# 2014 Cruze Diesel Questions and Answers



## jblackburn (Apr 14, 2012)

Something to do with the underbody setup of the two cars. The Diesel mimics the Eco with underbody aerodynamic panels, which apparently means that you can't fit a trailer hitch to it. There's the issue of engine cooling too.


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## Joe Diesel (Jun 14, 2013)

When will the next shipments of these start being released? I'm around Toledo and have been patiently waiting since February


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## Sunline Fan (Jul 29, 2012)

I bet you couldn't fit a production trailer hitch onto a diesel either, since the 'spare tire well' is deeper to accommodate the DEF tank and pump. Mine is pretty darn close to the well, no 2-3" to spare.


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## jblackburn (Apr 14, 2012)

Waste of a good engine...a small car that could tow ~2000-2500 lbs without struggling would be great.


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## Aussie (Sep 16, 2012)

This seems weird to me, I don't know of any vehicle that can't tow a trailer. The Holden Cruze has a tow rating for every model. They are all 1200kg for a trailer with brakes and the diesel can tow 750kg without trailer brakes. The rest are about 695kg without trailer brakes, this is most likely because the diesel has bigger brakes. The 1.6 uses the same size brakes as the diesel but it wasn't out when my owners manual was printed.


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## sciphi (Aug 26, 2011)

Liability. GM doesn't want to accept liability for folks being yahoos towing stuff the car cannot handle. I guess they're worried the shutters will fail closed and cook the engine on a hot day. Most folks don't want to acknowledge that the tow rating includes the trailer, the cargo, and what's already inside the car. "Oh, 1000 lb tow rating means I can hook up a 300 lb trailer without brakes, throw 1000 lbs of stuff in there, pack the car full with 500 lbs of people and gear, and off we go!" 

There's likely no physical reason the car can't tow. It's all about not getting sued. Thank the lawyers for that one.


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## jblackburn (Apr 14, 2012)

sciphi said:


> Liability. GM doesn't want to accept liability for folks being yahoos towing stuff the car cannot handle. I guess they're worried the shutters will fail closed and cook the engine on a hot day. Most folks don't want to acknowledge that the tow rating includes the trailer, the cargo, and what's already inside the car. "Oh, 1000 lb tow rating means I can hook up a 300 lb trailer without brakes, throw 1000 lbs of stuff in there, pack the car full with 500 lbs of people and gear, and off we go!"
> 
> There's likely no physical reason the car can't tow. It's all about not getting sued. Thank the lawyers for that one.


If that were the case, then the LS/LT/LTZ models shouldn't have a tow rating either.


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## spacedout (Dec 7, 2010)

jblackburn said:


> If that were the case, then the LS/LT/LTZ models shouldn't have a tow rating either.


Its all due to lack of cooling. The upper grill is blocked as much as the ECO and the lower grill shutters allow no flow at all above a certain speed. The ECO is the only cruze model without a tow rating for this very same reason, the cooling is good enough for the car & passengers in normal driving, add 1000lb trailer you are asking for trouble with such a restricted air flow to the cooling system. 

Some have claimed in the past it was the ECO manual gearing that caused the no tow rating, but if that was the case the ECO automatic could tow still. I still get great MPG with my cruze, no grill restrictions needed.


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## jblackburn (Apr 14, 2012)

spacedout said:


> Its all due to lack of cooling. The upper grill is blocked as much as the ECO and the lower grill shutters allow no flow at all above a certain speed. The ECO is the only cruze model without a tow rating for this very same reason, the cooling is good enough for the car & passengers in normal driving, add 1000lb trailer you are asking for trouble with such a restricted air flow to the cooling system.
> 
> Some have claimed in the past it was the ECO manual gearing that caused the no tow rating, but if that was the case the ECO automatic could tow still. I still get great MPG with my cruze, no grill restrictions needed.


Hmmm...

Sunline, can you post up a picture of your hitch mounting?

And then can someone with an Eco post a picture of the underside of their car from the tire well back?


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## spacedout (Dec 7, 2010)

From the rear wheels back the ECO is identical(no panels or anything) to every other cruze, minus the Z-link.


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## jblackburn (Apr 14, 2012)

spacedout said:


> From the rear wheels back the ECO is identical(no panels or anything) to every other cruze, minus the Z-link.


Wait...there's one in my parking lot (an Eco Auto though).

Must drop something under his car to take a look without looking suspicious...


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## Sunline Fan (Jul 29, 2012)

jblackburn said:


> Hmmm...
> 
> Sunline, can you post up a picture of your hitch mounting?
> 
> And then can someone with an Eco post a picture of the underside of their car from the tire well back?


This is all I have for now, until I see the car again Sunday night.

http://www.cruzetalk.com/forum/57-how-library/3451-how-install-cruze-hitch-4.html#post208728


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## Gary_G (Jun 14, 2013)

Anyone know if Curt or Reese makes an aftermarket trailer hitch that will fit the 2014 Cruze Diesel... I looked under the rear of the Cruze... and yah the urea holding tank takes up some space, but there appears to be enough room for a hitch to mount to the chassis rails and still clear the holding tank... I can't believe that Chevy would put a diesel in the Cruze and not allow for a trailer hitch... there are a lot of people in the USA that pull a small pop-up camper trailer... this would be a huge error on Chevy's part.


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## Sunline Fan (Jul 29, 2012)

Gary_G said:


> Anyone know if Curt or Reese makes an aftermarket trailer hitch that will fit the 2014 Cruze Diesel... I looked under the rear of the Cruze... and yah the urea holding tank takes up some space, but there appears to be enough room for a hitch to mount to the chassis rails and still clear the holding tank... I can't believe that Chevy would put a diesel in the Cruze and not allow for a trailer hitch... there are a lot of people in the USA that pull a small pop-up camper trailer... this would be a huge error on Chevy's part.


Considering the NA diesel just started production in late April and started hitting dealer lots about three weeks ago, I'm pretty sure that's a no. The companies that make hitches have to go buy/lease cars like the rest of us.

And while yes, it would make a great towing car, I doubt that they intended on many people planning to use it as a tow vehicle, despite having a diesel.


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## Aussie (Sep 16, 2012)

If you look at my Garage you will see that the Holden Diesel has a much bigger grill opening especially under the bumper where most of the cooling comes from. Maybe this is why even in 117F temp the engine ran the same temp as usual. The US diesel seems a bit restricted for airflow by comparison.


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## Gary_G (Jun 14, 2013)

I just contacted the Tech dept. at Curt Mfg... I'll let the board know when they get back to me regarding Curt making a trailer hitch to fit the 2014 Chevy Cruze Diesel 2.0


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## Suns_PSD (Feb 16, 2013)

It would have been really cool if GM had added a tow button to the Cruze-D that help open the shutters for one thing.

Anyways, I personaly don't need my Cruze to tow anything at all.


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## nebojsa (Jan 3, 2011)

I cant speek for the chevy-d but my old 98 VW TDI would have 4 people ,a full trunk,roof rack loaded, AC on and never had a problem with the engine overheating or running hot.


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## Gary_G (Jun 14, 2013)

I just got an email back from Brad Howell the tech guy at Curt Mfg. regarding a trailer hitch for the Cruze Diesel 2.0 stating, "I don’t have an ETA at this point. It will be a matter of when we see the vehicle for a test fit. Diesels normally will have different exhaust than a gas model." 

Thank you,

*Brad Howell*
Technical Service Associate








_800.798.0813 Direct_
_608.237.2268 Fax_
_Trailer Hitches and Towing Products | CURT Manufacturing_


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## JOMO (Jul 13, 2013)

I have to agree with you on it being a mistake on GMs part if no hitch is available. I just bought a diesel Cruze intending to use it to tow a small trailer to my cottage. Nothing big, just the usual tools and junk that wouldn't fit in my Jetta TDI wagon. The VW tows with no problem and I see lots of them on my way north with trailers larger than mine. It wasn't until after I bought the car that I was told about the towing restriction. I have no doubt that someone will come up with a way around this. I hope that they do it soon.


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## jpeloke (May 26, 2011)

I have a 2011 Eco 6 speed and tow a couple of times a month. Just locally to take lawn mower to other properties but no problems so far. Mower is ZTR and weigh's about 400 lbs and trailer is 5 X 10 metal single axle. Live in Florida and so far no problems with cooling to anything else. Ordered hitch from internet.


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## Suns_PSD (Feb 16, 2013)

The diesel should have been offered w/ a tow package that opened up air intake shutters, altered shift points, and included a light duty hitch.

As fuel prices climb a lot of people are starting to realize that they don't need an 8K# diesel truck to haul a dirt bike or whatever. It's very wasteful to have a huge oversized vehicl and towing w/ passenger cars is going to continue to become more popular as it already is in Europe.


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## 70AARCUDA (Nov 14, 2010)

Suns_PSD said:


> The diesel should have been offered w/ a tow package that opened up air intake shutters, altered shift points, and included a light duty hitch.
> 
> As fuel prices climb a lot of people are starting to realize that they don't need an 8K# diesel truck to haul a dirt bike or whatever. It's very wasteful to have a huge oversized vehicl and towing w/ passenger cars is going to continue to become more popular as it already is in Europe.


...which is *why* either a *fastback *or *stationwagon* diesel Cruze makes sense, ie: they have* interior *space enough to handle _roughly_ same loads as fit into 1-ton pickup beds.


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## Gary_G (Jun 14, 2013)

2014 Chevy Cruze Turbo Diesel DEF emissions system failure at 2600 miles. Dealer did not have parts in stock. GM wants to look at the problem before releasing parts and doing the service work on the car. I had concerns about buying the new diesel model in its introduction year... I hope this turns out to be a simple glitch and not another GM disaster like the GM diesel engine failures in the 1980s. I would be interested in hearing from other owners experiencing a problem with the DEF injection system.


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## Gary_G (Jun 14, 2013)

Just thought I'd let the message board know that Curt Mfg. now makes a trailer towing hitch for the 2014 Cruze Turbo Diesel...

Hitch Lookup for 2014 Chevrolet Cruze Diesel | CURT Manufacturing


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