# Engine Light on - Service Stabilitrak



## Robby (Mar 1, 2013)

Although you don't yet have the code, the description lines up with a failed pcv diaphragm.....meaning the cam cover would reguire replacement with the possibility of a intake manifold as well if the vent valve is stuck.

The diaphragm can fail at any time so there is no way the mechanic that checked it out could forsee the failure.

You can drive it in this condition but it will run poorly and possibly die at idle.....will restart though.

Rob


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## obermd (Mar 3, 2012)

First thing - read the codes and post them in the order they appear. The first code is most likely the culprit.


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## melissaisdown (Mar 25, 2016)

Okay so the code my mechanic gave me on Friday: P0300, symptom 0

This code seems to indicate a random misfire - unspecified cylinder. My spark plugs look brand new...and the list of what else this could be is pretty long. Anybody have experience with this code? Any idea what it is most likely to be.

My mechanic looked at the coil pack, greased it and cleared the code. He couldn't find anything wrong, but he didn't examine the car too long. He said if the light comes back on then he'd replace the coil pack. Buuuuut when the light comes back on I think I will take it to a dealership for them to at least tell me what they think is wrong with it. Any help anybody on here could give though would also be helpful. I just bought this car and I don't have a lot of money to throw into it at the moment. Thank you!


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## melissaisdown (Mar 25, 2016)

I should add that the code he was familiar with, it was the symptom zero he was unsure of what that meant. Also this car just had an oil/oil filter/air filter change. And when I bought it, the dealership put a new battery in it because it was sitting a while and the battery had gone dead. Not sure if oil change or battery are factors, but thought I'd mention them. Thanks.


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## obermd (Mar 3, 2012)

I wonder if you have a piston ring issue. The 2011s had a few with bad piston rings. The problem is you're outside all the warranties.


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## melissaisdown (Mar 25, 2016)

Would that make noise? Is there any easy way to confirm that's what it is?


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## joshuab (Apr 16, 2014)

melissaisdown said:


> Hi,
> 
> I have a turbo (4 cylinder, 1.4L automatic) 2011 Cruze. I just bought it used last week. It's right at 51,555ish miles. In the past week the "Service Stabilitrak" light came on, and blinked, then went away. It did this twice when I swerved, so I thought it was related to that. However, this morning on the way into work it came on again and so did the engine light and the check engine light is *staying on*. I _just _had this car checked by my mechanics. They gave it an oil change, new air and oil filters. The windshield washer pump needed replaced. They could not find anything wrong with the car and said I did okay choosing it. Then the very next day my engine light comes on.
> 
> I am planning on taking this to get the code read after work today. However, prior to a code reading, does anybody have any ideas or suggestions on what this could be? Should I not drive it at all? I just bought this car a week ago and I'm kind of freaking out. At more than 5 yrs old and more than 50,000 is anything covered if I take it to a dealership? Thank you for your help.


Your issues seem similar to mine engine light would come on blink & then go away & it did it for awhile like that. Then the Engine light started coming on & blinking along w/ the Stabilitrak & traction control light along w/ messages say "Service Stabilitrak & traction control" & right now at the dealership they have no clue what is going on w/ mine & mine is a 2011 Chevy Cruze w/ 63,000+ miles now. 

Just out of curious do you have oil wetness or leaking type out of your throttle body? Take your fingers & feel under the throttle body & see if its wet in oil if so I must say you may have the same problem I am experiencing *maybe* that is, because they sound similar.


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## melissaisdown (Mar 25, 2016)

joshuab said:


> Your issues seem similar to mine engine light would come on blink & then go away & it did it for awhile like that. Then the Engine light started coming on & blinking along w/ the Stabilitrak & traction control light along w/ messages say "Service Stabilitrak & traction control" & right now at the dealership they have no clue what is going on w/ mine & mine is a 2011 Chevy Cruze w/ 63,000+ miles now.
> 
> Just out of curious do you have oil wetness or leaking type out of your throttle body? Take your fingers & feel under the throttle body & see if its wet in oil if so I must say you may have the same problem I am experiencing *maybe* that is, because they sound similar.



What code is your Cruze throwing that's causing the engine light to come on? 

What I've been reading says that any misfire will make Stabilitrak turn off and therefore give us the blinking "Service Stabilitrak" light, etc. Has your engine light just flashed, or is it staying on? If both our cars are throwing the same code, we could be onto something, so let me know what code (or codes) yours is showing.


I am not sure about the throttle body on mine -- my mechanic checked several things (but not everything) last Friday. It will probably be next week before I can take it in again. I think I am taking it to a dealership to at least diagnose it and tell me what it is (with some certainty)...so I will post back here when I know more. Thanks.


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## joshuab (Apr 16, 2014)

melissaisdown said:


> What code is your Cruze throwing that's causing the engine light to come on?
> 
> What I've been reading says that any misfire will make Stabilitrak turn off and therefore give us the blinking "Service Stabilitrak" light, etc. Has your engine light just flashed, or is it staying on? If both our cars are throwing the same code, we could be onto something, so let me know what code (or codes) yours is showing.
> 
> ...


I am actually not sure what the code is, because I sent it to the dealership for repair. But when you mentioned light was blinking & then would go off & come back on - that is exactly what mine did however mine was using oil like I never seen before around 2 quarts in under 40miles. So it was pretty insane; you can check out my thread & see what the initial complaint was & what has been done so far & what is yet to be done. 

But yeah my engine light would come on during me pushing the gas & start blinking & then go off & car would run really well, & then all once when I push the gas here come the light blinking. & then the traction control light & others would light up, did you ever see if you got oil seeping out of the throttle body?


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## melissaisdown (Mar 25, 2016)

Here is an update, if anybody is interested.


Last week, my mechanic seemed confident it was only a coil pack that needed replaced, since he could not find anything else wrong. So, I had the coil pack replaced. About 100-150 miles after the coil pack was replaced, my engine light blinked and the service traction control light came on again.

I told my mechanic, he did one more check on it, double checking the spark plugs and also checking my fuel injectors this time. He said they're working fine. The code reading machine says I'm still misfiring in cylinder 2 and 3. But spark plugs, coil pack and related ignition components are all, allegedly, fine.

I have an appointment at a dealership next week. I'll let you know what all they say.


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## joshuab (Apr 16, 2014)

melissaisdown said:


> Here is an update, if anybody is interested.
> 
> 
> Last week, my mechanic seemed confident it was only a coil pack that needed replaced, since he could not find anything else wrong. So, I had the coil pack replaced. About 100-150 miles after the coil pack was replaced, my engine light blinked and the service traction control light came on again.
> ...


Yeah you may need to have a compression check done to check further. Because after they changed my turbo on my car - & it failed & had to be towed the next day - they changed the ignition coil & spark plugs & then took it on a test drive & it "fell flat of its face" as the term they used. So then I mentioned a compression test people here has advised me to have the tech perform this, & they finally did & it seemed Cylinder #1 is 0psi & tomorrow is 3 weeks since my car has been in the shop.

So advise as people here as told me, have them do a compression check that will give them a better understanding on what is wrong.


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## Chevy Customer Care (Oct 29, 2011)

melissaisdown said:


> Here is an update, if anybody is interested.
> 
> 
> Last week, my mechanic seemed confident it was only a coil pack that needed replaced, since he could not find anything else wrong. So, I had the coil pack replaced. About 100-150 miles after the coil pack was replaced, my engine light blinked and the service traction control light came on again.
> ...


Hello melissaisdown,

I am glad to see that you have an appointment with your local Chevrolet dealership to have your vehicle concerns diagnosed. Please feel free to send us a private message f you require any assistance while working with your dealer. We would be more than happy to assist.

Cecil J.
Chevrolet Customer Care


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## Nunemacher (Jun 22, 2015)

I'm having the exact same issues and will be checking things out this weekend.


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## jstahliv (Apr 13, 2016)

I just had this happen a day ago. Service stabilitrak and engine code indicating misfire in cylender 1. Anyone fix their issues and figure out what it was. got 47k on 2012 1lt 1.4l Thinking about changing plugs to just have new ones with grease on them. running 93 octane only for months


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## obermd (Mar 3, 2012)

jstahliv said:


> I just had this happen a day ago. Service stabilitrak and engine code indicating misfire in cylender 1. Anyone fix their issues and figure out what it was. got 47k on 2012 1lt 1.4l Thinking about changing plugs to just have new ones with grease on them. running 93 octane only for months


The Cruze's spark plugs don't have any grease on them, nor should they.


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## oujwells (Oct 26, 2017)

joshuab said:


> I am actually not sure what the code is, because I sent it to the dealership for repair. But when you mentioned light was blinking & then would go off & come back on - that is exactly what mine did however mine was using oil like I never seen before around 2 quarts in under 40miles. So it was pretty insane; you can check out my thread & see what the initial complaint was & what has been done so far & what is yet to be done.
> 
> But yeah my engine light would come on during me pushing the gas & start blinking & then go off & car would run really well, & then all once when I push the gas here come the light blinking. & then the traction control light & others would light up, did you ever see if you got oil seeping out of the throttle body?



Did you ever find out the cause of the blinking check engine light or stabilitrack? My Cruze has been experience something very similar this week. I'm taking it to the auto parts store to check codes this weekend.


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## oujwells (Oct 26, 2017)

jstahliv said:


> I just had this happen a day ago. Service stabilitrak and engine code indicating misfire in cylender 1. Anyone fix their issues and figure out what it was. got 47k on 2012 1lt 1.4l Thinking about changing plugs to just have new ones with grease on them. running 93 octane only for months


Any luck on finding the problem?


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## joshuab (Apr 16, 2014)

oujwells said:


> Did you ever find out the cause of the blinking check engine light or stabilitrack? My Cruze has been experience something very similar this week. I'm taking it to the auto parts store to check codes this weekend.


Mine ended up being blown piston rings. Be sure to keep us informed on your code readings as I am sure they are alot of great knowledgeable people to help point you in the right direction. I know everyone here did the same for me when I went through the growing pains w/ my Cruze. Good luck tho & hope its just something minor & nothing major!


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## joshuab (Apr 16, 2014)

jstahliv said:


> I just had this happen a day ago. Service stabilitrak and engine code indicating misfire in cylender 1. Anyone fix their issues and figure out what it was. got 47k on 2012 1lt 1.4l Thinking about changing plugs to just have new ones with grease on them. running 93 octane only for months


Do you have a lot of oil in the throttle body?, & under the passenger front bumper do you see oil under the corner? The reason I am asking this, is this was the signs including the misfiring & engine light coming on & blinking, & came to find out that I had blown piston rings. Now I am not saying you are having the same issues, however your symptoms seem slightly the same.


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## Devinn (Sep 1, 2017)

I had the same thing happening to my 2017 1.4 turbo. Except my car would shake at idle, and when keeping steady low rpms to maintain certain speeds. I had the service stabiltrack message a few times, and the check engine light came on a handful of times as well. I tries to schedule an appointment to get the car serviced, but it happened to be the tuesday befire thanksgiving. The earliest they could get me in was today (monday.) 

The car only has 7,800 miles on it. This is the second time I have had it in for repairs. The first time loose gravel/rocks found their way into the transmission mounts, cause the transmission to ground out on the chassis. Which in turn causes the car to shake again at idle, and at lower rpms. 

This time however, I had very low to no compression in cylinder 1. Apparently I had a bad piston ring, and the piston itself has scored the walls of the cylinder. The dealership gave me 2018 Colorado for a rental while they replace the engine completely. I'm pleased with the outcome, but also disappointed that I am already having issues. Hopefully this will be the last of it for a while.


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## blackbird (Nov 6, 2017)

I don't see the original poster ever gave an update, but reading the description of a misfire, random check engine and check stability system lights, my first though would be a problem with voltage dropping and causing the individual electrical systems to malfunction. The controller in the ABS HCU (hydraulic control unit) used for the stability control and the vehicle's computer both have internal voltage regulation, which means they might take an input voltage from the car between 10.8-15 volts and internally regulate and keep it at 12-13v internally, but if the car can't provide the minimal needed voltage the controller and items like the ignition coil will often malfunction with odd behaviors.


Also the "grease" mentioned for the coil and spark plugs would be dielectric grease. This is used inside the rubber boots to prevents moisture from getting in the boot. It also reduces the chance of carbon tracking, where a spark plug can't effectively fire such as being fowled. The extremely high voltage from the ignition then takes the path of least resistance, which if there are any carbon deposits on the outside of the ceramic material will allow the spark to flow over the outside of the plug instead of through the center electrode.


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## jstahliv (Apr 13, 2016)

joshuab said:


> Do you have a lot of oil in the throttle body?, & under the passenger front bumper do you see oil under the corner? The reason I am asking this, is this was the signs including the misfiring & engine light coming on & blinking, & came to find out that I had blown piston rings. Now I am not saying you are having the same issues, however your symptoms seem slightly the same.


I did not check it yet. I will go and pull my dipstick right now and look inder passenger front bumper. I dont smell or see oil where i always park. Misfires are on cylender 2 actually. 5500 of them when we pulled codes. was going to do this first, 
"http://www.cruzetalk.com/forum/9-general-discussion/216481-service-stabilitrak-service-traction-control.html" "_#14311: Special Coverage Adjustment - Negative Battery Cable Loose - (Dec 3, 2014) __
Subject:14311 — Special Coverage Adjustment – Negative Battery Cable Loose







Models:2011-2015 Chevrolet Cruze  

[HR][/HR]ConditionOn certain 2011–2015 model year Chevrolet Cruze vehicles, the negative battery cable terminal clamp may have an insufficient crimp at the battery negative terminal. Over time, the internal resistance increases and vehicle electrical systems do not receive adequate power. 
With this condition, the following effects are possible: the Radio/HVAC Display may turn off and on; the Antilock Brake System, Service Traction System, Service Stabilitrac and Steering vehicle messages may come on and off; the turn signal sound may not be heard; “Battery Saver Active” and “Service Steering” may display in the Driver Information Center (DIC); and the interior and exterior lighting may flicker. Power steering assist may also be lost, and greater effort may be needed to turn the steering wheel at low speeds or while the vehicle is stopped. 
Special Coverage AdjustmentThis special coverage covers the condition described above for a period of 10 years or 120,000 miles (193,000 km), whichever occurs first, from the date the vehicle was originally placed in service, regardless of ownership. 
Dealers will replace the battery negative cable, which will now require a bolt to fasten the small regulated voltage cable. The repairs will be made at no charge to the customer. 

_

@*gyrfalcon found the link at NHTSA for this coverage adjustment. It's a PDF with more detail. Thank you."

Hoping this is all but wondering if it could be my coil pack ( if i find no oil. I am going out right now to check)

Oil level good, noticed no oil anywhere outside of engine or bumper or anything. hmmmm. Ordering the battery cable now. It's so cold out right now , I goign to even take it to my very friendly and helpful garage to put it in. *


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## joshuab (Apr 16, 2014)

After checking through my paper reports on my engine, it shows that my Cylinder #2 & #4 landing rings where broken. & the signs you are mentioning is simpler to the symptoms I where experiencing when my engine failed. Now will the nevigate battery cable cause such issues, I honestly don't think so. However, I am not a mechanic in anyway, just going from what I experienced. Here recently I went into the dealersip for brakes and oil change so I decided to have my nevigate battery cable checked & it seems it had the dreaded "high resistance" issue. Now note it had this for awhile because the symptoms it was had been giving for awhile - so my nevigate battery cable didn't effect the issue it had.

So what I need was the advice from the guys/gals here at Cruzetalk.com - I took my car to the dealership & I explain the situtaiton & I told them just do a compression check & this will save a bunch of back & forth talk. This will tell all & which it did. 

So I hope you get somewhere w/ yours & get this resolved, if this dealership doesn't want to play & help you check these legitimate claims - find another dealership that will, because this is what I had to do! & after a LONG time I got results, read my journey - you will see why I got the tag name "Patience of Job" - Goodluck & keep us posted!


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## Devinn (Sep 1, 2017)

So I had posted earlier that my 2017 cruze had the exact same issues, and I ended up having a bad/blown piston ring. Lost compression in cylinder #1. The piston scored up the walls pretty bad. They ended up completely swapping engines. That was right at 8,000 miles on the odometer. 

Fast forward a few months, I'm at 19,000 on the odometer, and the same exact issue just started happening again. Happened friday on my way home from work, and it was too late to have anyone from the service department dig into it, and verify the issue fell within warranty coverage. So I had to go the whole weekend with no rental. I dropped the car off, and they started tearing into this morning around 8. Called me at 10:30 and said they were still looking for the issue. And that they would call me as soon as they came up with a diagnosis. It is now 1 pm, and I have yet to hear anything. 

My guess is it's the same issue again. It took them about 7 or 8 hours to figure it out last time. Honestly, if it has to have 2 engine replacements within 8 months, and under 20k miles, I would rather get out of it and into something different all together. But not if it costs me! I'm keeping my fingers crossed that they will work with me. 

I definitely didn't buy my first new car so that it would spend more time in the shop, with even more critical malfunctions than my previous beater had. 

???


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## Devinn (Sep 1, 2017)

Update

So apparently the auto shop that changed my oil didn't use full synthetic. 

The service tech says that the warranty might be voided. He told me to contact the product allegation center. 

Soooo... I'm pretty sure I'm screwed.


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## Little_g (May 16, 2018)

Wow. I just had this problem today on my 2016 cruze. I bought it a year ago with 17,000 miles, now has 31,000. Fortunately still bumper to bumper but while they saw codes they couldn't isolate the problem or get it to happen while they had the car. After reading the comments i am foreseeing awhile to get resolved. ? dealership says they think might just be a one off. Sigh


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## Jondaytona (Apr 26, 2018)

obermd said:


> The Cruze's spark plugs don't have any grease on them, nor should they.


I'm just curious as to why you say that. My common practice was to always put a dab of anti-sieze on the threads of each plug due to metal threads into aluminum heads.


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## Lolitoyodie (Nov 13, 2021)

Devinn said:


> Update
> 
> So apparently the auto shop that changed my oil didn't use full synthetic.
> 
> ...


How did you find out? I think that's what happened to me!!!😭


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