# Engine light continues to light up, fourth visit to dealer



## geo81mm (Feb 15, 2011)

I have a 2011 Cruze with 31k miles. In Dec, I started to get the check engine light. Took it in to one dealer, told they would not get to the car for three weeks. WHAT? The engine light is on, and they can't see me for three weeks. Thanks a lot. 
Took it to a different location, told it was the gas pedal sensor (not covered under warranty). Talked into paying $500 because they would include the work under the 30k maintenance. 
Two weeks later, I'm 35 miles from home, about to enter the expressway and HUD lights up stating "Service Traction Control" and "Engine Power Reduced". The car slows down to 10mph and it takes me 40 minutes to crawl to a dealer I had just passed by a couple miles back because the car will not go any faster than 10mph. 
It was closing time, the rental company was gone for the day so I had to find a ride home. I received no news for 4 days, until I call a fifth time to check the status of the vehicle. They say it's a bunch of issues, really can't pinpoint what it is. They said they replaced the throttle body and the thermostat among a bunch of other codes they hope are fixed with the tinkering they did. 
That was Jan 12th, and tonight the Check Engine Light came back on. I did feel the engine surge a few hours before, but did not think much of it at the time. Looks like it will be another trip to the dealer in the morning. Let's see what they "think" the issue is and if they can get it right this time. It ridiculous that it takes several trips to the dealer, without a solution, and they tell you "hope that solves the issue, but you will have to be the test driver, BY THE WAY if GM send you a satisfaction survey make sure to answer completely satisfied". 
Well, guess what guys, I AM NOT SATISFIED ONE BIT! 



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## iedgar10 (Sep 25, 2014)

Why did you pay for gas pedal sensor at 30k miles?isnt bumper to bumper up to 36k?

You should PM Chevy customer care and tell them about your situation. I found that the dealer is more likely to be less apathetic if customer care reaches out to them


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## Merc6 (Jun 8, 2013)

geo81mm said:


> I have a 2011 Cruze with 31k miles. In Dec, I started to get the check engine light. Took it in to one dealer, told they would not get to the car for three weeks. WHAT? The engine light is on, and they can't see me for three weeks. Thanks a lot.
> Took it to a different location, told it was the gas pedal sensor (not covered under warranty). Talked into paying $500 because they would include the work under the 30k maintenance.
> Two weeks later, I'm 35 miles from home, about to enter the expressway and HUD lights up stating "Service Traction Control" and "Engine Power Reduced". The car slows down to 10mph and it takes me 40 minutes to crawl to a dealer I had just passed by a couple miles back because the car will not go any faster than 10mph.
> It was closing time, the rental company was gone for the day so I had to find a ride home. I received no news for 4 days, until I call a fifth time to check the status of the vehicle. They say it's a bunch of issues, really can't pinpoint what it is. They said they replaced the throttle body and the thermostat among a bunch of other codes they hope are fixed with the tinkering they did.
> ...


You may want to get in touch with Chevy Customer Care if they don't reach out to you 1st. They may be able to help you through this. I'm at 37K and haven't replaced a gas pedal sensor or throttle body But I have been through a few coil packs.



iedgar10 said:


> Why did you pay for gas pedal sensor at 30k miles?isnt bumper to bumper up to 36k?
> 
> You should PM Chevy customer care and tell them about your situation. I found that the dealer is more likely to be less apathetic if customer care reaches out to them


Bumper to bumper is 3 years or 36k miles(on top of whatever miles was on the car when it was registered to the 1st owner), whichever you get to 1st. In my case I went over the mileage in less than 2 years. 

I also 2nd Chevy Customer Care at this point.


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## spacedout (Dec 7, 2010)

iedgar10 said:


> Why did you pay for gas pedal sensor at 30k miles?isnt bumper to bumper up to 36k?


He has a 2011 cruze, his B2B warranty is probably gone based on years, not mileage.


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## Chevy Customer Care (Oct 29, 2011)

geo81mm said:


> I have a 2011 Cruze with 31k miles. In Dec, I started to get the check engine light. Took it in to one dealer, told they would not get to the car for three weeks. WHAT? The engine light is on, and they can't see me for three weeks. Thanks a lot.
> Took it to a different location, told it was the gas pedal sensor (not covered under warranty). Talked into paying $500 because they would include the work under the 30k maintenance.
> Two weeks later, I'm 35 miles from home, about to enter the expressway and HUD lights up stating "Service Traction Control" and "Engine Power Reduced". The car slows down to 10mph and it takes me 40 minutes to crawl to a dealer I had just passed by a couple miles back because the car will not go any faster than 10mph.
> It was closing time, the rental company was gone for the day so I had to find a ride home. I received no news for 4 days, until I call a fifth time to check the status of the vehicle. They say it's a bunch of issues, really can't pinpoint what it is. They said they replaced the throttle body and the thermostat among a bunch of other codes they hope are fixed with the tinkering they did.
> ...


Hey geo81 - Please send us your VIN, contact info, and dealership name when you get a chance. We don't want this situation to leave you dissatisfied. We look forward to hearing from you.



iedgar10 said:


> You should PM Chevy customer care and tell them about your situation. I found that the dealer is more likely to be less apathetic if customer care reaches out to them


Thanks for your support, iedgar! We appreciate it!



Merc6 said:


> You may want to get in touch with Chevy Customer Care if they don't reach out to you 1st. They may be able to help you through this. I'm at 37K and haven't replaced a gas pedal sensor or throttle body But I have been through a few coil packs.


Hey Merc6! Glad to see you on the forum! Thanks for your help. 

Amber N.
Chevrolet Customer Care


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## geo81mm (Feb 15, 2011)

Hello everyone. Thank you all for the info. The posts are correct, bumper to bumper expired due to years and not the mileage. 



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## geo81mm (Feb 15, 2011)

It's been a crazy few weeks since my last visit. Life has become complicated, but it gave me lemons so I am making lemonade 


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## geo81mm (Feb 15, 2011)

I have been back to the dealer twice since the last post and still the same issue. Took it in this past Friday, they gave it back blaming the HID bulbs I had put in (really love how they pawn off the blame). Told me once I put in stock bulbs there will not be any issues especially with code P057C. Well, like a fool I believed them and went out to purchase new bulbs. Car ran without the CEL for a day and a half. Monday morning, light is back on and the can't see me until Thursday. It's getting to be ridiculous. I will be sending a PM to Chevy Customer Care today. Thank you everyone.


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## NickD (Dec 10, 2011)

Gapless negative battery terminal was already beaten to death on the Cruze, spotted this problem on the second day I had my new 2012, couldn't tighten that negative battery tight enough to keep it from rotating, so I filed that gap wider so it could get a good grip.

HID's could well be your problem, not a pure 5 amp DC current, but have huge pulses that can interfere with the very low logic levels of both the ECM and PCM. Guys that installed aftermarket spark plug wires that were way too long and didn't follow the same exact pattern had the same problem. A volt difference difference between a logical 1 and O in a 5 volt system and 40,000 V ignition can generate lots of EMI in these very high impedance microcontroller circuits.

Could go back to your bulbs and learn if this cures your problem.


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## geo81mm (Feb 15, 2011)

NickD said:


> Gapless negative battery terminal was already beaten to death on the Cruze, spotted this problem on the second day I had my new 2012, couldn't tighten that negative battery tight enough to keep it from rotating, so I filed that gap wider so it could get a good grip.
> 
> HID's could well be your problem, not a pure 5 amp DC current, but have huge pulses that can interfere with the very low logic levels of both the ECM and PCM. Guys that installed aftermarket spark plug wires that were way too long and didn't follow the same exact pattern had the same problem. A volt difference difference between a logical 1 and O in a 5 volt system and 40,000 V ignition can generate lots of EMI in these very high impedance microcontroller circuits.
> 
> Could go back to your bulbs and learn if this cures your problem.


I did end up going back to the stock bulbs. Friday night I ran out to the part store and bought stock halogen bulbs. It ran fine for about a day and a half and the light came back on. This has been the same pattern, after taking it to the dealer the "fix" the issue and the light comes back on within two days. Just dropped the car off at Zeigler Chevy in Schaumburg, IL. The service manager looked at me and dropped his head because he knew the issue was not fixed and the excuse about the HID's was just that, an excuse. Stay tuned, updates to follow. I look forward to seeing what excuse they come up with this time. 


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## obermd (Mar 3, 2012)

geo81mm said:


> I did end up going back to the stock bulbs. Friday night I ran out to the part store and bought stock halogen bulbs. It ran fine for about a day and a half and the light came back on. This has been the same pattern, after taking it to the dealer the "fix" the issue and the light comes back on within two days. Just dropped the car off at Zeigler Chevy in Schaumburg, IL. The service manager looked at me and dropped his head because he knew the issue was not fixed and the excuse about the HID's was just that, an excuse. Stay tuned, updates to follow. I look forward to seeing what excuse they come up with this time.
> 
> 
> Sent from AutoGuide.com Free App


Hopefully he calls TAC this time to get help.


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## Robby (Mar 1, 2013)

Nothing more trying than a intermittent CEL.....for the customer and tech. alike.

I cannot even give any thoughts since you do not have the specific code being set.
For whatever it is worth, I have not heard of a lot of problems coming out of the dealership you mentioned.

For now, try to be patient.....I assure you the tech. does not wish to ever see your car with this problem on his/her hoist ever again.

Rob


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## ChevyGuy (Dec 13, 2014)

Robby said:


> Nothing more trying than a intermittent CEL.....for the customer and tech. alike.


Amen! A tech can't fix something that has no symptoms, and he/she's never sure if they've fixed the problem if the symptoms stop. If I'm doing the fixing, I'd rather see something come in totally dead than an intermittent.


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## S-Fitz (Jul 16, 2012)

Off topic, but you should invest in a cheap $40 OBD-II code scanner so you can see exactly what trouble code is making your dash light come on. It will help you make better decisions when a mechanic makes you a quote.


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## obermd (Mar 3, 2012)

ChevyGuy said:


> Amen! A tech can't fix something that has no symptoms, and he/she's never sure if they've fixed the problem if the symptoms stop. If I'm doing the fixing, I'd rather see something come in totally dead than an intermittent.


The only thing worse than an intermittent problem is a FM (Fricking Magic) resolution to the problem. You know it's going to come back.


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## geo81mm (Feb 15, 2011)

The code that keeps popping is P057C


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## geo81mm (Feb 15, 2011)

Update, received a call today from the service guy. Said they really cannot figure out the issue and are not sure what is causing the P057C code to pop. Said they think it is the Throttle Position Sensor but can't guarantee its the issue causing the code. OF COURSE, it's not covered under Te powertrain warranty so it will be $325 out of pocket. 
Asked him what recourse I have if I pay for this "fix" and it does not correct the situation? Response: We will have to address any additional codes and possibilities, but the TPS will net be refunded. 
So in other words, give us money to switch out things that may not be the issue and keep doing so until the lights stops coming on......


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## obermd (Mar 3, 2012)

Get GM Customer Care involved. I don't think your dealership has called TAC for assistance.


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## CruzeTech (Mar 23, 2012)

Something similar keeps happening to me. My 2014 has had no less than 6 check engine lights in the past 14 months I've owned it. I'm at 43,000 miles now and I'm getting tired of it coming on for a few days, scheduling an apt at dealer, and it goes off in this time. I bring it in and they tell me they can't pick up anything. Seriously? It keeps turning off and back on again. The car is bone stock. No new light bulbs, nothing like that. It's 100% stock. No tune, nothing. I'm getting tired of this stupid engine light. I'm on my 3rd Cruze, and this is the first car I've even see the cel on, at all. Over 120k miles, owning 3 different Cruzes, and this one is the one that's been acting up. Last time it was in for a light, it ended up being the EBCM. And it's funny the service guy tried to tell me what it was. "It's electronic control, something or other" and I blurt out, "on, you mean the electronic brake control module" and the guy just looks at me, "yeah, that's the one." They still had the car for 4 days telling me that the part needed to be programmed over the dealership wifi and that it had been down. I guess the module gets programmed from GM tech support, over wifi? Seemed kinda weird to me. But it's still a royal pain.

Car has seen nothing but 91 octane Chevron, since new.


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## ChevyGuy (Dec 13, 2014)

geo81mm said:


> Update, received a call today from the service guy. Said they really cannot figure out the issue and are not sure what is causing the P057C code to pop. Said they think it is the Throttle Position Sensor but can't guarantee its the issue causing the code.


Based on my 2013 Cruze factory service manual, the problem is in the brake sensor. It's sets if the "sense" line goes below 0.25V for 1 second. It could be an open or a short to ground. 

Older cars use a brake switch to activate the brake lights and disconnect the cruse control. But the Cruze uses a a 3-wire position sensor so the computer not only knows when you're pressing the brake, but how hard.


Either:

The 2011 Cruze uses that same code for something else.
They found a bulletin that suggests it could be caused by something else.
You need to run, not walk, to another dealer.


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## ChevyGuy (Dec 13, 2014)

CruzeTech said:


> I'm at 43,000 miles now and I'm getting tired of it coming on for a few days, scheduling an apt at dealer, and it goes off in this time. I bring it in and they tell me they can't pick up anything. Seriously? It keeps turning off and back on again.


CEL comes on under certain conditions. Depending on the code, the light will go back off the error doesn't reappear, and the history will clear if it doesn't reappear after several more trips. I believe that's standard for all cars.

I'd suggest either investing in something that can read the codes, or find a way of getting the car into the dealer for them to at least read the codes quicker. With codes in hand, they have something to go on.

Intermittent problems are the worst - for everyone. No matter how good they are. But in geo81mm's case, given the code and no mention of replacing the brake sensor, it sounds to me like his dealer needs an extra pair of hands to find their own rear end.


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## Jamey (Sep 24, 2014)

https://gsi.ext.gm.com/gsi/showDoc.do?docSyskey=2571108&from=sm


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## NYCruze2012 (Jan 16, 2012)

I'm dropping my car off on Monday as I seem to be going for my 3rd coil pack as they seem to short out every 50000 miles.


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## ChevyGuy (Dec 13, 2014)

Jamey said:


> https://gsi.ext.gm.com/gsi/showDoc.do?docSyskey=2571108&from=sm


"You are not authorized to view the requested information."


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## Jamey (Sep 24, 2014)

Sorry wasnt sure if it show, it was a bulletin(PI0329) for the 2011 cruze for P057c about the brake pedal position sensor


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## CruzeTech (Mar 23, 2012)

I need to get the code read at a Kragen, or something. Trying to get in at the dealership can only happen on my days off. I'm just too busy during the week.


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## brian v (Dec 25, 2011)

Bluetooth OBD 2 code scanner by BAFX and the Torque APP $30.00 easier than worrying about IT .

There is even a Wifi OBD 2 scanner .


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## Merc6 (Jun 8, 2013)

NYCruze2012 said:


> I'm dropping my car off on Monday as I seem to be going for my 3rd coil pack as they seem to short out every 50000 miles.


Same here but it's February time frame when snow melts and gets into the coil pack. Mine last only 15K instead of 50K.


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## peligro911 (Apr 8, 2015)

CruzeTech said:


> I need to get the code read at a Kragen, or something. Trying to get in at the dealership can only happen on my days off. I'm just too busy during the week.


you can pick up cheap ones that work on amazon for like 20 - 25 bucks


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## jdean9717 (Apr 20, 2015)

geo81mm said:


> I have been back to the dealer twice since the last post and still the same issue. Took it in this past Friday, they gave it back blaming the HID bulbs I had put in (really love how they pawn off the blame). Told me once I put in stock bulbs there will not be any issues especially with code P057C. Well, like a fool I believed them and went out to purchase new bulbs. Car ran without the CEL for a day and a half. Monday morning, light is back on and the can't see me until Thursday. It's getting to be ridiculous. I will be sending a PM to Chevy Customer Care today. Thank you everyone.
> 
> 
> Sent from AutoGuide.com Free App


Hey as another user posted the link to the bulletin which if you have a GM log in you can read. Here is the bulletin which came out Jan 27,2011 so not sure why they could not of seen it.
#PI0329: Malfunction Indicator Lamp (MIL), DTC P057C - Brake Pedal Position Sensor Out of Range - (Jan 27, 2011) 

Subject: Malfunction Indicator Lamp (MIL), DTC P057C - Brake Pedal Position Sensor Out of Range 







Models: 2011 Chevrolet Cruze    
 [HR][/HR] Condition/Concern Some customers may comment on an intermittent or steadily illuminated SES lamp. Upon further investigation, DTC P057C may be found. 
This condition may be caused by excessive end play or poor retention at the brake pushrod retainer side of the brake pushrod. This additional travel may cause the brake pedal position sensor to return a value out of the expected range. 
*Important: *This condition does not affect stop lamp operation nor does it affect the vehicle braking ability. The condition only results in the DTC codes mentioned above. 

Recommendation/Instructions Replace the brake pushrod retainer and the brake pedal position sensor (BPP) using the following procedure.


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## KENSTV123 (Sep 21, 2014)

Yeah I second getting the Bluetooth OBDII reader, I just got the mini one for $11 on amazon and it comes with torque pro and dash windows ver on the disk, some people are reporting the disc that comes with it has a virus but it is just a key generator
with this reader for $11 total spent you can retrieve the power train codes and reset them and more importantly you can see live data off all the sensors AND log it
now you can log the data and see for yourself what is causing the code to set, of course you need the books to determine what the particular sensor should be under what conditions and I'm sure you can get plenty of help here on that-so if you want it done right do it yourself if out of warranty or show them the sensor log if in warranty---


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## NickD (Dec 10, 2011)

P057C does deal with the brake pedal position sensor, a 33 buck part from rockauto.com










If its output is greater than 0.25V when the brake pedal is depressed for greater than one second, this code will be set. My guess since it is a three terminal device nothing more than a cheap made in China potentiometer on the inside with a corroded wiper giving erratic contact or the connector going to it. Can be tested with a cheap ohmmeter. This part about the linkage controlling it is not even in the shop manual where that tech notice was kindly posted, could be in the linkage sticking itself.

Other voltage problems deal with either the X1 or 3 BCM modules either not supplying the correct voltage or reading it. And anything with an 89 cent microcontroller in it cost $$$$$. Can even be a flux solder connection, this problem has been greatly exacerbated by using leadless solder. Doesn't stick as well. 

If you live in or around the Chicago area, you have the same problems you do, this dang road salt, spend hours cleaning this crap out of my Cruze yesterday. Think we should make a new law, take your shoes off before entering this car with all this delicate crap spread underneath. 

Another function of this sensor is to slip the AT into neutral while stopped, don't have this problem with a MT.


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