# Gas leak on 2011 Cruze



## unit (Jun 24, 2011)

I agree that the problem should have a permanent fix applied by the manufacturer and I'm surprised that it hasn't been done before now. Apparently the problem isn't pervasive enough to have caught the attention of those that need to resolve the issue. Where on the car is the connector shown in your picture located? I'm guessing that this is back near the tank but can't tell for sure.


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## TravsCruze (Aug 4, 2011)

i definitely want to know where this coupler is.


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## cruzncanada (Nov 16, 2010)

Travs,

The coupler is located on the underside of the car beneath the passenger rear seat (more to the rear portion of the seat).


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## unit (Jun 24, 2011)

The connector appears to hang a little lower than it should and could easily be damaged if the car were to bottom out or strike a foreign object laying in the road, which is probably what has happened to you. I jacked the car up and looked for ways to pull the connector up a little and out of harm's way. I took a couple of photos of my fix that should help you if you want to do the same thing. I took two, heavy gauge wire ties that can be purchased at Lowe's or Home Depot and used one tie to pull the connector up against existing cables located near the connector. You can see that in the first picture. This puts some stress on the other cables and tends to pull them down a bit, so I took the second tie and looped in around the fuel tank strap. This tends to pull everything back up toward the bottom of the car alleviating the stress caused by the first cable. You can see that in the second photo. This isn't the best photo. I had no room to get back from the tie and the camera had a hard time focusing at such a close range. Only about an inch of movement makes a big difference and puts the connector behind a bulge in the steel floor pan where it's not likely to be damaged.


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## unit (Jun 24, 2011)

Here is another photo showing the fuel line after it was pulled up about an inch. You can see in this photo that the fuel connector is protected from damage by the structure of the underbody.


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## sciphi (Aug 26, 2011)

Hmm, that area's protected by an underbody tray on my Eco. I do have some gravel areas to drive on, so I'll have to watch that closely. 

Any way to get protection on there, a la the Eco underbody panels?


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## unit (Jun 24, 2011)

Hey sciphi, could you give us a picture of the tray on your Eco? I'd like to see what it looks like.


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## TravsCruze (Aug 4, 2011)

The Ecos seem to have the advantage here. Although next time i've got Lilly up off the ground i'll go ahead and drop her body panel and get that fuel line up out of the way just to be safe.


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## sciphi (Aug 26, 2011)

Not the best shots, but what I snapped for the folks over on EcoModder:



















Looking from the front of the car backwards:










All of the fuel and brake lines are hidden underneath the passenger-side underbody panel.


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## cruzncanada (Nov 16, 2010)

The coupler was not the initial part that failed. The service manager explained that the bracket closest to the coupler failed (the bracket came apart and therefore the fuel line was left dangling) and then the plastic coupler was exposed (instead of being in the cubby where it belonged, protected by a metal plate). The manager said he saw where stones had hit the bracket, causing the bracket to come apart. He also said the bracket would come apart again. He suggested a fix and I suggested he contact the GM Tech department.

He provided me with a loaner because he did not have the proper clip that holds the plastic coupler to the metal fuel line.

Here are a closeup and not so closeup photo of the bracket.


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## sciphi (Aug 26, 2011)

The OEM location leaves the lines pretty exposed. 

Do you have any studs exposed in the bottom? An Eco underbody panel or DIY underbody panel looks like it would prevent the problem entirely.


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## cruzncanada (Nov 16, 2010)

I didn't see any special places to connect the panel to. I'll wait and see what GM says. I hope they look into this, although I won't hold my breath. This is an issue that GM needs to deal with soon than later.


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## cruzncanada (Nov 16, 2010)

I spoke with a representative from the Transport Safety Board today and he told me they are investigating this problem with the Cruze.

We are batting a thousand with the Astra and the Cruze, when it comes to fuel leaks (3 in 2 years). My wife said she does not want to become another GM death statistic, but I don't think GM will be sympathetic to our cause.


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## cruzncanada (Nov 16, 2010)

*Our Cruze buy back*

Our Cruze buy back, and how I am very glad and relieved that I was wrong about GM on a couple of points

1. GM *is* taking the gas leak on the Cruze seriously (I previously mentioned they probably wouldn't). They have involved many of their engineers to determine the reason why the leak happened (and why it happened twice before on an Astra). It turns out gravel is not just gravel. The gravel from our area is made from blasting and crushing Tyndall type rock in the area (I always thought it was strictly limestone, but maybe not). The resultant gravel pieces are quite sharp. This is evidenced by the fact that tires in this area only last one to two years, mainly because the tires get chewed up by the gravel (we've gotten flat tires just from stone cuts and we had one set of tires wear out after 19,000km). The sharpness of the stones apparently wreak havoc on some types of plastic/plastic compounds (the Astra's wheel wells were ripped to shreds). When we lived in southern Ontario, near Niagara Falls, we didn't have to replace our truck tires for nine years, mainly because the gravel was naturally occurring and the edges were somewhat smooth (compared to what we experience out here).

2. GM is buying back our 2011 Cruze (I didn't think they would). I escalated my concerns past the first level of customer service and after I was initially turned down at the next level up, GM reconsidered and decided to buy back the Cruze (was it my second letter to the president of GM Canada or the Tyndall stone revelation that made a difference? maybe a bit of both?). I must say, the Executive Review person was very respectful and honest in dealing with me. I know this may sound like a commercial for GM, but I was treated properly throughout the entire process. I didn't always agree with what I was being told and they didn't always agree with my take on the issue, but there was always mutual respect for each other. My beef was about a problem I was having--not with any one individual--and that is why I treated GM staff with the respect due to them. Was I frustrated throughout the process? You bet, but I have known for a long time that venting on someone else only benefits one's self (and only for a very brief moment in time). You might feel better in that moment, but what have you done to the party at the other end? I wouldn't want to be the recipient, and so I guess it boils down to treating others as you want to be treated, especially when times are difficult.

I suspect GM is going to ruminate over the gas leak problems we experienced, and in the meantime we are looking at getting into a more robust vehicle (for our area) like an Equinox or Silverado. We have driven many more miles problem free than not in GM products and so we will stick with the brand.

I'll still look in on this website from time to time, curious as to whether anyone else experiences the same problems we came across.


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## sciphi (Aug 26, 2011)

Glad to hear they did what's right and took care of you! And no, it's never a commercial when somebody tells about good customer service! 

The new Equinoxes are quite nice, and all right on gas when driven with a light foot. You won't get the advertised 32 mpg highway, but high 20's highway and low 20's around town should be doable.


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## FatKidsCruze (Sep 2, 2011)

cruzncanada said:


>


Holy exposed lines, even my 1989 Honda CRX had factory tunnels and protective coverings for fuel lines.


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## cruzncanada (Nov 16, 2010)

FatKidsCruze said:


> Holy exposed lines, even my 1989 Honda CRX had factory tunnels and protective coverings for fuel lines.


I too found it hard to believe once I saw the vehicle's undercarriage. The '09 Astra is even worse; the entire fuel line is plastic.


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## iKermit (Dec 13, 2010)

cruzncanada said:


> I too found it hard to believe once I saw the vehicle's undercarriage. The '09 Astra is even worse; the entire fuel line is plastic.


Wow! What a safety hazard, glad they did the right thing for you man. What are you going to do now? Buy another car?  If so which one? lol


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## cruzncanada (Nov 16, 2010)

iKermit said:


> Wow! What a safety hazard, glad they did the right thing for you man. What are you going to do now? Buy another car?  If so which one? lol


Kermit,

We will probably try to swing a deal with a 2011 or 2012 Equinox or Silverado. We like the GM brand, and besides, if we go to another manufacturer we will have to pay at least $2,400 in provincial/federal taxes versus paying taxes on the difference between the buy back and another GM vehicle.

We went to a local dealer (1 1/2 hours away) and we asked them to put an Equinox up on a hoist. We were utterly shocked though when we saw the underside of the 2012 Equinox. There were *four *quick connect/coupler combinations on the fuel line. At first we said forget it, we didn't like the odds with more fuel line plastic, but the service manager told us that is the normal set-up for an Equinox or GMC Terrain that uses flex-fuel (does the E85 need to be conditioned by hitting 90 degree quick connects?). The non flex-fuel Equinox only has one quick connect albeit plastic (the quick connect has a better design than the one on the Cruze).


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## Jewel Red 5 (Feb 5, 2011)

1.4 LTZ RS 2011 auto I noticed my fuel lines were hanging low while I was changing my oil last week, further inspection I noticed the clips that hold the fuel lines up 4 in all front to back 2 were snapped off and the lines were hanging down 4 to 5 inches thank god I caught it if I ever hit road debris it would have riped off the lines front to back completely. Took it in for service dealer said its rare but replaced all clips. I only drive on paved roads. they should have better locking clips holding up the fuel line I think please check yours it will be devastating if you get stuck somewhere or a spark happens if they get riped off on the highway.


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## cwerdna (Mar 10, 2011)

sciphi said:


> The new Equinoxes are quite nice, and all right on gas when driven with a light foot. You won't get the advertised 32 mpg highway, but high 20's highway and low 20's around town should be doable.


More data points about Equinox FE: Why The Chevy Equinox EPA Mileage Numbers Don’t Add Up | The Truth About Cars. Take it for what it's worth...


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## sciphi (Aug 26, 2011)

cwerdna said:


> More data points about Equinox FE: Why The Chevy Equinox EPA Mileage Numbers Don’t Add Up | The Truth About Cars. Take it for what it's worth...


A quick check of Fuelly reveals that I was optimistic. Pretty much nobody is getting anywhere near 30 mpg highway. Most folks are lucky to see 25 mpg average on there. 

I'll have to check my fuel lines. Although being protected by the Eco undertrays, they should be all right...


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## cruzncanada (Nov 16, 2010)

We decided to go with a pickup, so we traded in the Cruze (bought back at full price) for a new 2011 Sierra 4x4. The dealer was very accomodating and the transaction went smoothly.

Good luck to those who own a Cruze. My hope is that our gas leak was a one of event.

CruznCanada

p.s. Here are the modifications GM made to the Cruze (adding plastic ties to the fuel line and replacing the plastic bracket with a rubber one, with a plastic tie for good measure)


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## ChuzCruze (Feb 9, 2012)

In my opinion you are actually creating an issue by using plastic wire ties. Again, this is just my opinion, but the movement/rubbing between the wire tie and the fuel line will eventually wear through the fuel line. I have had a similar experience using wire ties on brake lines (I lived on a dirt road, so lots of vibration, dirt, etc). Not a pretty site when the line lets go LOL.


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## cruzncanada (Nov 16, 2010)

ChuzCruze

I agree that using plastic ties is a very poor fix. I found it difficult to believe that GM allowed this to be done. We refused drive the car, even before the plastic ties were used. Ridiculous for a corporation to make such a shoddy repair (if you can even call it a repair).

CruznCanada


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## ChevyCruzeLTZ (Apr 7, 2011)

ChuzCruze said:


> In my opinion you are actually creating an issue by using plastic wire ties. Again, this is just my opinion, but the movement/rubbing between the wire tie and the fuel line will eventually wear through the fuel line. I have had a similar experience using wire ties on brake lines (I lived on a dirt road, so lots of vibration, dirt, etc). Not a pretty site when the line lets go LOL.


You could get a piece of vacuum hose, trim it to fit around the the fuel lines, then either slit it or run the wire tie through it to get the tie inside the rubber and then install. Should eliminate the long term wear issues.


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## NickD (Dec 10, 2011)

Problem is gasoline and finding a suitable container for it. Can't be isolated to the Cruze, all vehicles have this problem, been with us for over a hundred years now. If not in our vehicles, at gas stations, tankers, oil pipe lines.

Ironic that the fuel system is exposed to road hazards of all types, road salt is disastrous to any type of a metal fuel system. And with EPA regulations, have three instead of one fuel line to be concerned with.

Fuel injection is yet another problem, puts a tiny dent in emission control, but now have anywhere from 35-70 PSI pressure in those lines.

Production costs has augmented the use of quick couplers, not only in fuel systems but in AC systems as well. But this cost is certainly not reflected in the price of a new vehicle. And is all government regulated, so you know exactly whom to blame. Asking them for help is almost a bad joke. One agency against another, we are in the middle of all this.


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## gt_cristian (Apr 7, 2012)

Here is a drawing of the Eco's underbody panels. Is there a way to get those installed on a non Eco Cruze?


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