# Has anyone experienced radiator problems yet?



## v8318cid (Oct 3, 2012)

Hi everyone! I recently spent the better part of 5 days waiting for my Cruze to leave the shop. Shortly after having the chop-chop performed on my heat shield/belly pan (yeah, it looked horrible, just like many others have said), I noticed I was losing coolant. The loss was slow and wasn't obvious so I was initially reluctant to take it to the dealer since they don't like to hunt for things. After picking up yet another nail in a tire, however, I figured it was a good time to do so. Long story short, the shop was able to track down the leak once the car was on the lift. It turns out that the driver side tank of the radiator started leaking. No idea what would have caused it since there was no obvious damage to the car nor have I been adventurous enough to modify anything in that area of the engine bay. Has anyone else had issues with their radiators? I know I've seen many threads here regarding coolant loss, but don't recall any specific to the radiators. 

'12 Cruze ECO w/ 6MT - 14500 miles


----------



## XtremeRevolution (Jan 19, 2012)

No issues here. This is the first time I'm hearing about this.


----------



## Bohdan (Apr 28, 2012)

I had a leak with my Camaro a few yrs ago on the plastic tank side with its rubber seal to the aluminium fins drivers side also. Non on the Cruze so far. Was yours also from the rubber seal area. Another area to look into if a Cruze has that antifreeze smell going on.


----------



## sciphi (Aug 26, 2011)

No issues with mine. Those tank crimps can and do start leaking on their own. And with GM having made only 500,000 Cruzes in the States so far, the odds of getting a 1 in a million fluke are actually pretty good.


----------



## obermd (Mar 3, 2012)

My ECO is fine after 15,000 miles.


----------



## OnlyTaurus (Mar 20, 2012)

My 1LT seems okay. 12k miles.

I have noticed my tank dropped a half inch since my check-up at 5k. Not sure if its normal, but Im keeping a close eye.

Sometimes I'll get a coolant scent while driving, so we will see.

Sent from my DROID BIONIC using AutoGuide.Com Free App


----------



## NYCruze2012 (Jan 16, 2012)

As of right now on my 2012 Eco at 24,000 miles that would be a no. I have not noticed any coolant loss or coolant smell in my car.

I'm telling you the truth officer! I wasn't speeding but I sure passed a whole bunch of people who were!


----------



## v8318cid (Oct 3, 2012)

Never smelled antifreeze. Just noticed the coolant level dropping in the degas tank over time. Even the tech who worked on the car took a while to find the leak. He showed me where the coolant was dripping from, but I couldn't see the radiator itself. From what I was told, though, the tank was the problem. No specifics were given about exactly where the leak was. At least they replaced it under warranty without giving me any trouble. My gut says it was damaged during the warranty work for the heat shield...


----------



## jblackburn (Apr 14, 2012)

Plastic tank radiators have a lifespan of ~10 years it seems anymore. Funny...I never changed a radiator on my cars from the 80's. One of the few things that was built well in that time period I guess.

I did replace one on an ex's Chevy Tracker at like 6 years old though...

Man, I hope this isn't one of those cheap parts these days.


----------



## v8318cid (Oct 3, 2012)

Yeah, I miss the days of a solid copper/aluminum radiator. They were easier to fix overall if necessary. Plastic tanks rupture easily. Every '90s (and later) GM I had that went past about 75k miles ended up with bulged/ruptured tanks.


----------



## jblackburn (Apr 14, 2012)

75? Bah. Took my previous car 13 years/190K miles before it went...


----------



## v8318cid (Oct 3, 2012)

I would love to see one run that long. I had a 97 C1500 that had 329k on it with the original radiator so I guess its possible.


----------



## obermd (Mar 3, 2012)

v8318cid said:


> Yeah, I miss the days of a solid copper/aluminum radiator. They were easier to fix overall if necessary. Plastic tanks rupture easily. Every '90s (and later) GM I had that went past about 75k miles ended up with bulged/ruptured tanks.


I had coolant leaks in both my Pontiac vans and my Transport's radiater had to be replaced because it was hit (twice), but I've never had a GM radiator fail on it's own.


----------



## gabdaddy (May 15, 2013)

*Smeely cruze*

I have experienced that as well. I have also smelled the burning scent of coolant coming into the cab area while running the heater. I mostly smell it on the driver's side vent. I had this issue reported 7 times in a 6 month period and each time they told me it was something different and assured me that the smell was fixed. The final time I had the car in the shop, they had it for over a month and when they finally gave it back to me, they told me that they were aware of an issue but they didn't have a fix. I was sent home with the car and told that they would contact me when they find a fix for my problem, but meanwhile, I had to finish driving around the rest of the winter with that horrible smell which also left me with constant sore throats. The car has been reported to a lemon law layer and there is a court date scheduled for restitution. I was also contacted by a local news station and have a scheduled meeting to do an interview. I was told that 40% of the fleet of Chevy Cruze's in 2011 and 2012 all have this problem. They just have a very faint smell and most people don't even notice it. My advice for anyone with a Chevy Cruze should take the time to run their engine for at least 30 minutes, put the heat on full blast and smell each vent (mainly the driver's side vent). If you smell the scent of burning coolant, bring the car into the shop for service. Most likely the problem will not be resolved and will most likely be masked by some spray they put into the coolant system. Keep trying, the smell will return within days or even hours. Look into you State's Lemon Law rules, and do what you need to do to get your claim. I have been told that it may be a lucrative. I am posting this because I want the problem to be known, especially for those who do not have a good sense of smell. If you have any questions that you would like to ask me, please feel free to contact me at [email protected], please put SMELLY CRUZE in the subject line.


----------

