# Let the problems begin, ugg



## Scottybones (Jan 2, 2013)

*Anyone with electrical issues?*

So today I'm driving and the radio starts cutting on and off. Then the abs light starts blinking and so does the ebrake and traction lights. A couple of errors pop up: power steering failure and diveline stability, and recently traction control. It's intermittent and seems to start when I put her in gear. If I shut the car off and slowly turn the key, I can get it to stop sometimes. Also, the battery voltage is shifting between 13.6 and 15.7 volts. Usually the voltage is steady. Has anyone else had this problem before? Looks like I now know why I got the car so cheap. Going to try to get to the dealer tomorrow morning if they're open.


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## sciphi (Aug 26, 2011)

What year, how many miles, are you the second owner, and what's the car's history? 

Sounds like a flaky alternator or battery. I'd get the electrical system tested for capacity/load/voltage. AutoZone or Advance can do that for free. If you're over 12k miles/1 year and the battery tests bad, be ready to spring for a new battery. If it is the battery, our Fit's battery failed at 2 years old. No warranty on the battery, either.


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## Scottybones (Jan 2, 2013)

2012, 2nd owner, 27k, purchased it 1k ago. Full warranty so I'll bring her in. I think it's the alternator also, that's why I was checking the voltage. I can probably do the electrical checks myself. The other thing that happened that I just remembered, I couldn't start the car because the security theft notification was showing. Took key out and tried again and it was fine. That happened a couple of days ago.


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## Aussie (Sep 16, 2012)

sciphi said:


> What year, how many miles, are you the second owner, and what's the car's history?
> 
> Sounds like a flaky alternator or battery. I'd get the electrical system tested for capacity/load/voltage. AutoZone or Advance can do that for free. If you're over 12k miles/1 year and the battery tests bad, be ready to spring for a new battery. If it is the battery, our Fit's battery failed at 2 years old. No warranty on the battery, either.


Do your replacement Battries come with any warranty? When a new battery is bought in Aus. it is dated by removing a date tag and usually you get 2 or 3 years warranty depending on the battery. Buying a more expensive will give the most warranty.


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## steve333 (Oct 23, 2010)

I suggest buying a battery from AAA. My mother's battery went within 1 1/2 years. Instead of hassling with Pep Boys, I had her buy one from AAA-they came to her place, installed the battery within an hour. 3 year replacement and 6 year total warranty-door to door service. $100.
Hard to beat that


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## obermd (Mar 3, 2012)

The voltage display in the DIC will normally vary. However, I think 13.6 is low. 15.7 is within the normal range for this car.


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## Mick (Dec 31, 2011)

Did you check your battery connections weren't lose?


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## Scottybones (Jan 2, 2013)

The voltage shouldn't vary as much as it is. 14.6 was normal.


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## sciphi (Aug 26, 2011)

The voltage will vary when the car's on depending on the load. My voltage varies between 12.6 volts and 15.2 volts depending on whether the car was just started, the headlights were on, or the car has been on for 20-30 minutes. The alternator is variable-output based on load. 15.7 volts sounds high even for a Cruze. 

Try turning the headlights on manually after the car is on for a little bit. The voltage should hold steady at 13.5-14.5 volts. If it varies too much, something's the issue. 

Is your speedometer being flaky too? It could be the gauge cluster is flaking out. That was an issue on the 2011's and some early-build 2012's.


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## Scottybones (Jan 2, 2013)

The speed isn't flaking, but the abs, traction, and brake light are wigging out.


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## cruzers (Dec 13, 2010)

The fact that all the warning lights are coming on abs, traction, power steering etc... all at once, I'd be leaning towards a bad ground or bcm (body control module) GM vehicles were notorious for bad bcm in the past.


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## mcg75 (Mar 5, 2012)

Normally, your symptoms match an alternator not charging. When it's not charging, everything relies on the battery and eventually weakens it enough where you start to lose electronics one by one and general odd behaviour due to the battery no longer providing 12 volts. 

But the alternators in the Cruze apparently pick and choose when to charge to save mpg. The 15.7 volt output could be the alternator deciding maximum charge is need during the period when it decides to charge.

So I'm going to pick battery is bad. I guess we'll see tomorrow.


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## Scottybones (Jan 2, 2013)

I'm nervous because I it's intermittent and it's not going to happen when I bring it in. Since I left the post, it hasn't happened again. I'm leaving in a little bit so we'll see if it happens again.


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## Ru5ty (Jun 20, 2012)

i get 15.4 while driving


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## brian v (Dec 25, 2011)

Inspect the car thoroughly upon completion of all work .trust me Iam aware of the shoddy tech service


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## Scottybones (Jan 2, 2013)

obermd said:


> The voltage display in the DIC will normally vary. However, I think 13.6 is low. 15.7 is within the normal range for this car.


When the car is running right, it's right on at 14.6, and doesn't vary more than 14.7.


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## Chevy Customer Care (Oct 29, 2011)

Scottybones said:


> So today I'm driving and the radio starts cutting on and off. Then the abs light starts blinking and so does the ebrake and traction lights. A couple of errors pop up: power steering failure and diveline stability, and recently traction control. It's intermittent and seems to start when I put her in gear. If I shut the car off and slowly turn the key, I can get it to stop sometimes. Also, the battery voltage is shifting between 13.6 and 15.7 volts. Usually the voltage is steady. Has anyone else had this problem before? Looks like I now know why I got the car so cheap. Going to try to get to the dealer tomorrow morning if they're open.



Scottybones,
I would like to apologize for the issues that you are having with your Cruze. I would like you to keep me posted on the progress with your dealer. If you have any questions or would like my assistance please feel free to contact me anytime.
Thank you,
Stacy Chevrolet Customer Service


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## titan2782 (Nov 4, 2011)

Yeah, if the lights on the dashboard are coming on (nothing to do with bad alt or batt) then there is a loose ground or something is shoring out.


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## Scottybones (Jan 2, 2013)

Thanks Stacy. I contacted service today and got transfered to what I thought was the service manager and got voicemail. Left a message and no call back. I emailed my service manager about what happened today and asked him to contact Mike for me. So far the problem hasn't happened since last night. 
What should I do since it hasn't happened again? While we were driving the steering wheel snapped back hard and I'm nervous that if this happens again it can cause an accident.


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## Chevy Customer Care (Oct 29, 2011)

Scottybones said:


> Thanks Stacy. I contacted service today and got transfered to what I thought was the service manager and got voicemail. Left a message and no call back. I emailed my service manager about what happened today and asked him to contact Mike for me. So far the problem hasn't happened since last night.
> What should I do since it hasn't happened again? While we were driving the steering wheel snapped back hard and I'm nervous that if this happens again it can cause an accident.




Scottybones,
I would still recommend that you have your dealer look into this for you. If you would like me to contact them for you please send me a PM with your name, address, phone number, VIN, current mileage, the name of your dealer and the days and times that you would be available to take your car in. Either way, please keep me posted. If you have any other questions please feel free to contact me anytime.
Thank you,
Stacy Chevrolet Customer Service


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## mshy (Jan 29, 2013)

Scottybones, I have the same issues in my 2012 Cruze with 26K miles, I bought it two weeks ago. What did they do for you? My radio went off and on all the way to work two mornings and the check stability traction light went on while it was happening. I brought it in to the shop a couple days ago and of course it hasn't happened for them and they are just giving me back the car.


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## Chevy Customer Care (Oct 29, 2011)

mshy said:


> Scottybones, I have the same issues in my 2012 Cruze with 26K miles, I bought it two weeks ago. What did they do for you? My radio went off and on all the way to work two mornings and the check stability traction light went on while it was happening. I brought it in to the shop a couple days ago and of course it hasn't happened for them and they are just giving me back the car.



mshy,
If you continue to experience problems, please feel free to contact me with further details. If you have any other questions feel free to contact me anytime.

Thank you,
Sara (Assisting Stacy)
Chevrolet Customer Service


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## mrbean8686 (Jun 23, 2012)

Alright! I was having a similar issue with my moms 12 cruze ltz, she has the regular radio and it was shutting off about two or three times per drive. Eventually it got worse and it would constantly shut on and off, it was really annoying, took it to to the dealer yesterday and they diagnosed it as a bad screen and it would have to be replaced. Got a call back from the dealer saying the screen is replaced and its good now, i will report back later if the issue persists. 

One thing i forgot to mention i was not getting no warning lights in the dash.

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## brian v (Dec 25, 2011)

2 , many faults with that year .bad go figure


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## Scottybones (Jan 2, 2013)

So the car finally died the other night. When I jumped it I had to ground it to the chasis since it wouldnt start when negative was connected to the battery. Went for a ride and when I shut the car off, it was completely dead again. Towed it to the dealer and they found that the negative battery cable had gone bad. Resistance kept rising as I drove and eventually it dropped the voltage so much that the cable was useless. The dealer ran out of loaner cars (go figure) and they had to rent us a car from Enterprise. My service rep was the best I've ever dealt with. My only issue is that this should've never have happened


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## obermd (Mar 3, 2012)

Scottybones said:


> So the car finally died the other night. When I jumped it I had to ground it to the chasis since it wouldnt start when negative was connected to the battery. Went for a ride and when I shut the car off, it was completely dead again. Towed it to the dealer and they found that the negative battery cable had gone bad. Resistance kept rising as I drove and eventually it dropped the voltage so much that the cable was useless. The dealer ran out of loaner cars (go figure) and they had to rent us a car from Enterprise. My service rep was the best I've ever dealt with. My only issue is that this should've never have happened


I'd be curious to know why the cable went bad. Cables as a general rule don't go bad unless they are physically damaged at some point.


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## mrbean8686 (Jun 23, 2012)

So i drove the car this morning and it still has the problem but now i ocassionally get the warning messages service stability track and traction control, its going back to the dealer tomorrow morning and i will update with what they find this time.

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## mrbean8686 (Jun 23, 2012)

Scottybones i was re read your first post and im also getting the same voltage fluctations 13.XX up to 15.7 while driving it, and that abs lights up too. Sounds like we have the same exact issue will see what dealer finds this time.

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## obermd (Mar 3, 2012)

The voltage fluctuations are normal and expected. When the electrical load is low the voltage will be lower. This display doesn't show the voltage drop across the battery, but instead shows the voltage drop across the alternator.


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## mrbean8686 (Jun 23, 2012)

Obermd my moms car has to be strange i have the same exact car but mine starts at 15 volts when its cold after about 5 mins it stays steady at 14 volts otoh my moms car constantly fluctuates.

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## brian v (Dec 25, 2011)

Ground wire


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## Scottybones (Jan 2, 2013)

I disagree with the fluctuations being normal. What we are talking about is the voltage jumping all around. When the problem was happening, it was changing 2 volts in seconds, going up and down. Now that it's normal, it stays steady at either 12.6 or 14.6, depending on the driving conditions. If you're not having this problem then you probably don't understand what's happening. I had a huge voltage drop due to a faulty battery cable that caused my car to die. You shouldn't try to tell somebody that's it's normal when there clearly is a problem and they are on this forum trying to get help.


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## mrbean8686 (Jun 23, 2012)

Scottybones, did the new ground wire fix your problems?

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## Scottybones (Jan 2, 2013)

obermd said:


> I'd be curious to know why the cable went bad. Cables as a general rule don't go bad unless they are physically damaged at some point.



I work on outboard cabling on submarines and we have cables go bad all the time. Granted, they are being subjected to extreme pressures and temperatures, but technically they shouldn't be going bad as fast as they do sometimes. To be quite honest, I've never had any issues with my other cars which were Toyotas, and my Sentra with 150K on hasn't given me any major issues either.


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## obermd (Mar 3, 2012)

Scottybones said:


> I disagree with the fluctuations being normal. What we are talking about is the voltage jumping all around. When the problem was happening, it was changing 2 volts in seconds, going up and down. Now that it's normal, it stays steady at either 12.6 or 14.6, depending on the driving conditions. If you're not having this problem then you probably don't understand what's happening. I had a huge voltage drop due to a faulty battery cable that caused my car to die. You shouldn't try to tell somebody that's it's normal when there clearly is a problem and they are on this forum trying to get help.


You are correct that voltage fluctuations should not be that quick. We do get the occasional question about voltage variations in the Cruze and they are usually the normal variations in the alternator's output. Your's is not.



Scottybones said:


> I work on outboard cabling on submarines and we have cables go bad all the time. Granted, they are being subjected to extreme pressures and temperatures, but technically they shouldn't be going bad as fast as they do sometimes. To be quite honest, I've never had any issues with my other cars which were Toyotas, and my Sentra with 150K on hasn't given me any major issues either.


I've been driving GMs since 1985 and have never had an electrical problem from a faulty wire or cable. Unless a power wire or cable is physically damaged they just don't fail in the operating environment of a car.


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## Scottybones (Jan 2, 2013)

I agree that they shouldn't go bad, but it did and I really doubt that someone went in and cut the cable. I just bought the car and it was a fleet car so I doubt anyone was in there doing any modifications. The cable was faulty and it was most likely manufactured that way. Shotty maufacturing, plain and simple.


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## brian v (Dec 25, 2011)

Has this issue reached the so called Q.A. People at GM . Or is there one to even report to?


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## obermd (Mar 3, 2012)

GM doesn't make the cables. It sounds like there was a manufacturing flaw in this one cable that caused it to fail. It could even have been something as simple as the cable having been dropped and run over, damaging the internal structure of the cable.


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## spacedout (Dec 7, 2010)

The cable could have just been loose on either end & behaved the same way.


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## obermd (Mar 3, 2012)

Scottybones said:


> So the car finally died the other night. When I jumped it I had to ground it to the chasis since it wouldnt start when negative was connected to the battery. Went for a ride and when I shut the car off, it was completely dead again. Towed it to the dealer and they found that the negative battery cable had gone bad. Resistance kept rising as I drove and eventually it dropped the voltage so much that the cable was useless. The dealer ran out of loaner cars (go figure) and they had to rent us a car from Enterprise. My service rep was the best I've ever dealt with. My only issue is that this should've never have happened





spacedout said:


> The cable could have just been loose on either end & behaved the same way.


A loose cable wouldn't need replacing.


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## spacedout (Dec 7, 2010)

obermd said:


> A loose cable wouldn't need replacing.


Right, but I wanted to point out that if you are having intermittent electrical issues first thing to check would be loose cables. A bad battery cable would be pretty rare unless its ran through the engine bay in some way it eventually melts/rubs & creates a bad spot.


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## bryanakron40 (Nov 8, 2012)

So you had a bad ground cable. Warranty fix it? If so, it did it's job. Maybe you should go back to Toyotas and be happy.


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## brian v (Dec 25, 2011)

AT last count there is a supply chain problem going on with these cars bro . The spark plugs are installed with the gaps under sized ,and now this issue with wiring with faults . Where is the over sight .oh yah there is none.what will go wrong with this car next ?
I had a problem with a faulty coil pack or some issue that caused the coil pack to burn out .then some one at the dealer thought that it would be nice to dent the hood and tha rear quarter panel .now they the dealer wants to sell me a new car with 7 or 9 upgrades no thanks bro I want this car to last me ten years like my last car did is that asking to much of them I would think not ! So what is next with cruze


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## nikstoy (Jun 17, 2013)

What happens when Gm doesn't have the cable available??????? I tell you what, you sit and wait for how long who knows!!!!!!


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