# Chevrolet Cruze reliability - better info



## mkaresh (Nov 2, 2010)

I wanted more up-to-date car reliability information that included actual repair rates. So in late 2005 I started getting people together to make this possible. TrueDelta now updates actual repair frequencies, not just dots, four times a year, to report on new cars sooner then track them closely as they age.

The Cruze is an important new model for GM, and I'd like to have reliability stats on it as soon as possible. Just a matter of getting enough owners involved.

Participants simply report repairs the month after they occur on a one-page survey. When there are no repairs, they simply report an approximate odometer reading four times a year, at the end of each quarter.

To encourage participation, participants receive full access to all results, not just those for the Cruze, for free. 

For the details, and to sign up to help out:

Car reliability research


----------



## regnant (Nov 25, 2010)

Hey, it's nice to see you in here  
I know you off Jaguar Forums 
Surely, being a Cruze Owner I will gladly participate


----------



## montgom626 (Jan 16, 2011)

me too!


----------



## mkaresh (Nov 2, 2010)

Thanks, guys, I certainly appreciate your participation.

I am a bit confused about one thing. We're getting quite a few clickthroughs from this thread, but not many owners signing up with the Cruze. This is unusual. Any ideas why this might be happening?


----------



## spacedout (Dec 7, 2010)

Maybe its just me but after giving your website a test I prefer this website: CarComplaints.com | Car Problems, Car Complaints, & Repair/Recall Information 

Much easier to find the info I am looking for.


----------



## mkaresh (Nov 2, 2010)

It depends on what you're looking for. 

Our focus is on accurate statistics, and we do everything we can to not bias responses. I'm just as interested in having people report that they've had no problems if this is the case.

CarComplaints is much better at soliciting complaints. Once a few similar complaints have been posted, other people with the same problem find it through search and also post about it. So that site might indicate which problems are most common with a specific car, but I wouldn't use it to infer how common a problem actually is, or which cars are most/least reliable.


----------



## ChevyPower (Nov 9, 2010)

any complaints/issues yet with the Cruze that would raise a red flag??


----------



## robertbick (Jan 1, 2011)

I signed up with truedelta once and got too many annoying emails from them.


----------



## mkaresh (Nov 2, 2010)

Did you actually respond to the survey? Those who participate receive just a single short email with a link to the survey each month, as noted on the site. A response is usually only necessary four times a year, following the end of each quarter.

Some people sign up to participate but never actually get around to it. They receive additional emails as reminders. 

The best I can suggest to someone thinking about signing up is that if you'll be able to spend a minute or two each quarter on the survey you won't receive many emails. But if you're likely to never actually get around to it, then it's probably best not to sign up.

I don't intend to annoy anyone. But the results people expect don't happen without the emails. Just the way it is.


----------



## mkaresh (Nov 2, 2010)

ChevyPower said:


> any complaints/issues yet with the Cruze that would raise a red flag??


Too soon to say, and not yet enough owners participating.


----------



## SilverCruzer (Nov 30, 2010)

I registered on True Delta, but found it suprisingly difficult to navigate and get to the area of submitting data, and I would not consider myself a web data rookie.


----------



## mkaresh (Nov 2, 2010)

SilverCruzer said:


> I registered on True Delta, but found it suprisingly difficult to navigate and get to the area of submitting data, and I would not consider myself a web data rookie.


Working on this, with a redesign by March. 

For the main survey a link in the email takes you straight there.

For the others, if you click "My Garage" in the nav bar it will take you to a page listing your cars and buttons for each survey for each of them.

Was the hard part figuring out that you should go to "My Garage?"


----------



## mkaresh (Nov 2, 2010)

Updated results for over 500 other cars were recently posted to the site.

Looking forward to having stats for the Cobalt. More owners have signed up, and we're now about one-third of the way to the minimum sample size.

To help get the Cruze included:

Car reliability survey


----------



## mkaresh (Nov 2, 2010)

How might the questions better reflect this? 

On the main reliability survey one question does ask how you learned of the problem, and two of the options are "recall" and "TSB."

There's also a box for describing the problem and repair.

But I assume you mean something beyond this.


----------



## mkaresh (Nov 2, 2010)

24 owners now signed up, so we should have at least a partial result with the next update, in August. (Preview for participants about a month from now.)

With 40+ owners signed up we'd likely have a full result, so additional participants would be very helpful.

Car reliability research


----------



## mkaresh (Nov 2, 2010)

We have an updated reliability stat for the Chevrolet Cruze based on owner experiences through June 30, 2011. 

With a reported repair frequency of 51 repair trips per 100 cars per year, the 2011 Chevrolet Cruze is about average.

A big thank you to everyone who has been helping. We'll have further updates in November and February. With more participants, we could provide more precise information and include all model years. 

To see how competitors compare, and to sign up to help improve this information:

Chevrolet Cruze reliability ratings and comparisons


----------



## Hatje (Jun 23, 2011)

Signed up then blocked/deleted. Almost got emails on a daily basis.

Got very annying quick i dont mind giving my 2 cents but please dont flood my inbox!


----------



## Quazar (Apr 28, 2011)

Ill participate


----------



## mkaresh (Nov 2, 2010)

Hatje said:


> Signed up then blocked/deleted. Almost got emails on a daily basis.
> 
> Got very annying quick i dont mind giving my 2 cents but please dont flood my inbox!


Sorry it seemed this way. If you had responded, there would have only been a single email a month, with a response only needed every third month.

If you received more frequent emails--and they wouldn't have been even close to daily--then you didn't actually respond.

It's very simple, really. If you're going to participate, I hope you'll sign up.

If you're not going to participate, then there's no point in signing up.

Perhaps you intended to participate, but never quite got around to it. It happens.


----------



## NBrehm (Jun 27, 2011)

That's pretty cool, I wouldn't make any judgement on the 2011 solely on these numbers though, first production years are notorious for glitches. What I would be interested in seeing is a comparison between 2011 and 2012 cars to see how much it improves


----------



## mkaresh (Nov 2, 2010)

NBrehm said:


> That's pretty cool, I wouldn't make any judgement on the 2011 solely on these numbers though, first production years are notorious for glitches. What I would be interested in seeing is a comparison between 2011 and 2012 cars to see how much it improves


I've thought the same--with the first year very close to the average, more recently produced cars should be better.

We don't send any emails to prompt people to post fuel economy numbers. Those we have are here:

Real-world Chevrolet Cruze gas mileage


----------



## mkaresh (Nov 2, 2010)

We have an updated reliability stat for the Chevrolet Cruze based on owner experiences through September 30, 2011. 

With a reported repair frequency of 24 repair trips per 100 cars per year, the 2011 Chevrolet Cruze has improved to better than average. More recently produced cars have required fewer repairs than earlier ones.

We'll have further updates in February and May. With more participants, we could provide more precise information and include all model years. 

To see how competitors compare, and to sign up to help improve this information:

Chevrolet Cruze reliability ratings and comparisons


----------



## mkaresh (Nov 2, 2010)

We have updated reliability stats for the Chevrolet Cruze based on owner experiences through September 30, 2012. 


Repair frequencies, in terms of repair trips per 100 cars per year:


2012: 34


2011: 43


Both are about average on a stricter revised scale.


We have two additional statistics, "Nada-odds" and "Lemon-odds," to indicate the percentage of cars with no repairs in the past year and those that required 3+ trips to the repair shop.


For the 2011 these are 70 and 3, respectively.


We'll have further updates in February and May. With more owners involved, we could provide more precise information. 


To see how competitors compare, and to sign up to help:


Chevrolet Cruze reliability ratings and comparisons


----------



## mkaresh (Nov 2, 2010)

No need to wonder! We post all of the repair descriptions to the site, so it's possible to see what the problems were.


----------



## mkaresh (Nov 2, 2010)

We have updated reliability stats for the Chevrolet Cruze based on owner experiences through December 31, 2012. 


Repair frequencies, in terms of repair trips per 100 cars per year:


2012: 28, low


2011: 45, moderate


we have two additional statistics, "Nada-odds" and "Lemon-odds," to indicate the percentage of cars with no repairs in the past year and those that required 3+ trips to the repair shop.


For the 2011 these are 60 and < 1, respectively.


We'll have further updates in May and August. With more owners involved, we could provide more precise information and include all model years. 


To see how competitors compare, and to sign up to help improve this information:


Chevrolet Cruze reliability ratings and comparisons


----------



## mkaresh (Nov 2, 2010)

We've updated our reliability stats for the Cruze to include owner experiences through March 31, 2013. 

Repair frequencies, in terms of repair trips per 100 cars per year: 

2012 Cruze: 36, moderate
2011 Cruze: 40, moderate

We have two additional statistics, "Nada-odds" and "Lemon-odds", to indicate the percentage of cars with no repairs in the past year and those that required 3+ trips to the repair shop:

2012 Cruze: 79, < 1
2011 Cruze: 65, < 1

We'll have further updates in August and in November. The more owners participate, the more comprehensive and precise these will be.

For the details, including the descriptions of reported repairs, and to sign up to help improve this information: 

Chevrolet Cruze reliability ratings and comparisons


----------



## mkaresh (Nov 2, 2010)

70AARCUDA said:


> Not enough 2013 vehicles yet to post data for?


Far fewer 2013s are signed up than 2011s or 2012s. Anyone who has a 2013--we especially need your help.

We do have our first 2014 signed up, one of the new Diesels. We'd love to be able to provide some stats on these--again a matter of how soon enough owners get involved.

www.truedelta.com/join


----------



## 99_XC600 (Feb 24, 2013)

Just entered my 2013 Eco into the survey


----------



## Mikeske (Jun 19, 2012)

Yeah and my diesel was the first sign up. Come on diesels.


----------



## mkaresh (Nov 2, 2010)

We've updated our reliability stats for the Cruze to include owner experiences through June 30, 2013. (Another source is about 14 months behind.) 

Repair frequencies, in terms of repair trips per 100 cars per year: 

2012 Cruze: 39, moderate
2011 Cruze: 43, moderate

We have two additional statistics, "Nada-odds" and "Lemon-odds", to indicate the percentage of cars with no repairs in the past year and those that required 3+ trips to the repair shop:

2012 Cruze: 70, < 1
2011 Cruze: 68, < 1

We'll have further updates in November and February. 

To view competitors' scores and descriptions of reported repairs, and to sign up to help: 

Chevrolet Cruze reliability ratings and comparisons


----------



## sciphi (Aug 26, 2011)

So it's not just us, the 2012+ Cruzes really are more reliable than the 2011's. 

Thank you for keeping us up to date on your findings!


----------



## 99_XC600 (Feb 24, 2013)

I've added my 2 items from the month of September.


----------



## Aussie (Sep 16, 2012)

mkaresh said:


> Far fewer 2013s are signed up than 2011s or 2012s. Anyone who has a 2013--we especially need your help.
> 
> We do have our first 2014 signed up, one of the new Diesels. We'd love to be able to provide some stats on these--again a matter of how soon enough owners get involved.
> 
> www.truedelta.com/join


Is this for USA only, or are you interested in comparing the US cars to the same car produced in an overseas factory. There some differences in the diesel engine and auto transmission though.


----------



## mkaresh (Nov 2, 2010)

Aussie said:


> Is this for USA only, or are you interested in comparing the US cars to the same car produced in an overseas factory. There some differences in the diesel engine and auto transmission though.


Sorry for the delayed response, just came across the notification in my inbox.

We have a few hundred members in Australia, and I'd love to have more. If necessary we can split the stats by location, but hopefully this won't be necessary (depends on whether a common problem is limited to one place).

To sign up:

TrueDelta | Enrollment


----------



## zr1000a1 (Jan 25, 2012)

If I am reading this right, there are 44 2012 Cruzen, and 46 2011 Cruzen with an average of 9.7 months of data average of all Cruzen in the survey. A total of 90 Cruzen for the 2011 and 2012 model years. This includes all Cruze model lines, engines, and transmissions combined in repair frequency. Then the reliability ranking is derived from comparing the repair frequency of the Cruze (or any other vehicle) with the repair frequencies of all other makes and models of the same year. 

There are almost 13,000 members on this forum alone, and at least half probably own a Cruze. Seems to me this sample size could be a lot bigger very easily with very little effort on the part of the members here and on other forums.


----------



## mkaresh (Nov 2, 2010)

We've updated our reliability stats for the Cruze to include owner experiences through September 30, 2013. 

Repair frequencies, in terms of repair trips per 100 cars per year: 

2013 Cruze: 42, moderate, small sample size
2012 Cruze: 47, moderate
2011 Cruze: 42, moderate

We have two additional statistics, "Nada-odds" and "Lemon-odds", to indicate the percentage of cars with no repairs in the past year and those that required 3+ trips to the repair shop:

2012 Cruze: 58, < 1
2011 Cruze: 64, < 1

We'll have further updates in February and in May. The more owners participate, the more comprehensive and precise these will be.

To see how competitors compare, and to sign up to help improve this information: 

Chevrolet Cruze reliability ratings and comparisons


----------



## mkaresh (Nov 2, 2010)

We've updated our reliability stats for the Cruze to include owner experiences through December 31, 2013. 

Repair frequencies, in terms of repair trips per 100 cars per year: 

2013 Cruze: 34, moderate, small sample size
2012 Cruze: 57, high
2011 Cruze: 42, moderate

We have two additional statistics, "Nada-odds" and "Lemon-odds", to indicate the percentage of cars with no repairs in the past year and those that required 3+ trips to the repair shop:

2012 Cruze: 57, < 1
2011 Cruze: 74, < 1

We'll have further updates in May and in August. The more owners participate, the more comprehensive and precise these will be.

To see the repairs behind these stats, and to sign up to help improve this information: 

Chevrolet Cruze reliability ratings and comparisons


----------



## Eddy Cruze (Jan 10, 2014)

mkaresh said:


> We've updated our reliability stats for the Cruze to include owner experiences through September 30, 2013.
> 
> Repair frequencies, in terms of repair trips per 100 cars per year:
> 
> ...


 I have had serious issues with the way you compile and distribute your information at various sites over the years. My last AG forums didn't allow you to post anymore as you are no J.D. Powers & Associates. Can you tell us more about your company and your background?


----------



## boraz (Aug 29, 2013)

no 2014's

are you running a website or a potato?


----------



## underwood032 (Mar 4, 2014)

I signed up.


----------



## spacedout (Dec 7, 2010)

mkaresh said:


> The more owners participate, the more comprehensive and precise these will be.


The more users that participate, the more your data is skewed. Most users will not take the time to report no repairs, even if it takes a few seconds. So most of the data you collect is all the negative experiences. The same can be said for online forums and complaints vs praise. 

I joined your website a few years back, I have reported twice but never bothered to report at all if I had no repairs. Your emails asking for me to report data are borderline spam and annoying to say the least. I just hope others realize how useless this website and data really is.


----------



## zr1000a1 (Jan 25, 2012)

I participate in this survey for my 2010 Vibe. Get an email every quarter to update if there were any repairs. If there were no repairs, then the email says you are already done, unless it asks for odometer mileage update to the nearsest thousand! Also probably get one more email from TrueDelta in that same time period when there is updated information or sometimes pre-release data not to share. Not too involving. 

Since the only work I have had to do to the Vibe since 2009 are the three recalls I had done all at once (two involving sudden acceleration fears and one reroute of vacuum line to brake booster) there has been nothing to report and no real work involved in reporting. Needless to say, the Vibe/Matrix/Corolla rates real well in reliability, even if not a real exciting vehicle. Sometimes no excitement is nice when considering wallet and time.

Funny thing about surveys, it takes participation or there is no data. If I had my choice between some data or no data, guess which one I would pick?


----------



## spacedout (Dec 7, 2010)

zr1000a1 said:


> Funny thing about surveys, it takes participation or there is no data. If I had my choice between some data or no data, guess which one I would pick?


I would normally agree that some data is better than none, but not if the data is inconsistent and possibly erroneously reported. Anyone filling these out is just wasting their time.


----------



## Eddy Cruze (Jan 10, 2014)

I remember the specific problem. True Delta kept 'detailed' data on my Car, starting with the 2006, 2007, 2008,2009, & 2010 models. The *2006* which had been in service a year longer had more service visits than the 2007,2008,2009, & 2010 thus deemed more unreliable? WHAT? I have no problems with the poster, just the sampling methods used, or am I wrong?


----------



## mkaresh (Nov 2, 2010)

Eddy Cruze said:


> I have had serious issues with the way you compile and distribute your information at various sites over the years. My last AG forums didn't allow you to post anymore as you are no J.D. Powers & Associates. Can you tell us more about your company and your background?


Different forums include different personalities. Some people like to build things, others like to tear things down. I work with each as best I can.

Since I have no idea what your "serious issues" are, I cannot respond to them.

My background is a Ph.D. from the University of Chicago in a graduate program that included survey research and work at the National Opinion Research Center.


----------



## mkaresh (Nov 2, 2010)

spacedout said:


> The more users that participate, the more your data is skewed. Most users will not take the time to report no repairs, even if it takes a few seconds. So most of the data you collect is all the negative experiences. The same can be said for online forums and complaints vs praise.
> 
> I joined your website a few years back, I have reported twice but never bothered to report at all if I had no repairs. Your emails asking for me to report data are borderline spam and annoying to say the least. I just hope others realize how useless this website and data really is.


You seem to assume everyone who participates is like you. This is far from the case. The great majority of the people who participate do so consistently quarter after quarter. We have some models with dozens of participants where virtually none of them report a repair. If most participants were like you, I'd shut the survey down, as it would be impossible to provide quality information.

I do find it odd that you signed up to help with the survey, realize that consistent participation is necessary for quality results, and realize that this is what the reminder emails are for, yet rather than take a few seconds to respond (all it takes if you have no repair to report) opt to get annoyed by the reminders. Which are designed to prevent the very thing you complain about in your post.

If you weren't participating because you didn't realize that so many people were participating consistently, I hope you'll give it another shot. If you're intent on only responding when you have a repair, even though you realize this distorts the results, just send me an email asking to be removed.


----------



## mkaresh (Nov 2, 2010)

zr1000a1 said:


> I participate in this survey for my 2010 Vibe. Get an email every quarter to update if there were any repairs. If there were no repairs, then the email says you are already done, unless it asks for odometer mileage update to the nearsest thousand! Also probably get one more email from TrueDelta in that same time period when there is updated information or sometimes pre-release data not to share. Not too involving.


As you guess, there are three types of emails.

Following the end of each quarter there's one asking for a response either way.

In the middle of each quarter I send one that only suggests a response if there has been a repair. I send this one because many people find it easier to report a repair while their memory of it is fresh. Waiting until the end of the quarter would make this difficult.

One a quarter I send an email with site news and a link to the updated reliability stats.


----------



## mkaresh (Nov 2, 2010)

Eddy Cruze said:


> I remember the specific problem. True Delta kept 'detailed' data on my Car, starting with the 2006, 2007, 2008,2009, & 2010 models. The *2006* which had been in service a year longer had more service visits than the 2007,2008,2009, & 2010 thus deemed more unreliable? WHAT? I have no problems with the poster, just the sampling methods used, or am I wrong?


The analysis always only looks at the past year, and always divides the number of repair reports by the number of car-years covered by responses. So being in service longer doesn't affect the stats.

It's common knowledge that the first model year of a car often has more problems than subsequent model years. Also, older cars tend to have more problems than newer ones. Both of these factors could make the 2006 less reliable than the others at a given point in time. Without knowing the model, I cannot look into the specifics.


----------



## Eddy Cruze (Jan 10, 2014)

Ok but that is like saying you have a 5 years old Child who has been to the Doctor more than a 3 year old, so the 5 year old is a sicker child, or required more visits. Not sure what that tell us, but as long as the AG CRUZE forum let's you do your thing here its fine with me. This is one of their bigger single model forums and I was surprised you were allowed, especially because you charge? Perhaps if you joined as a Premium Member or Vendor??


----------



## mkaresh (Nov 2, 2010)

Eddy Cruze said:


> Ok but that is like saying you have a 5 years old Child who has been to the Doctor more than a 3 year old, so the 5 year old is a sicker child, or required more visits. Not sure what that tell us, but as long as the AG CRUZE forum let's you do your thing here its fine with me. This is one of their bigger single model forums and I was surprised you were allowed, especially because you charge? Perhaps if you joined as a Premium Member or Vendor??


It's not at all like saying that. As stated in my previous response, we're only counting visits IN THE PAST YEAR. If the five-year-old child has been to the doctor more in the past year than the three-year-old child has been to the doctor in the past year, then yes, we'd be saying that the five-year-old was the less healthy child in the past year.

As for charging people, we charge people who sign up to participate (over 99% of our members) NOTHING. No charge. We also display most of the site's information to non-members.

This is an incredibly hard piece of information to communicate.


----------



## Eddy Cruze (Jan 10, 2014)

Yes, but isn't is most likely that the older person or older car might have more visits because its older. Do you then make an adjustment or credit applied to the older vehicle? For the record I never had any problems or complaints about you and was shocked when you were banned. I was also surprised to see you were here too!


----------



## Aussie (Sep 16, 2012)

It makes it really hard to be part of this survey when your site won't accept my email address?

I got an email in spite of telling me it didn't recognise my domain and now it won't recognise my log in?
Just remove me fron your survey as I have never had any problems with either of my cars, but your log in is giving me blood pressure.


----------



## Eddy Cruze (Jan 10, 2014)

There is an upcoming survey for that!:go:


----------



## mkaresh (Nov 2, 2010)

Eddy Cruze said:


> Yes, but isn't is most likely that the older person or older car might have more visits because its older. Do you then make an adjustment or credit applied to the older vehicle? For the record I never had any problems or complaints about you and was shocked when you were banned. I was also surprised to see you were here too!


We do adjust the "best-worst" scale with the green/yellow/red faces based on model year.

There have been a few cases where one admin or mod gave me permission to post. Then they were replaced by another admin/mod who banned me with no warning, and would not respond to my PMs. Just the way forums are.


----------



## mkaresh (Nov 2, 2010)

Aussie said:


> It makes it really hard to be part of this survey when your site won't accept my email address?
> 
> I got an email in spite of telling me it didn't recognise my domain and now it won't recognise my log in?
> Just remove me fron your survey as I have never had any problems with either of my cars, but your log in is giving me blood pressure.


Sorry about the blood pressure. If you first signed up on the 19th/20th, we had a bug that prevented new accounts from being added. I think I've identified your account, and see one login. Are you okay now, or do you want me to deactivate the account?


----------



## Aussie (Sep 16, 2012)

mkaresh said:


> Sorry about the blood pressure. If you first signed up on the 19th/20th, we had a bug that prevented new accounts from being added. I think I've identified your account, and see one login. Are you okay now, or do you want me to deactivate the account?


I tried again and still can't get in, so I will cancel. Aussie.


----------



## LemonGolf (Feb 17, 2014)

Eddy Cruze said:


> I have had serious issues with the way you compile and distribute your information at various sites over the years. My last AG forums didn't allow you to post anymore as you are no J.D. Powers & Associates. Can you tell us more about your company and your background?





mkaresh said:


> You seem to assume everyone who participates is like you. This is far from the case. The great majority of the people who participate do so consistently quarter after quarter. We have some models with dozens of participants where virtually none of them report a repair. If most participants were like you, I'd shut the survey down, as it would be impossible to provide quality information.
> 
> I do find it odd that you signed up to help with the survey, realize that consistent participation is necessary for quality results, and realize that this is what the reminder emails are for, yet rather than take a few seconds to respond (all it takes if you have no repair to report) opt to get annoyed by the reminders. Which are designed to prevent the very thing you complain about in your post.
> 
> If you weren't participating because you didn't realize that so many people were participating consistently, I hope you'll give it another shot. If you're intent on only responding when you have a repair, even though you realize this distorts the results, just send me an email asking to be removed.


Incentive.

There isn't a large enough incentive to participate in your project, however good it may be and despite what level of degree you hold - especially multiple times per year and even if it only takes a few minutes to update. What will a current Cruze owner gain from participating in your project besides a little bit if data telling them how the model is doing...a model he/she already owns? You provide data on other makes and models free for participants, but if the model someone is looking for is represented anywhere near like the Cruze, it's not going to provide a large enough sample size to accurately represent the vehicle. Stated another way: The effort us not worth the cost to most and that's why you have a relatively low number of participants..Why use your site and go through the trouble when there are a multitude of other sources, online/print/otherwise that one can find reliable information completely free?

You also leave a few variables open to interpretation..for example: How is the following accounted for? That those who participate on online forums/a site like yours are a majority owners of the type who are more "mechanically conscious" and take better care of their cars than the average owner - a factor that will prevent some issues that will otherwise occur to the average owners vehicle?


----------



## mkaresh (Nov 2, 2010)

What are these free sources of reliability stats you refer to?

I'm not aware of any other sources of reliability information available to car buyers that:

1. Provide numerical repair frequencies (not just dots)

2. Update quarterly

Unless we indicate that the sample size is small, it's large enough to provide meaningful information. 

The great majority of the reported problems during the first 100k miles are not affected by how a car has been cared for. Many people like to think that if they follow the factory maintenance schedule and change the fluids frequently, then problems of all sorts are prevented. But very few failures involving serviceable parts occur during the first 100k miles. Granted, after 100k miles it's a different story.


----------



## brian v (Dec 25, 2011)

In the 3 year's I have owned my Cruzen I have had only 2 incidents of failure . Not bad and if IT lasts me for 10 years I will be grateful !


----------



## Eddy Cruze (Jan 10, 2014)

mkaresh said:


> What are these free sources of reliability stats you refer to?
> 
> I'm not aware of any other sources of reliability information available to car buyers that:
> 
> ...


 I'm glad that I brought this up, and that others question your 'Qualitative and Quantitative' research. I also was surprised to see you were here. I like your stuff, it seems skewed, inaccurate and meaningless at least to me. Is this a hobby or full time career for you and why not join as a special member here? I am going to as soon as my posts stop getting deleted!


----------



## zr1000a1 (Jan 25, 2012)

We can make assumptions and generalizations that either the data is skewed because it only comes from “car people” who take better care of their cars, or only disgruntled people who have problems fill out the surveys, or sample size is too small, or it must be a bunch of American hating people trashing my favorite ride, or etc etc etc. 

Most claims do not hold water when objectively looked at. Even if it were true that only people with problems do the surveys or even join forums, there would still be correlations and statistical patterns and weight to show reliability.

The fact is some cars rank much better than others. Fact is people with nothing to report still report, either by the way the system is set up, or by caring enough to spend the couple minutes every three months to report it. If anything it is much easier when there is nothing to report, than when there are pages of repairs to report. After a while, easier might trump chip on the shoulder problem reporting.

I am glad somebody spends the time, money, and resources to do this, whatever their ultimate motives are. I have no problem if it is more than a hobby and somebody might want to make a living out of their hard work. It is called Capitalism. It is a good thing. For the pittance of spending a few minutes every three months, most get all the data and work for free. 

Lots of complaining going on without making much sense. Who's Wheaties got [email protected]!!ED on? Stop with the blind cognitive dissonance and stop being a tool for …....what? Brand loyalty? Does some company really deserve blind brand loyalty? Are they paying your bills? Married into the family? Supplying free vehicles? Guaranteed golden parachute? I'm at a loss here. Someone please explain. Sometimes I am a little slow on the uptake. 

Sorry if I offend anyone. That is not the intent. I have the same problem with some of the moaning about CR too.

Is True Delta or CR or JD Powers the end all and be all? Of course not. Nothing is perfect. But would rather have them than not have them. I disagree with all of them at some point. If you limit yourself to just things that agree with your perception of reality, you will never know when you are either wrong or just plain crazy. Kind of like politics or religion. Sometimes you need to hear the opposing viewpoints. The person that keeps it on either Msnbc or Foxnews and has nothing but disdain for the other is just cheating themselves and loses credibility. 

But then again, my Grand-pappy used to say, “trash in, trash out.” 

I take it back, stick your head in the sand. Anything is better than hearing the whining from ____________. 

Just a little tongue and cheek food for thought. Not meant to be personal to anyone here.


----------



## mkaresh (Nov 2, 2010)

Our reliability stats for the Cruze now include owner experiences through March 31, 2014, making them nearly a year ahead of other sources. 

Repair frequencies, in terms of repair trips per 100 cars per year: 

2014 Cruze: 22, low, small sample size
2013 Cruze: 24, low, small sample size
2012 Cruze: 58, moderate
2011 Cruze: 50, moderate

We have two additional statistics, "Nada-odds" and "Lemon-odds", to indicate the percentage of cars with no repairs in the past year and those that required 3+ trips to the repair shop:

2012 Cruze: 60, 3
2011 Cruze: 70, 3

Thank you, once again, everyone who has been helping. Next update in August.

For a deeper dive, including the stats for other cars and repair descriptions, and to sign up to help improve this information:

Chevrolet Cruze reliability ratings and comparisons


----------



## mkaresh (Nov 2, 2010)

We've updated our reliability stats for the Cruze to include owner experiences through June 30, 2014 (making them about 14 months ahead of some others). 

Repair frequencies, in terms of repair trips per 100 cars per year: 

2014 Cruze: 24, low, small sample size
2013 Cruze: 16, low
2012 Cruze: 55, moderate
2011 Cruze: 52, moderate

We have two additional statistics, "Nada-odds" and "Lemon-odds", to indicate the percentage of cars with no repairs in the past year and those that required 3+ trips to the repair shop:

2012 Cruze: 59, 3

Next updates in November and in February. The more owners participate, the more comprehensive and precise these will be.

For repair descriptions, the stats of other cars, and to sign up to help improve this information: 

Chevrolet Cruze reliability ratings and comparisons


----------



## mkaresh (Nov 2, 2010)

We've updated our reliability stats for the Cruze to include owner experiences through September 30, 2014. 

Repair frequencies, in terms of repair trips per 100 cars per year: 

2014 Cruze: 33, moderate
2013 Cruze: 5, low
2012 Cruze: 49, moderate
2011 Cruze: 71, high

We have two additional statistics, "Nada-odds" and "Lemon-odds", to indicate the percentage of cars with no repairs in the past year and those that required 3+ trips to the repair shop:

2012 Cruze: 59, < 1

To view the repairs behind these numbers, check the stats for other cars, and sign up to help improve this information (next update in February): 

Chevrolet Cruze reliability ratings and comparisons


----------



## mkaresh (Nov 2, 2010)

New stuff this time. We've updated our reliability stats for the Cruze to include owner experiences through the end of 2014. Plus we've added reliability trends graphs. These indicate how a model's reliability has changed as it has aged, and how different model years performed when the same age.

Repair frequencies, in terms of repair trips per 100 cars per year: 

2014 Cruze: 32, moderate
2013 Cruze: 13, low
2012 Cruze: 52, moderate
2011 Cruze: 71, high

We have two additional statistics, "Nada-odds" and "Lemon-odds", to indicate the percentage of cars with no repairs in the past year and those that required 3+ trips to the repair shop:

2012 Cruze: 59, < 1

We'll have further updates in May and in August. The more owners participate, the more comprehensive and precise these will be.

For the details, including how competitors compare, and to sign up to help improve this information: 

Chevrolet Cruze reliability ratings and comparisons 

To view the new graphs, select "reliability trends" in the breadcrumbs at the top of the linked page.


----------



## mkaresh (Nov 2, 2010)

So, how have these cars been doing lately? 

Our reliability stats for the Cruze now include owner experiences through March 31, 2015. (Others are nearly a year behind.) 

In terms of repair trips per 100 cars per year ("low" is best): 

2014 Cruze: 26, low
2013 Cruze: 26, low
2012 Cruze: 43, moderate
2011 Cruze: 58, moderate

Plus, the percentage of cars with no repairs in the past year and those that required 3+ trips to the repair shop:

2012 Cruze: 62, < 1

Next updates in August and November. Additional participants always helpful. We especially need more 2015s.

For repair descriptions, the stats for other cars, and to sign up to help improve this information: 

Chevrolet Cruze reliability


----------



## mkaresh (Nov 2, 2010)

Our reliability stats for the Cruze now cover the year ending June 30, 2015. (Others are over a year behind, and so report how these cars were doing when a year younger.) 

Repair trips per 100 cars: 

2014 Cruze: 28, low
2013 Cruze: 42, moderate
2012 Cruze: 47, moderate
2011 Cruze: 32, low

We have two additional statistics, "Nada-odds" and "Lemon-odds", to indicate the percentage of cars with no repairs in the past year and those that required 3+ trips to the repair shop:

2014 Cruze: 75, 3
2012 Cruze: 55, < 1

If a model year isn't listed, then we especially need more owners involved.

For the descriptions of all reported repairs, results for other models, and to sign up to help improve this information: 

Chevrolet Cruze reliability ratings and comparisons


----------



## Eddy Cruze (Jan 10, 2014)

So the 2014 CRUZE is a POS. Well that is enlightening!


----------



## jalaner (Dec 28, 2013)

Hard to interpret the 2014 performance without a breakout of CTD vs gasser reliability since the engine, tranny, suspension, brakes etc are different. CTD emissions problems are so common they could affect average Cruze reliability. Consumer Reports also lacks CTD reliability because so few were made.


----------



## ChevyGuy (Dec 13, 2014)

Eddy Cruze said:


> So the 2014 CRUZE is a POS. Well that is enlightening!


You must not be reading the numbers the same way I am. The only place the 2014 falls behind the other years is the number of lemons. But that's so small as to be a statistical sampling issue.


----------



## Eddy Cruze (Jan 10, 2014)

ChevyGuy said:


> You must not be reading the numbers the same way I am. The only place the 2014 falls behind the other years is the number of lemons. But that's so small as to be a statistical sampling issue.


I was reading the "Nada' Odds" & "Lemon Odds"? True Delta is just a guy, a nice guy whom is not recognized by any organization?


----------



## mkaresh (Nov 2, 2010)

We've updated our reliability stats for the Cruze to include owner experiences through September 30, 2015. In terms of repair trips per 100 cars per year: 

2014 Cruze: 37, moderate
2013 Cruze: 46, moderate
2012 Cruze: 71, high
2011 Cruze: 34, low

We have two additional statistics, "Nada-odds" and "Lemon-odds", to indicate the percentage of cars with no repairs in the past year and those that required 3+ trips to the repair shop:

2014 Cruze: 68, < 1
2012 Cruze: 49, 3

We'll have further updates in February and in May. Additional participants are needed to provide precise stats for all model years.

For the details, including repair descriptions, and to sign up to help improve this information: 

Chevrolet Cruze reliability ratings and comparisons


----------



## mkaresh (Nov 2, 2010)

We've updated our reliability stats for the Cruze to include owner experiences through the end of 2015, about eight months ahead of other sources. In terms of repair trips per 100 cars per year--lower is better: 

2014 Cruze: 44, moderate
2013 Cruze: 43, moderate
2012 Cruze: 67, high
2011 Cruze: 38, low, small sample size

We have two additional statistics, "Nada-odds" and "Lemon-odds", to indicate the percentage of cars with no repairs in the past year and those that required 3+ trips to the repair shop:

2014 Cruze: 71, 3
2012 Cruze: 47, 3

We'll have further updates in May and in August. The more owners participate, the more comprehensive and precise these will be. 

For the repairs behind these stats, reliability information on other models, and to sign up to help improve this information: 

Chevrolet Cruze reliability ratings and comparisons


----------



## Eddy Cruze (Jan 10, 2014)

So according to your painstaking work my 2014 is among the worst of the bunch?








And if that wasn't bad enough, J.D. Power is even more brutal with the CRUZE:sad010:


----------



## spacedout (Dec 7, 2010)

Doesn't matter what the results say on any website, who fills out those forms? People with complaints. People that are happy with their cars just drive them. Sure you might get a few people that are happy to report, but the majority of happy owners will not. 

Reliability to me is a car that never leaves me stranded, and month after month cost me nothing in repairs. My Cruze over 100K was just as reliable as my previous Cavalier with only 1 repair over that mileage in a 4 year period. So far I've only put 20K on my Sonic and I've found nothing wrong. Guess i must be lucky according to those results, right?


----------



## Aussie (Sep 16, 2012)

spacedout said:


> Doesn't matter what the results say on any website, who fills out those forms? People with complaints. People that are happy with their cars just drive them. Sure you might get a few people that are happy to report, but the majority of happy owners will not.
> 
> Reliability to me is a car that never leaves me stranded, and month after month cost me nothing in repairs. My Cruze over 100K was just as reliable as my previous Cavalier with only 1 repair over that mileage in a 4 year period. So far I've only put 20K on my Sonic and I've found nothing wrong. Guess i must be lucky according to those results, right?


Then there are people like this.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kal73P25zAE


----------



## Eddy Cruze (Jan 10, 2014)

Aussie said:


> Then there are people like this.
> 
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kal73P25zAE


Wow quite the Video! I've never seen or heard anyone review a Car like that guy. Although we don't know John Cadogan or much about Holden here in the U.S., I actually enjoyed watching his take on the CRUZE!:blowup:​


----------



## spacedout (Dec 7, 2010)

Aussie said:


> Then there are people like this.
> 
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kal73P25zAE


So he bases his opinion on a few user complaints, the fact that Holden is closing the plant and the car having a few safety recalls? By that logic not sure there is any car on the market you could buy.


----------



## jblackburn (Apr 14, 2012)

ChevyGuy said:


> You must not be reading the numbers the same way I am. The only place the 2014 falls behind the other years is the number of lemons. But that's so small as to be a statistical sampling issue.


Not sure how many Diesels are in the numbers there, but they could definitely skew the results with the repeated emissions issues.


----------



## NickD (Dec 10, 2011)

Ha, use to say Ford stood for fix or repair daily, with the model A, nothing could be further from the truth.

Starter circuit, battery under the drivers floor boards, short up to a SPST foot operated switch directly on the starter. Suppose to have enough brains not to step on, with all this safety stuff and anti-thief, can go nuts tracing starter problems. If this didn't work, had a hand crank, if too lazy with spring steel bumpers, somebody would give you a push.

Fuel circuit, tank mounted behind the dash, had a glass tube to show your fuel level, no sender problems, no fuel pump problems either, went directly down though a glass bowl valve with a drain on it, if you saw water in the fuel, could drain it out, then directly to the carb. As long as you had gravity, would have fuel, compare this today with a fuel pump located miles back inside the fuel tank, then all those electronics to control it.

Ignition, a coil wired to six volts, ran a speedometer type cable to the ignition switch, two positions, on or off, but really didn't take a brain to bypass that in distributor, cap had four brass straps to each plug, pocket knife could clean the points if dirty. Dead battery? Just take four carbon D sized batteries and wire that to the top of the coil in place of the battery terminal, was good for about two hours.

Entire vehicle harness for everything, ignition, lights, hmm, nothing else. Folded up, could fit in your jacket pocket with lots of room left over.

No problems with the radio, didn't have one, neither an MVAC system, too hot? Open the windows, too cold, bring blankets.

Performance? Could drive this thing 80 mph all day, back then you could, hmmm, 85 years ago, drive that fast today with all this hot stuff, will take your license away for a year plus your insurance costs will skyrocket. 

Convenience? Ha practically next to zero, or my gosh, had to roll up the windows by hand and lock the door with a key, but with the more deluxe models, would get two full size spare tires mounted in the wheel fenders, that was sure convenient, and a lot more convenient than a compare spare or a can of spray.

Did have to remove the headlamp lens to replace a burnt out bulb, hmm,this hasn't changed, with some vehicles today, even have to remove the front bumper first.

In case you didn't know this to open an injector or get a spark, goes through well over a million sub micron sized transistors reading code from erasable ram to do the same exact thing. 

Ha, just saying the more convenience, safety,and emission stuff they have added, the way more a lot more complicated and the heck of a lot more problems. Even with DRL's can drive a guy nuts tracing through all that circuitry.


In regards to all this new stuff, dey all do dis.


----------



## Aussie (Sep 16, 2012)

NickD said:


> In regards to all this new stuff, dey all do dis.


You forgot to mention the distributor points needing regular adjustment, useless brakes and scary handling. I remember them too, my father had a 1951 Ford Pilot that used to love breaking rear springs and constantly blew ignition fuses.


----------



## brian v (Dec 25, 2011)

Hey were any of those Italian cars ?


----------



## NickD (Dec 10, 2011)

Aussie said:


> You forgot to mention the distributor points needing regular adjustment, useless brakes and scary handling. I remember them too, my father had a 1951 Ford Pilot that used to love breaking rear springs and constantly blew ignition fuses.


Ha, did mention a pocket knife, and a 51 Ford was way down hill than a 1930, in 1949 was the year that Detroit invented rust. See more 30's cars running around today than 50's.

1948 Ford was the last year they used a torque tube, could drop in a Caddy V-8 with that rear end without damage, 49 used a drive shaft with U-joints, that rear end would really twist breaking leaf springs. 

But my whole point is, if you don't have it, won't have problems with it. Crank windows work with a dead battery, key works to start your car. Another thing that disappeared over the last ten years, real manual power switches, not dinky little made in China point contact relays do the power switching controlled my a microcontroller reading code in erasable ram. 

Ha, should advertise, you want problems, we got problems.


----------



## mkaresh (Nov 2, 2010)

We've updated our reliability stats for the Cruze to include owner experiences through June 30, 2016. Reliability information elsewhere is based on a survey conducted in April 2015--well over a year ago. 

Repair frequencies, in terms of repair trips per 100 cars per year (lower is better): 

2014 Cruze: 40, moderate
2013 Cruze: 43, moderate
2012 Cruze: 67, high
2011 Cruze: 33, low

We have two additional statistics, "Nada-odds" and "Lemon-odds", to indicate the percentage of cars with no repairs in the past year and those that required 3+ trips to the repair shop:

2014 Cruze: 66, < 1
2012 Cruze: 55, 7

We'll have further updates in November and next February. The more owners participate, the more comprehensive and precise these will be.

For the repairs behind these stats, reliability information on other models, and to sign up to help improve this information: 

Chevrolet Cruze reliability ratings and comparisons


----------

