I found out that it is more then likely the throttle body. I called the dealership & it is going to cost aprox $500. This is BS! My car is only 3 years old, with only 70,000 miles on it. With the same issues for so many of us that own these cars - why is GM not doing a recall? I've already had like 3-4 recalls on this car. I just loved my 2011 Cruze - & now, I am not loving it so much anymore. What the heck? How can so many issues be happening w/this car???? I am beyond frustrated. I still have 3 years left to pay on this car. I have never had a car that has had issues so early on after purchasing it. Not so sure I will ever buy Chevy again. This is the first one I have had & just loved everything about this car. I am very upset & s/not have to be worrying about issues on a 3 year old car already. I am worried that (from reading this forum) that it will die on me while I am on the Interstate, which is very scarey. What will it take for a recall to be done???????


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## Gina1971 (Jan 16, 2014)

I just went on the NHTSA website & filed a complaint regarding this issue. Please, Please - anyone/everyone that has this issue - PLEASE file a complaint ASAP! The more people that file a complaint, the better odds of a safety recall being done. Thank you!!!


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## Gina1971 (Jan 16, 2014)

I filed my complaint. Thanks for the info on where to go to file one. Hopefully everyone will & they will do something about this.


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## Gina1971 (Jan 16, 2014)

I found out yesterday that its my Throttle Pedal Position Sensor. The check engine light went off last night, but I am concerned that I s/go ahead & have it replaced now before it really messes up. Does anyone know if I s/go through the Dealer (which is way more expensive) or if I can buy the part online & how easy is it to replace??


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## jblackburn (Apr 14, 2012)

Gina1971 said:


> I found out yesterday that its my Throttle Pedal Position Sensor. The check engine light went off last night, but I am concerned that I s/go ahead & have it replaced now before it really messes up. Does anyone know if I s/go through the Dealer (which is way more expensive) or if I can buy the part online & how easy is it to replace??


This is not an uncommon problem - it happens across many models. It's just the nature of a variable potentiometer with the cheapest contacts they can source from a vendor.

Unfortunately...the new sensor probably needs to be "mated" to the car via software to make sure it's reading the correct zero position.


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## Blue Angel (Feb 18, 2011)

jblackburn said:


> Unfortunately...the new sensor probably needs to be "mated" to the car via software to make sure it's reading the correct zero position.


This is a posibility. Likely the only way to find out would be to reference the Cruze repair manual.

Gina, your best course of action would probably be just to ask the dealer how much they will charge to install a new sensor. If they are charging less than an hour labor and the part isn't too expensive you may get out paying $100-$200. If that's the case, unless you or someone you know is mechanically inclined enough to source the part and do the repair the dealer isn't a bad option.

If the dealer wants more than $200 it might be worth your time to ask an independant garage.


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## revjpeterson (Oct 2, 2013)

If this is the same as my Pontiac, a new Pedal Position Sensor means new Gas Pedal (all one unit). It was about an $80 part and took literally 10 min. to swap by sticking your head under the dash, removing two screws and a plug, and reinsalling the new part. Mating/programming the sensor could be an additional issue on newer models, though.


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## ccornett (Jan 17, 2014)

I have been having the same problem for about a month. I took my Cruze to the dealership a week and a half ago. They kept the car all day and said that they did not know the exact problem, but they had quite a few people come in with the same issue. They said that they could replace a part but couldn't guarantee a fix... I took my car to a local mechanic today and he gave me a little more information but he couldn't get the engine power to reduce while he was driving it so he did not know the exact problem either. I can't keep driving with this problem. What can I do?


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## revjpeterson (Oct 2, 2013)

ccornett said:


> I have been having the same problem for about a month. I took my Cruze to the dealership a week and a half ago. They kept the car all day and said that they did not know the exact problem, but they had quite a few people come in with the same issue. They said that they could replace a part but couldn't guarantee a fix... I took my car to a local mechanic today and he gave me a little more information but he couldn't get the engine power to reduce while he was driving it so he did not know the exact problem either. I can't keep driving with this problem. What can I do?


This problem is the reason I ultimately traded my Grand Prix last fall. Most of the codes relating to the electronic throttle come from mismatches between redundant sensors. So, for example, there might be 3 sensors in the pedal and 2 in the throttle body, and if the computer detects a mismatch (between the sensors within a component or between sensors across components) it throws a CEL, derates the engine, and stores one or more codes. 

The trouble with this system is that it doesn't truly identify where the problem is, just that a mismatch was detected. In my experience with the Grand Prix, I learned that the fault could be in the pedal assembly, the throttle body, a bad computer, or any of the wiring between the three. My outlook was essentially to start replacing parts, and stop when it went away. I drove it for over a year, sometimes going 2-3 months between incidents, and other times occurring 3 times a day, with no discernible pattern as to temperature, moisture, etc. 

Fortunately, the Pontiac didn't derate as severly as the descriptions I have seen of the Cruze. As far as I could tell, it would just dial back the timing and bypass the supercharger (no speed limitation and rpm limit seemed to be around 3k). So, I could still drive at 55mph, it just took a bit longer to get there. It doesn't sound like the Cruze is so forgiving. Hope this doesn't cause anyone too much anxiety, but these electronic throttles really are nothing but trouble.


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## thebus1 (Jan 20, 2014)

having the same problem, especially after it snows and turns cold.reduced engine power-service stabiltrac, then the check engine light.took it to th dealer twice they cant find problem.service advisor told me to get in the car and drive it,if it happens again just pull the car over and turn it off.im afraid to drive it. happened 10 more times luckily I was close to home.still don't know what it is


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## Camaro45th (Jan 12, 2014)

Just a heads up, my brother in law ran out of gas in his 2012 Cruze and had to have fuel delivered to him on the side of the highway. Upon starting the car, his car displayed this message, and he felt the car was sluggish and not as peppy. He called me, and brought it over. I tried plugging it into my obd reader and nothing came up. I then decided to disconnect the battery for a few minutes (like 2-3 minutes) and then reconnected. Fixed the issue and the message went away. I'm guessing it's a safety to maybe not damage the turbo?


Sent from AutoGuide.com Free App


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## glm007 (Jan 9, 2014)

Gina1971 said:


> I just went on the NHTSA website & filed a complaint regarding this issue. Please, Please - anyone/everyone that has this issue - PLEASE file a complaint ASAP! The more people that file a complaint, the better odds of a safety recall being done. Thank you!!!


I'm with you on this Gina1971. I filed my own complaint with NHTSA last week. I am beyond angry with GM! I know others are having the same problems. Please file more complaints. Our tax money went towards bailing GM out of from going bankrupt! Don't let them get away with this. Unfortunately, it may take something bad like a fatality to get GM to admit the car is defective!


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## Chevy Customer Care (Oct 29, 2011)

thebus1, 

I am sorry you are having this concern. Were you able to leave your Cruze overnight with the dealership so they could try and duplicate the concern from a cold start? Please let us know if you would like for us to reach out to your dealership on your behalf. 

Erica Tiffany
Chevrolet Customer Care


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## Blue Angel (Feb 18, 2011)

Camaro45th said:


> Just a heads up, my brother in law ran out of gas in his 2012 Cruze and had to have fuel delivered to him on the side of the highway. Upon starting the car, his car displayed this message, and he felt the car was sluggish and not as peppy. He called me, and brought it over. I tried plugging it into my obd reader and nothing came up. I then decided to disconnect the battery for a few minutes (like 2-3 minutes) and then reconnected. Fixed the issue and the message went away. I'm guessing it's a safety to maybe not damage the turbo?


This happened to me as well when I ran out of fuel, but the car was still drivable when this happened just in a reduced power state. You are correct, disconnecting the battery will reset this condition. The only reason I can think of for this message is to get the car into the dealer so they can make sure everything is OK, but that's just my speculation... or maybe to log the issue in case of fuel pump failure? Who knows.

What's being described here is a complete lack of power and a speed limiter at a very low speed. The same thing happened to our BMW a few weeks back, I posted about it earlier in the thread. My fiance limped the car home with the 4-way flashers on. According to the invoice the dealer replaced the throttle body assembly.


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## H3LLON3ARTH (Dec 16, 2011)

I had this issue also but I wanted to see what my milage would be like driving for a week and it actually cleared the symptoms itself which was cool.

Sent From My Galaxy Note 3.
Which is bigger than my hand.


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## thebus1 (Jan 20, 2014)

glm007 said:


> I'm with you on this Gina1971. I filed my own complaint with NHTSA last week. I am beyond angry with GM! I know others are having the same problems. Please file more complaints. Our tax money went towards bailing GM out of from going bankrupt! Don't let them get away with this. Unfortunately, it may take something bad like a fatality to get GM to admit the car is defective!


hi gina just to let you know I also filed a report with nhtsa


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## thebus1 (Jan 20, 2014)

Blue Angel said:


> Funny timing on this thread. My GF's 2011 BMW 3 Series had this EXACT same problem on Saturday morning! She went to leave for work and upon starting the car the dash lit up like a Christmas tree, speed limited to about 20km/h. I had to drive her to work. I read all the DTCs from the OBDII port and three codes were set, all relating to a possible Throttle Position Sensor/Circuit and/or Throttle Body sticking malfunction. It's at the dealership now, still waiting for the call as to what's wrong.
> 
> So Cruzers, don't think you're alone or that this is a Chevy issue. It seems any new car with stability control will limit the car's speed if the throttle circuit is sensed to have a malfunction.


 having the same exact problems I filed a complaint with the NHTSA.CANNOT TRUST THIS CAR


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## iKermit (Dec 13, 2010)

thebus1 said:


> having the same exact problems I filed a complaint with the NHTSA.CANNOT TRUST THIS CAR


Has this been your only problem? Have you opened a case with GM?

 -I'm mobile-


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## thebus1 (Jan 20, 2014)

this is the not the only problem I have had with the car, have had burning smell coming out of the vents,oil dripping and causing the car to smoke,and heater switch go out,All happened out of warrenty. But to bring the car in twice and get no diagnosis from chevy I thought I better bring it to someone elses attention.Another chevy dealer wants me to let them use my car to and from work so they can see if it happens to them and it would be easier to diagnose it. don't know what to do.


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## iKermit (Dec 13, 2010)

Hmm you can leave it to them, might as well... You came this far right?

Did Jackie from the forum here already assist you? She works directly with GM to get cases like this solved... There have been some pretty good results from her help.


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## Cruze2.0Diesel (Jun 30, 2013)

I had the same issue with a brand new 1500 mile VW 2.0T, the connectors at the throttle body were replaced with gold plated terminals, as per the TSB, that problem never came back but had lots of other issues with that car. Make sure you don't have anything plugged into the car that you would take with you when you leave it at the dealership.


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## thebus1 (Jan 20, 2014)

Gina1971 said:


> I found out yesterday that its my Throttle Pedal Position Sensor. The check engine light went off last night, but I am concerned that I s/go ahead & have it replaced now before it really messes up. Does anyone know if I s/go through the Dealer (which is way more expensive) or if I can buy the part online & how easy is it to replace??


just started up the car.All lights on service stabiltrac and then reduced engine power,borrowed a neighbors scanner and it is reading TPS throttle position sensor, Call the dealer back in the morning.right now its 20 below and snowing that when it triggers this off.


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## Blue Angel (Feb 18, 2011)

thebus1 said:


> just started up the car.All lights on service stabiltrac and then reduced engine power,borrowed a neighbors scanner and it is reading TPS throttle position sensor, Call the dealer back in the morning.right now its 20 below and snowing that when it triggers this off.


So is the car going back in?


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## Denver Bob (Jun 14, 2012)

December 2013, My 2011 LT with 65,000 miles, experienced the same problem. There was a service bulletin back in 2011 that warned about throttle sensor failures and it should be replaced if the problem is discovered. Since it was out of 36,000 mile warranty, it was an out-of-pocket expense. It appears that service bulletins are cheaper to issue rather than a recall. Obviously, it makes no sense to Chevy to fix a known problem before it occurs.


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## Blue Angel (Feb 18, 2011)

Denver Bob said:


> There was a service bulletin back in 2011 that warned about throttle sensor failures and it should be replaced if the problem is discovered. Since it was out of 36,000 mile warranty, it was an out-of-pocket expense.


Do you still have your invoice from the repair? Any additional info may be of great assistance to those going through this issue now. Not all dealerships are created equal and some may not be aware of TSBs for certain issues.


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## thebus1 (Jan 20, 2014)

Blue Angel said:


> So is the car going back in?


Friday morning. dealer wants to diagnose the car to be sure, Sure he does at $150.00. talked to them today and sevice rep told me its their policy, because they did not see the scan results themselves, I talked to a garage today and he told me everybody knows gm has problems with their throttle bodys but their not doing anything about it. he also said gm knows that certain ones are freezing up in the very cold weather and causing these problems with the cars.But when I asked chevy if anyone else is having these problems,He tells me no.


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## ChuzCruze (Feb 9, 2012)

thebus1 - You said you have a burning smell coming from your heating vents. Does it smell like burning plastic? Burning coolant? Or a combination of the two? If it has anything to do with the "coolant smell" there is currently a *class action lawsuit *over this issue with the Cruze model. Google it. You will find several lawyers that are helping with this class action lawsuit.


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## thebus1 (Jan 20, 2014)

I will check it out, Thanks


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## 2011 (Jul 31, 2013)

My Chevy Cruze 1.4L has the same problem yesterday and once before. 55K and breaking down on the side of the road isn't cool...actually its cold. Turn it off then restart. Hopefully there's a shoulder to cry on...I mean turn on to. Drive a little more just to repeat six times yesterday. 
Code reads a throttle position sensor mis-match. 
I throw some Techron cleaner in every once in a while and added some last night. Filled with 93 octane. 
Reving the engine every chance I could this morning going to work and it didn't give me the reduced engine power light. Along with having to stop and restart.
Idling better.
A couple things I plan on doing this weekend is remove the throttle body, spray it with a throttle plate cleaner and dry off. Reading up on a fuel filter change possibly?
Never replied to one of these forums until today and will search this site but it seems like this should be something GM would send me in the mail as a recall or free maintenance.


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## Blue Angel (Feb 18, 2011)

2011 said:


> Code reads a throttle position sensor mis-match.
> I throw some Techron cleaner in every once in a while and added some last night. Filled with 93 octane.
> Reving the engine every chance I could this morning going to work and it didn't give me the reduced engine power light. Along with having to stop and restart.
> Idling better.
> A couple things I plan on doing this weekend is remove the throttle body, spray it with a throttle plate cleaner and dry off.




My wheels are turning... I'm wondering if this issue has something to do with the move away from heated throttle bodies. Just pure speculation here, but if the PCM is sending a signal to the throttle body asking for a certain throttle plate angle and there is a discrepancy between what it's asking for and what it's getting as feedback from the Throttle Position Sensor in the throttle body, that could be the issue and it could be caused by a sticking/frozen throttle plate. Pulling over and shutting the engine off increases the temperature of the throttle body since there is no vacuum behind the throttle plate, as well as allowing underhood heat to warm it. Starting the engine is now OK and the throttle responds properly.

This is just me thinking out loud... what codes did you pull from the car?



2011 said:


> Reading up on a fuel filter change possibly?


If there's any accuracy at all in my ramblings above, a fuel filter change likely wouldn't help. I could see maybe water in your fuel contributing to the issue, but that would pass as soon as the water was gone. Water is heavier than fuel and will gather in the bottom of the fuel tank and be pumped first, so it would be a temporary condition and would happen soon after starting the car in the morning.

Ramble ramble... BTW, welcome to the forum!


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## jblackburn (Apr 14, 2012)

Blue Angel said:


> My wheels are turning... I'm wondering if this issue has something to do with the move away from heated throttle bodies. Just pure speculation here, but if the PCM is sending a signal to the throttle body asking for a certain throttle plate angle and there is a discrepancy between what it's asking for and what it's getting as feedback from the Throttle Position Sensor in the throttle body, that could be the issue and it could be caused by a sticking/frozen throttle plate. Pulling over and shutting the engine off increases the temperature of the throttle body since there is no vacuum behind the throttle plate, as well as allowing underhood heat to warm it. Starting the engine is now OK and the throttle responds properly.
> 
> This is just me thinking out loud... what codes did you pull from the car?
> 
> ...


BA, you may be quite right. They probably figured that the air from forced induction would keep the throttle bodies warm enough to keep them from icing up.

The first electronic-throttle Volvos (circa 1999) used to have problems with this as well...condensation would build up in the intercoolers, and in turn, in the throttle body plates (not heated). If the throttle position sensor wasn't showing what the commanded throttle angle was, bam, limp mode. The non-turbo models had a thermostat flap in the air cleaner box that would draw in hot air from over the exhaust on really cold days that seemed to alleviate the icing problem for those entirely.


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## blk88verde (Apr 30, 2011)

This is only my second drive by wire vehicle. The other being a 2002 Mercedes C230K. I have not yet encountered a reduced power condition, but I know the 2005-2006 GTO's had lots of reported issues with the pedal assembly failing causing reduced power. My 2004 GTO has a physical cable and a heated throttle body, the 2005-2006 GTO's were drive by wire. I guess GM did not fully test the Cruze in Siberia.


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## randy (Feb 17, 2014)

I bought my cruze new in January 2011. I have had a problem since new when putting the car in gear about once a month all the lights would come on saying stabilatrack and rear park assist. the car had no power and was like taking off in high gear. we took it 4 times and they could not find the problem. we did contact gm and had a compliant number set up. no help. if you turned off the engine and let it sit a minute it would be fine for another month. this only occurred when you put it into gear and we learned to deal with it. now we get low power code and stabilatrack code and the car just dies while driving, turn it off and restart it and it is fine for a day or two. we took it back to the dealer and now they say it is the throttle body which is not covered under warranty we have about 74,000 miles and the power train warranty does not cover the TB. is this just a sensor?? are the two problems connected? dealer says they do not know


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## Blue Angel (Feb 18, 2011)

randy said:


> ...the power train warranty does not cover the TB. is this just a sensor?? are the two problems connected? dealer says they do not know


I'm not 100% sure of which way to advise you here, but I have my suspicions that if the car drives OK after shutting the engine off and turning it back on again there may be nothing wrong with your throttle body and replacing it with a new one may not fix the issue. Note I say "may" because I really don't know.

One thing I would consider is the frequency of the issue... is it happening more frequently now than it did before? If so, this could be an indication of a sensor going bad or getting worse over time. This is, again, just a theory.

Look at the previous posts. If the issue is indeed related to the fact the throttle body is a non-heated design and the issue is triggered by environmental conditions, then changing the throttle body may not fix the issue.

If you are mechanically inclined, you could remove the throttle body and inspect it for smooth operation and lack of obvious wear. If it operates smoothly and shows no signs of wear (throttle blade scraping on the perimeter of the opening), simply replacing the TPS (Throttle Position Sensor) may be something to look into as it would surely be cheaper than changing the whole throttle body assembly, and this would eliminate the issue if it indeed was related to a faulty sensor.

This is a tough one, people...


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## randy (Feb 17, 2014)

the problem has started when the temp is at or below zero. it has not been this cold since we bought the car. the dealer wants to replace the TB but it does run great after you turn it back on. it has been happing a lot more 7 times last week. today it will be above 30 I will see if it does it today.


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## Chevy Customer Care (Oct 29, 2011)

randy said:


> I bought my cruze new in January 2011. I have had a problem since new when putting the car in gear about once a month all the lights would come on saying stabilatrack and rear park assist. the car had no power and was like taking off in high gear. we took it 4 times and they could not find the problem. we did contact gm and had a compliant number set up. no help. if you turned off the engine and let it sit a minute it would be fine for another month. this only occurred when you put it into gear and we learned to deal with it. now we get low power code and stabilatrack code and the car just dies while driving, turn it off and restart it and it is fine for a day or two. we took it back to the dealer and now they say it is the throttle body which is not covered under warranty we have about 74,000 miles and the power train warranty does not cover the TB. is this just a sensor?? are the two problems connected? dealer says they do not know


Hi randy,

I’m sorry to hear that you have been experiencing problems with your Cruze. I understand that you did have a complaint number set up about your concern, and also that you have taken your vehicle to the dealership. We would like to take an extra look into your concern. Please send us a private message with your name, address, phone number, complaint number, VIN, current mileage, and involved dealership if we can be of any assistance.

Kristen A.
Chevrolet Customer Care


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## BallingerMike (Jun 5, 2011)

I guess I'll throw my hat in the ring. I bought my Cruze LS 6spd, brand new, in May 2011. Like most everyone else, I had the awful coolant smell issue. Luckily, my dealer fixed the issue the second time around. Then, not long after that, my transmission was replaced under warranty. I was nervous as I approached the end of my bumper-to-bumper warranty because this car seemed to develop new issue once every couple months. At 38,000 miles, just 2000 miles outside of warranty, I started getting the dreaded "reduced engine power" and "service stabilitrak". The code it was throwing (P2135) referred to the throttle position sensor. The issue started this winter when temperatures outside dipped well below freezing. Usually I'd pull the car over, turned it off and wait a minute, then it would be okay. Sometimes I would have to pull over two or three times in a short trip. Once the car was warmed up and had been running for a while, it would go back to normal. After much research, I decided to replace the throttle body. My local dealer wanted $270 just for the part. I ordered it from rockauto for $170 shipped (ACDELCO 55561495). Replacing the throttle body was very simple. Hopefully this solves the problem. I'll update here after a while.


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## Blue Angel (Feb 18, 2011)

BallingerMike said:


> Replacing the throttle body was very simple. Hopefully this solves the problem. I'll update here after a while.


Please keep us posted!


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## tirriel (Feb 27, 2014)

I too have had the same problem today. My vehicle has had no known problems but I have noticed that it starts to get heavy in these freezing temperatures. Today it is -10, feels like -19 degrees celsius. First time this problem happened to me and engine completely powered down. Could not accelerate at all. Luckily I was on a residential street. The error code flashed service stabilitrak and then reduced engine power. I turned of the vehicle and waited with the hood open for about 5 minutes. Turned back on and was able to rev the car no problem. I called two dealerships. The dealers both didnt know anything of this problem and tell me there is no way to check what the problem is unless I get in. Surely this is a common problem and I even noticed in this thread that it was a bulletin for the car about the throttle body back in 2011. I sure hope this is covered under warranty. I am at 100,000 km's and all I have left is the powertrain warranty. I do know that there is a recall currently in effect for a brake issue. Maybe will get it checked out at the same time as that.. I drove to work no problem but the check engine light is on. Please let me know how all your problems panned out in the end.

The car is a 2011 cruze, LT turbo.


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## Blue Angel (Feb 18, 2011)

tirriel said:


> I sure hope this is covered under warranty. I am at 100,000 km's and all I have left is the powertrain warranty.


Do your best to have the issue documented before your warranty expires. This should be covered under powertrain.


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## Jnoobs (Nov 22, 2012)

Check your vacuum lines thoroughly. The vacuum port on the top of my Intake Manifold had snapped and caused those issues. Got it fixed and everything is 100%


Sent from AutoGuide.com Free App


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## bjackson (Nov 20, 2014)

I recently had the reduced engine power message come up on my 2012 Chevrolet Cruze. The car then would only allow me to go very slow. I restarted the vehicle and the message went away and worked fine. Problem returned a few days later so I took it to the dealer who told me that it was not covered under warranty because its not part of the powertrain warranty. They said they would need to replace the throttle body and it will cost $400. I can't believe that a vehicle which is only 2 years old is having a problem like this already. I read all the posts and see that it is a common problem with the vehicle. How is this not something GM is fixing at their expense. It would be nice if the company would address a known problem that should not be occurring on new vehicles. Last GM vehicle I will ever purchase just want to get rid of this vehicle immediately. I don't expect anyone from the company to reply and actually address the issue.


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## Slammed2014Eco (Feb 13, 2014)

Yea it's bs that throttle body replacement was removed from the powertrain warranty for 2010+, Sucks that that happend 2 years in have they replaced the throttle body yet?


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## revjpeterson (Oct 2, 2013)

bjackson said:


> I recently had the reduced engine power message come up on my 2012 Chevrolet Cruze. The car then would only allow me to go very slow. I restarted the vehicle and the message went away and worked fine. Problem returned a few days later so I took it to the dealer who told me that it was not covered under warranty because its not part of the powertrain warranty. They said they would need to replace the throttle body and it will cost $400. I can't believe that a vehicle which is only 2 years old is having a problem like this already. I read all the posts and see that it is a common problem with the vehicle. How is this not something GM is fixing at their expense. It would be nice if the company would address a known problem that should not be occurring on new vehicles. Last GM vehicle I will ever purchase just want to get rid of this vehicle immediately. I don't expect anyone from the company to reply and actually address the issue.


Be careful just throwing parts at this problem. Depending on which codes you are setting, this might or might not be a throttle body. Some of the codes and code combinations can result from either the throttle body, the pedal position sensor, the ECU, or any of the wiring between these three components. The throttle body just tends to be the first thing they throw at it to see if it works. If your code comes back, then they will probably replace the gas pedal/sensor, then the ECU, then start chasing wiring faults if none of those three worked. 

The problem isn't so much with GM as it is with electronic throttles. They're all trouble, regardless of manufacturer, and they're so complicated that it can be hard to chase exactly which component has failed or if it's a wiring fault. Electronic throttles have to be about the worst choice manufacturers ever made, because of the expense and complications they add to the vehicle, especially when mechanical throttles were simple and practically bulletproof before they switched to electronic.


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## revjpeterson (Oct 2, 2013)

If you can do them yourself or have a friend that can do these, I should add some simple steps for dealing with throttle body codes on gas motors:

1. Clean the throttle body, intake, MAF, etc. and change the air filter. 
2. Disconnect, clean, inspect for water intrusion or damage, and use di-electric grease on all wire harness connections to the throttle body and gas pedal/position sensor assembly, as well as any connections between these components and the vehicle's ECU. 
3. Visually inspect all wiring and insulation that runs between these three components (pedal/position sensor, ECU, throttle body) for cracking, scorching, cuts, etc.
3. Check, and clean if necessary, any grounding points associated with these wire harnesses that you are able to locate. 
4. Make sure you don't have any aftermarket accessories that are connected to the vehicle's 5v power. These have been known to interfere with electronic throttle operation. 

I learned these while trying to diagnose electronic throttle issues with my previous vehicle. In my case they proved unsuccessful, because it turned out the car had been flood damaged under a previous owner, but it had not been reported or recorded on the title. For many others, these steps have been known to remedy many electronic throttle-related codes.


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## 556Shooter (Jan 14, 2015)

Glad I checked this site.

Was pulling out of my daughters school today, engine went to "reduced power" like so many others here. I almost got hit. A Dodge was able to avoid hitting me by going up on the curb at the school.

I attempted to have a conversation with GM about this through one of their local dealers. She WOULD NOT articulate anything beyond me going there, paying them and then telling me if they would cover it or not under power train.

A throttle that controls the engine power is not part of the power train. It would be nice if we wrote the rules, huh?


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## Green (May 14, 2014)

556Shooter said:


> Glad I checked this site.
> 
> Was pulling out of my daughters school today, engine went to "reduced power" like so many others here. I almost got hit. A Dodge was able to avoid hitting me by going up on the curb at the school.
> 
> ...


Although it is seldom thought of as such, the reduced engine power and being able to limp to side of road is quite a bit better then just killing the engine when some important code comes up.

Have you had it scanned yet to see what code( s ) are there and what they point to?


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## Blue Angel (Feb 18, 2011)

Just to re-state the issue, it would seem this issue MAY have something to do with specific environmental conditions; well below freezing + high humidity = frozen throttle body. Shutting the engine off and letting it sit for a minute then everything is fine, suggests the throttle body thaws and resumes normal operation.

IF this is the case, throwing parts at the problem isn't likely to fix anything, as revjpeterson suggests above, unless some slightly different manufacturing tolerance on a particular part just happens to be a little different I the right way. Not likely.

This seems to be an increasingly common issue since cars have done away with heated throttle bodies. Presumably, they were heated to avoid this very issue.

WRT the TB not being covered under powertrain, not that I agree with their decision, but the TB is now more of an electrical part no different than a coil pack or alternator. It has nothing but electrical connections to it, whereas they used to be operated mechanically as well as being part of the engine's cooling circuit. As a very general rule, parts touched by coolant, engine oil, transmission or differential fluid are generally the only parts covered under a powertrain warranty.


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## caseyw (Mar 9, 2015)

I have a 2013 Chev Cruz and the power reduced to engine has come on it is under warranty but dealership says I have to pay $100 to get them to look at it I bought it at a different dealership in different town why is the warranty not valid here in Austin they have treated me horribly


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## obermd (Mar 3, 2012)

caseyw said:


> I have a 2013 Chev Cruz and the power reduced to engine has come on it is under warranty but dealership says I have to pay $100 to get them to look at it I bought it at a different dealership in different town why is the warranty not valid here in Austin they have treated me horribly


Casey,

PM our Chevy Customer Care account here. Also, see if you can find a different dealership. The one that wants a "diagnostic fee" to check a car under warranty is a crook.


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## cruze2011ab (Dec 4, 2015)

Hello Everyone, 

I am new to this forum and want to say hello!! 

Anyway I have a 2011 Chev Cruz LT and just last Saturday my engine light came on along with the other engine light with the down arrow on it on speedometer side. Then the code Enigne Power Reduction came one and it also slowed down to 5km and so I pulled over and another code of Service EPS with a wrench on top came up. I shut the car off for a few mins and restarted and the engine light stayed on and then got down the road and it did it again. So once again I pulled over shut off car for couple minutes and started back up but engine light came back one but ran fine. Finally got home and called to book in for a service. Well the next morning I had to run out and thought well I will give it a try started up the car and engine light was off and running like normal and I thought well maybe it was a dirty sensor and then today on way to work it did it again. So I am booking in for a service hopefully they can find something. Any advice from all of you would be greatly appreciated.

Cindy


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## jblackburn (Apr 14, 2012)

cruze2011ab said:


> Hello Everyone,
> 
> I am new to this forum and want to say hello!!
> 
> ...


Please ask the dealer to reference "special warranty coverage 14311", which will instruct them to replace the negative battery cable for intermittent electrical issues and reduced engine power messages, and will be covered for free provided you're under 150,000 miles. I think that will take care of your problem.


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## cruze2011ab (Dec 4, 2015)

jblackburn said:


> Please ask the dealer to reference "special warranty coverage 14311", which will instruct them to replace the negative battery cable for intermittent electrical issues and reduced engine power messages, and will be covered for free provided you're under 150,000 miles. I think that will take care of your problem.


Thank you!!! I will forsure do that.


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## cruze2011ab (Dec 4, 2015)

Just an update...I called my dealer and they got me in right away and have been informed that it is my Throttle Body. Engine warranty was up in 2014 and it is NOT included on the power train warranty of course I still have :sad010:I did mention _"special warranty coverage 14311"_ but it did not have anything to do with the problem I was having darn it. At least she is fixed now (hopefully) because I just love this car!!!


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## obermd (Mar 3, 2012)

cruze2011ab said:


> Just an update...I called my dealer and they got me in right away and have been informed that it is my Throttle Body. Engine warranty was up in 2014 and it is NOT included on the power train warranty of course I still have :sad010:I did mention _"special warranty coverage 14311"_ but it did not have anything to do with the problem I was having darn it. At least she is fixed now (hopefully) because I just love this car!!!


I'm confused. How can a throttle body failure result in an EPS (Electric Power Steering) failure?


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## Blue Angel (Feb 18, 2011)

Agreed Mike, sounds more like the negative battery cable to me.


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## notrubr (Jan 24, 2013)

Add my 2012 1LT to the list. 61K miles and issues started on jan 29th during the east coast snow storm. Issue has increased as the temperature as dropped. Issues has happened during car warm-up, at stop signs/lights, normal in-town driving and on the highway. Just completed the NHTSA process. The temps are going to be above 45 this week in SE PA so I will see if the issue stops of goes away. Think I am going to replace the TB anyways.


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## notrubr (Jan 24, 2013)

*OBD II Trip Data*

Attached is the OBDII Torgue data from my trip home from work yesterday where the error happened numerous time.

It did not log/show when the error hit but if you look at the throttle % at manifold vs throttle % B you will see some large differences.


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## ChevyGuy (Dec 13, 2014)

notrubr said:


> Attached is the OBDII Torgue data from my trip home from work yesterday where the error happened numerous time.
> 
> It did not log/show when the error hit but if you look at the throttle % at manifold vs throttle % B you will see some large differences.


Any idea how those numbers are calculated? 




notrubr said:


> Add my 2012 1LT to the list. 61K miles and issues started on jan 29th during the east coast snow storm. Issue has increased as the temperature as dropped. Issues has happened during car warm-up, at stop signs/lights, normal in-town driving and on the highway.


I wonder about the possibility of TB icing. Or, it could just be getting sticky as it gets cold.


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## jblackburn (Apr 14, 2012)

^TB icing is actually not a bad idea. Probably wouldn't hurt to investigate and clean the throttle body plate. 

Turbo Saabs and Volvos used to have this issue in the coldest days of winter due to a "reverse intercooler" setup and PCV/oil vapor buildup at the throttle body over time. They never used heated throttle bodies like other manufacturers.


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## brian v (Dec 25, 2011)

Hey j , have ya Met Chevyguy ? He is pretty smart ..


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## notrubr (Jan 24, 2013)

I am going to go with not an icing issue. Two P2135 yesterday between 4:10PM to 4:20PM both at stop lights and within first 8 miles of driving. This morning 8 P2135 codes all at complete stops and after 25 miles of driving (13 miles of it on I-95).

As for "Any idea how those numbers are calculated?"
They are what are record by the Torque app. Torque runs on my Android phone and connects to the OBD II Bluetooth adapter I have plugged in. Torque then presents you with a list of sensors/data it can display and log.

I have noticed the car will shake (feel it in driver seat) and idle rough prior to code.

The new TB arrives tomorrow so if you got any tips for me to use when replacing it Sat - please let me know.


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## notrubr (Jan 24, 2013)

I replaced the TB on Sat (Feb 20th) and so far no codes or issues after 100+ miles. The old TB was very clean to my surprise (pics attached).




















My biggest issues during the the replacement process was disconnecting the wiring harness and finding the right size socket attachments to reach the bottom bolts.


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## skiboutins (Nov 19, 2013)

Add my 2012 Cruze ECO to the list of those with a faulty TB.

Cruze quit twice in two days with the Reduced Engine DIC, Service Stabilitrak DIC and Check Engine light.
Both times it started back up after waiting a few minutes.

Dealer replaced TB and confirmed it was NOT covered under the powertrain warranty....total cost $400.
Dealer did confirm that a similar failure was occurring with the Sierra trucks and that TB WAS covered under warranty.

Filed my complaint with NHSTA today....make sure everyone else does too.

GM should be covering a faulty TB...especially with only 48k miles.


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## CruzeNoMo (Jan 13, 2017)

Is there a way to get in touch with Chevy/Gm customer service to address "reduced engine power" in my 2011 Cruze? Thanks.


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## OLLIE$ (May 24, 2021)

tagreath said:


> *Chevvy Cruze "Engine Reduced Power"*
> 
> I have had a very similar problem to this, about 6 months ago I was nearing the end of a 200 mile drive, having had cruise control on for about the previous 60 miles when several dash warning lights came on and a message came on that said "Engine Reduced Power" and despite pressing the gas pedal and changing gear the car continued to slow down. I pulled over to hard shoulder, turned engine off waited a few minutes and it started again and was ok for rest of journey, except for check engine light on. I took it to dealers next day and they checked it all over and could not find an issue, they also charged me $100 for the time to check it out. The problem did not happen again until yesterday, again I was travelling from Chicago, a journey or approx 500 miles, so i was using cruise control as the roads were not busy after about 300 miles it happened again, this time I noticed a message saying to service Stabilitrak, then the message about engine reduced power. I pulled over and waited a few minutes then continued again, about 50 miles later the same thing, then again after a similar distance, I tried driving for a while without cruise control and the problem did not ocurr, then I put cruise control on and after about 30 miles it did it again. In total 4 times during the trip. Luckily on each time the roads were not busy and there was somewhere to pull over, had that not been the case a serious accident could have resulted. i am about to take it to the dealer today for them to check it out.


HI,HAD THE SAME PROBLEM.DEALER REPLACED APP SENSOR AND THROTTLE BODY AND ECU.NOW THEY ARE TELLING ME ITS THE WIREING FROM APP TO ECU.HOPE THIS HELPS.


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