# Cruze Diesel DEF problem



## DITurbo (Oct 1, 2015)

This is sort of a warranty question, because it isn't really clear to me what is covered and opinion seems to be varied. I have 29444 miles and within 100 miles the speed will be limited to 65, I called the dealer I bought the car from but they have not returned my call. Kind of upsetting, but the Diesel Exhaust Fluid Tank Heater tripped a code. The 2 year 24000 emission warranty covers defects and performance, the 3 year 36000 miles bumper to bumper covers material and workmanship. I don't know the difference and don't want to pay anything, not even a scan charge. Some people have paid some have not, can I get an answer for sure?


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## BlueTopaz (Aug 25, 2012)

Sounds like it depends on the dealership you go to.


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## Tomko (Jun 1, 2013)

Yep. It will depend on your relationship with the dealer.


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## DITurbo (Oct 1, 2015)

I wonder what kind of MPG I'll get at 65 MPH?


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## DITurbo (Oct 1, 2015)

I don't have a relationship with them, I bought it from them and that's it, not really into serious relationships.


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## DITurbo (Oct 1, 2015)

Tomko said:


> Yep. It will depend on your relationship with the dealer.


 Were are my manners, thanks for the reply.


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## Tomko (Jun 1, 2013)

Well if you bought it from them than you've got a good relationship going. Excellent first step.


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## Tomko (Jun 1, 2013)

If you search our diesel forums you'll see that two others have needed to have their DEF tank/heater serviced.


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## DITurbo (Oct 1, 2015)

That's still not clear, due to miles, a deductible, and extended warranty on those threads. I didn't know a deductible existed under the terms of a warranty. I'll keep reading later, I have work to do, but so far it looks like 3 heaters exist, one for the line, one for the pump, and one for the tank, and the tank itself is showing discontinued on-line, so it must be a new part number because they can't not supply a tank for a 14'.


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## Robby (Mar 1, 2013)

Although there are several items that a manufacturer must warranty for a minimum of two years or twenty four thousand miles this is not the way G.M. plays.
Even though they only have to follow the 2/24 warranty for certain items, G.M. warranties those items as well as the rest of the car, for three years or thirty six thousand miles from date of sale and starting mileage regardless of who currently owns the car.

All that to say, at this writing, the item mentioned is covered under 3/36.

A recommendation though…..if component failures cause excessive hand wringing relative to potential cost I strongly recommend you look into a GM Protection Plan service contract for piece of mind.
The complexity of new cars in general, and in particular new small diesels with their very complex emission systems, IMO, makes a service contact close to a necessity…….this from a retired mechanic………but the insane costs for parts now almost necessitates the purchase……..just sayin.

Rob


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## boneheaddoctor (Dec 10, 2014)

DITurbo said:


> I wonder what kind of MPG I'll get at 65 MPH?


Depends if its uphill or downhill.

I've actually seen 51.5 mpg at 75mph with Cruise on 3 adults and loaded trunk over a 50 mile average


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## DITurbo (Oct 1, 2015)

boneheaddoctor said:


> Depends if its uphill or downhill.
> 
> I've actually seen 51.5 mpg at 75mph with Cruise on 3 adults and loaded trunk over a 50 mile average


My best is up to 53.8 so far, I average 48 daily. Right now I'm down to 21 because I'm not driving the cruze.


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## DITurbo (Oct 1, 2015)

So the dealer that sold me the car had from 9AM to call me and never did, so I called back a half hour before closing and still could not talk to anyone in service, left another message and they did not return the call. They are closed now. This is why I dumped the 09 VW, and then the 12 Chrysler. Poor customer service is rampant. I'm trying to decide who I'm going to try next.


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## pacolino (Aug 1, 2015)

Try to find a dealership with a good reputation even if it's little bit further than where you live 

Sent from my SGH-I337M using Tapatalk


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## Robby (Mar 1, 2013)

Drive to the dealer and quit waiting for a callback……they have enouph on their plate and callbacks aren't a high priority in this crazy business.

Sorry, but thats the way it is.

Rob


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## DITurbo (Oct 1, 2015)

Thanks for the info Robby, I did a search on the website and it looks like the 22978800 Reservoir assembly is what needs replaced, I found it for $150. I still haven't heard back from the dealer. I don't want to drive the car to the dealer without an appointment and some idea what they would be or not be charging, although your info does suggest that it would be free. You never can tell if they want to charge diag and then the tech could be completely incompetent. I found some very useful information about the system during my study time last night. From what I read the techs usually look at current draw with a scan tool. It appears that the heaters should have about 2-5 ohms of resistance, I might check this out myself this weekend if I don't get a call today from someone. I know more about this system now than I ever planned on, but I got lost in some interesting articles about 03. As far as finding a good shop as pacolino suggests, the conversations so far have not been fruitful, but I did find a good BMW dealership, gag.


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## revjpeterson (Oct 2, 2013)

I always just drop in on my dealer rather than calling. It helps that I pass within a quarter mile of them on a daily basis, but I have also found that I get quicker and more attentive service. When you're standing in front of them, there's no "hold" button, and it's a lot harder for most people to turn down a request when it's face-to-face as compared to doing so over the phone. 

If you're within the 3 years and 36,000 miles, you should be fully covered with only a couple of very extreme exceptions like deliberate abuse, failure to maintain, or having used defective fuel/fluids. If your dealer tells you anything else, find another dealer. Before I hit 36,000 miles my dealer responded unquestioningly to all complaints, even minor ones like requesting that they update the BCM software to the new version that solves the trunk opening issue or that there was a sharp edge on the inside of my trunk. The deductibles and owner-paid repairs you see in the other threads were for people who were outside the 3/36 window. The deductibles were for people with service contracts which required deductibles, and the instances where the warranty did not cover were those of us who were hoping a certain component might be covered by the 8 year 80,000 mile federal emissions warranty, but it turned out not to be.


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## DITurbo (Oct 1, 2015)

It's out of my way, I have no idea if they have a loaner because they have someone who doesn't know anything running interference and sending emails to the service department. How long does it take to call someone. Hi this is so and so I'm returning a call. Yes I have a blah blah chevy with a check engine light with so so miles. I would like to know if I get charged a scan and if you have a loaner? BLAH BLAH yes or no. When can I bring it in, or thank you I will do something else. Thank you, bye bye. I am not going to put more miles on the car and have it shut down the speed simply driving back and forth to a dealer who won't pick up a phone and call me. I need to go do some work, sorry for the rant, you are just being helpful and I appreciate it, obviously I'm losing it and it's not worth it. I'm going to look for something else. I'll tell you what, whatever the fix is for the DEF, I'll not forget to post it here in as much detail as possible because you people have been so nice.


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## peobey (Aug 9, 2015)

Either he's a troll or he's trying to get his warranty cancelled. He doesn't want to pay for diagnostic but a 150$ DEF tank is ok?

Sent from my Nexus 4 using Tapatalk


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## Reno12469 (Sep 25, 2015)

I would honestly not touch it for fixing under the 3/36. ALWAYS BRING IT IN. Drive to the dealership and talk to someone. If service won't talk to you then talk to the salesperson who sold it to you. If nothing still works, GM has a customer service line in the manual to call. But whatever you do, don't fix it yourself.


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## DITurbo (Oct 1, 2015)

Well I didn't think that would void the warranty. I figured paying for a scan gets me no closer to having it fixed. The comment was not very nice and I don't appreciate being talk to in the third person.


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## peobey (Aug 9, 2015)

Sorry, I didn't mean to offend you. The thing is you had a problem, asked for leads, and then you seem like you still want to do it your way. Many experienced people here told you to go the dealership. There's a reason for this. If your car is still covered under the emissions warranty, it will be covered. Call CS and have it towed to your dealer. Even that should be covered.

Sent from my Nexus 4 using Tapatalk


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## oilburner (Jun 13, 2013)

Robby said:


> Drive to the dealer and quit waiting for a callback……they have enouph on their plate and callbacks aren't a high priority in this crazy business.
> 
> Sorry, but thats the way it is.
> 
> Rob


agree


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## oilburner (Jun 13, 2013)

if your under 3 year 36 thousand you will pay nothing.


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## diesel (Jun 8, 2013)

Man, your dealer really sucks. I don't understand why they aren't calling you back. A warranty repair is money. Do you get the actual service department on the phone? I would say "I have a Chevy Cruze with a check engine light and would like to schedule warranty service, as I am under 3 years and 36K miles. When can I bring the car in? Oh, and I will need a loaner car too please," GM does pay for loaner cars. A good dealership will be all over that and bending over backwards to assist.


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## boraz (Aug 29, 2013)

diesel said:


> A warranty repair is money.


barely


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## Danny5 (Dec 22, 2011)

I had this issue. My entire tank was replaced.

Meh, thats all I got. Although I thought the emissions warranty was 5 years, 100k miles. Guess I need to look this up.


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## Chevy Customer Care (Oct 29, 2011)

DITurbo said:


> It's out of my way, I have no idea if they have a loaner because they have someone who doesn't know anything running interference and sending emails to the service department. How long does it take to call someone. Hi this is so and so I'm returning a call. Yes I have a blah blah chevy with a check engine light with so so miles. I would like to know if I get charged a scan and if you have a loaner? BLAH BLAH yes or no. When can I bring it in, or thank you I will do something else. Thank you, bye bye. I am not going to put more miles on the car and have it shut down the speed simply driving back and forth to a dealer who won't pick up a phone and call me. I need to go do some work, sorry for the rant, you are just being helpful and I appreciate it, obviously I'm losing it and it's not worth it. I'm going to look for something else. I'll tell you what, whatever the fix is for the DEF, I'll not forget to post it here in as much detail as possible because you people have been so nice.


Hi there,

We're sorry if you've been unable to find answers from your dealership. We'll gladly check into your warranties on our end and even contact your dealership in hopes of improving lines of communication. Just send us a private message with your VIN, mileage and contact information if interested. 

Thanks,

Amber N.
Chevrolet Customer Care


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## DITurbo (Oct 1, 2015)

Well I said I would post what the fix was, so here I am back. The DEF Heater was bad, the reservoir has been replaced with a new one which contains the tank heater and DEF level sensor. I could go into detail but I felt rather judged by individuals here and just don't feel comfortable. Good luck.


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## diesel (Jun 8, 2013)

DITurbo said:


> Well I said I would post what the fix was, so here I am back. The DEF Heater was bad, the reservoir has been replaced with a new one which contains the tank heater and DEF level sensor. I could go into detail but I felt rather judged by individuals here and just don't feel comfortable. Good luck.


Don't let a couple goobers ruin your experience of the forum. I've had run-ins with a person or 2 through my years on the forum and I just ignore them. This forum is far better and nicer overall than any other forum I have ever been on.


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## peobey (Aug 9, 2015)

DITurbo said:


> Well I said I would post what the fix was, so here I am back. The DEF Heater was bad, the reservoir has been replaced with a new one which contains the tank heater and DEF level sensor. I could go into detail but I felt rather judged by individuals here and just don't feel comfortable. Good luck.


Did you fixed it yourself?

Sent from my Nexus 4 using Tapatalk


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## KpaxFAQ (Sep 1, 2013)

I don't know seems butthurt by a couple of people he doesn't know over the internet. Hopefully he has a full recovery.


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## oilburner (Jun 13, 2013)

seemed a little over sensitive.


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## Renwo (Jan 29, 2014)

I'm having the same problem with the DEF heater. I've also had a lot of other unrelated issues with my CTD (turbo, blind side alert sensors, console lighting, just to name a few), but thankfully they were all fixed for free under warranty within the first 30k miles or so. I thought all the quirks were ironed out. Boy was I wrong.

Now my car has 60k miles and the dealership told me today I need to get the DEF tank heater replaced for a total cost of $511 and it's not covered under any warranty. I'm very unhappy that such a defect in the emissions system is not covered.


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## diesel (Jun 8, 2013)

Renwo said:


> I'm having the same problem with the DEF heater. I've also had a lot of other unrelated issues with my CTD (turbo, blind side alert sensors, console lighting, just to name a few), but thankfully they were all fixed for free under warranty within the first 30k miles or so. I thought all the quirks were ironed out. Boy was I wrong.
> 
> Now my car has 60k miles and the dealership told me today I need to get the DEF tank heater replaced for a total cost of $511 and it's not covered under any warranty. I'm very unhappy that such a defect in the emissions system is not covered.


Sorry to hear that. That issue seems to have popped up a few times on this forum.


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## ajkup (Jan 21, 2018)

I know this is a three year old thread, but I just bought a 2015 Cruze, with 36,200 miles, on Saturday and the CEL came on when I went to test drive it. It's a certified pre-owned so I wasn't worried about them selling me a shady car, but I also had them agree to fix the problem before I would take full ownership of the car. Called me this morning and said it was the DEF heater in the tank. After you guys had yours replaced was everything else okay afterwards, performance, reliability, MPG etc. etc.?


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## revjpeterson (Oct 2, 2013)

ajkup said:


> I know this is a three year old thread, but I just bought a 2015 Cruze, with 36,200 miles, on Saturday and the CEL came on when I went to test drive it. It's a certified pre-owned so I wasn't worried about them selling me a shady car, but I also had them agree to fix the problem before I would take full ownership of the car. Called me this morning and said it was the DEF heater in the tank. After you guys had yours replaced was everything else okay afterwards, performance, reliability, MPG etc. etc.?


That part has been warrantied by a a special coverage for 10 years/120,000 miles, so you should be just fine for several years, even if it would have a problem. I haven't seen anyone who has had theirs repaired with the updated part have trouble with it afterward, though, so I wouldn't worry.


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## ajkup (Jan 21, 2018)

Awesome, thanks for the help


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## MRO1791 (Sep 2, 2016)

Renwo said:


> I'm having the same problem with the DEF heater. I've also had a lot of other unrelated issues with my CTD (turbo, blind side alert sensors, console lighting, just to name a few), but thankfully they were all fixed for free under warranty within the first 30k miles or so. I thought all the quirks were ironed out. Boy was I wrong.
> 
> Now my car has 60k miles and the dealership told me today I need to get the DEF tank heater replaced for a total cost of $511 and it's not covered under any warranty. I'm very unhappy that such a defect in the emissions system is not covered.


That DEF Tank heater got special extended coverage.. did you get reimbursed for the expense? You should have.


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## sailurman (Sep 29, 2016)

MRO1791 said:


> That DEF Tank heater got special extended coverage.. did you get reimbursed for the expense? You should have.


Ha, you realize you just replied to a 2 year old post from a poster that had 3 posts over 2 years ago :wavetowel2:


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## MRO1791 (Sep 2, 2016)

sailurman said:


> Ha, you realize you just replied to a 2 year old post from a poster that had 3 posts over 2 years ago :wavetowel2:


Actually, YES.. I did. This thread showed up on active topics/new posts, so others might read it and it would be good for them to know about the extended warranty for this problem, no matter how old the thread might be.


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## BDCCruze (Jul 12, 2017)

Since the DEF heater extended warranty is not a recall, GM doesn't advertise it other than listing on the GM owners page. But for the people who paid for this a couple years ago that are eligible for a refund, how do they ever find out they are in fact able to get their money back if they don't use that site?


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## boraz (Aug 29, 2013)

BDCCruze said:


> Since the DEF heater extended warranty is not a recall, GM doesn't advertise it other than listing on the GM owners page. But for the people who paid for this a couple years ago that are eligible for a refund, how do they ever find out they are in fact able to get their money back if they don't use that site?


i usually go along with the idea of corporations being the bad guy

but the avg person doesnt even read the owners manual or do the basic research on their vehicle new or used

simple internet search with your vin will show everything you need to know aboot your car and what its due for


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## Renwo (Jan 29, 2014)

MRO1791 said:


> Actually, YES.. I did. This thread showed up on active topics/new posts, so others might read it and it would be good for them to know about the extended warranty for this problem, no matter how old the thread might be.


I'm back on this site because I need another def tank reservoir replacement at 105k miles for the same issue! I did get reimbursed for the cost except for $100 in shop and analysis fees for the first replacement. Is it normal for these to go out every ~50k miles? I am planning on keeping this car for at least another 6 years (giving it to my teenage son) and replacing the def tank every couple of years is unacceptable! The extended warranty runs out at 120k miles and I'm currently researching delete kits so we won't have to deal with this poor quality manufacturing for a diesel in the future. I initially bought this car for longevity in mind, fully loaded with all the packages (paid over $30k brand new) and what a mistake!


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## revjpeterson (Oct 2, 2013)

Renwo said:


> I'm back on this site because I need another def tank reservoir replacement at 105k miles for the same issue! I did get reimbursed for the cost except for $100 in shop and analysis fees for the first replacement. Is it normal for these to go out every ~50k miles? I am planning on keeping this car for at least another 6 years (giving it to my teenage son) and replacing the def tank every couple of years is unacceptable! The extended warranty runs out at 120k miles and I'm currently researching delete kits so we won't have to deal with this poor quality manufacturing for a diesel in the future. I initially bought this car for longevity in mind, fully loaded with all the packages (paid over $30k brand new) and what a mistake!


Do you know if your first replacement was done with the original part# or the updated part#? If it was the original, repeating the replacement using the updated part should be a permanent remedy.


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## MRO1791 (Sep 2, 2016)

Renwo said:


> I'm back on this site because I need another def tank reservoir replacement at 105k miles for the same issue! I did get reimbursed for the cost except for $100 in shop and analysis fees for the first replacement. Is it normal for these to go out every ~50k miles? I am planning on keeping this car for at least another 6 years (giving it to my teenage son) and replacing the def tank every couple of years is unacceptable! The extended warranty runs out at 120k miles and I'm currently researching delete kits so we won't have to deal with this poor quality manufacturing for a diesel in the future. I initially bought this car for longevity in mind, fully loaded with all the packages (paid over $30k brand new) and what a mistake!


I totally get the frustration with the DEF tank. Keep in mind, while this is annoying, it’s not a good reflection of the overall car. Consider the power, MPG and cost, while it seems you paid near the maximum for this car, it’s still far less than a hybrid, or even an electric, yet you’ll get as good, if not better highway MPG. 
A delete kit is certainly an option. The regulatory mandates on emissions did push the OEMs to make some hasty decisions on new technologies, and unfortunately we became field testers for this technology. Starting in midyear 2007 all US on road diesels became subject to this cycle, and in 2010 the standard became even more difficult to meet (assuming you are not VW and actually try to legitimately meet the standards!) ... thus the situation we face. The SCR/DEF system has won out due to its ability to use less EGR and less fuel, thus taking a smaller MPG hit than the non-DEF system (LNT). The LNT systems had a pretty significant fuel use problem, and required more EGR which lead to all kinds of engine soot problems in the intake and turbo.
If you delete, you’ll eliminate nearly all the pitfalls of these new emissions systems. while not road legal, it is understandable the reason many opt to go this path. I will say, thus far I’m seeing far less issues in the Gen 2 Diesel as far as emission system issues. It seems that GM did in fact learn a few things and made the appropriate changes.


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## TheRealHip (Sep 1, 2014)

Just got mine replaced yesterday. I've got 65000 miles on mine.


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