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2011 Chevrolet Cruze Problems and Recalls
Owners filed 732 complaints with NHTSA about the 2011 Chevrolet Cruze, most often about the engine (40% of complaints, typically around 63,000 miles). It is the 2nd most complained-about Cruze model year since 2000 and has 7 recalls.
Most common 2011 Chevrolet Cruze problems
Engine
295 complaints · 40%Half of these problems showed up before 63,000 miles. Parts named most often: exhaust system, engine.
While driving at any speed for it has happened several times the RPM's go so high the car accelerates and it sounds like the engine is going to blow up... At the same time the steering column locks and I loose all ability to steer the vehicle and the brake also try to lock. Making the car feel like I ran something…
The chrome coating on the inside drivers side plastic door handle is failing. The edges of the chrome where it has separated from the plastic are razor sharp and have caused multiple fairly deep lacerations to my fingers when opening the door. I inquired at the dealer about them replacing the part under warranty…
Transmission
193 complaints · 26%Half of these problems showed up before 57,500 miles. Parts named most often: automatic transmission, manual transmission, clutch assembly.
2011 chevy Cruze after recall # 12213 for brake vacuum micro switch has been completed. The vehicle is displaying the exact same symptoms as before the recall work was done. Under cold start up conditions (car sitting overt night) the brake petal is difficult to depress so brakes do not stop car easily. This is…
The contact owns a 2011 Chevrolet cruz. The contact stated that while the vehicle was parked it rolled out of park independently. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer to have a diagnostic performed. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The VIN was not available. The failure…
Electrical
96 complaints · 13%Half of these problems showed up before 59,000 miles. Parts named most often: instrument cluster/panel, ignition, 12v/24v/48v battery, body control module/bcm.
The contact owns a 2011 Chevrolet Cruze. While driving approximately 70 MPH, the vehicle veered sharply to the right and the power steering failed. The service stabilitrack and brake warning indicators illuminated. The instrument panel gauges and radio were blinking erratically. The failures occurred multiple times…
From a stopped position, I would accelerate through 1st gear, just before I change gears to 2nd. The whole car's electrical system goes haywire. All systems reset, most of the time this means I can a very bad jerk in between gears 1 and 2. A few times the car turned off. If the car does die, I am unable to start the…
Other or unspecified
75 complaints · 10%Half of these problems showed up before 62,500 miles.
On 12-5-15 I was on my way to ct from mass and was on 91. About 45 minutes into the trip the car began to loose power and the check engine light came on and the service stablitrack light came on. As soon as the light came on the temperature gauge and RPM gauge would fling up and down quickly! I immediately went from…
Burning smell from engine. Back in may 2016 I started smelling this burning smell after you drove the car for 20 mins. I bring it up to the dealer every time I have to take the car in. They can never find the source. They thought a oil pan leak was it. That was fixed and the smell still is there. They claimed to find…
Stability control
75 complaints · 10%Half of these problems showed up before 80,000 miles.
Tl contact owns a 2011 Chevrolet Cruze. The contact stated that while driving at 70 MPH, the vehicle stalled. The contact also stated that the lost power, the electronic stability control, and the service traction control warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed that the…
Stability trac and traction control light appears, vehicle experiences immediate loss of power. Experienced while driving on freeway attempting to change lanes. Due to the sudden loss of power I was nearly struck by a big rig. Dealer can not identify codes only code that appeared was po171,fuel trim lean code was…
Brakes
74 complaints · 10%Half of these problems showed up before 43,000 miles. Parts named most often: pedals and linkages, foundation components, power assist.
I was very slowly backing out of my parking space at work and the vehicle would not stop when the brakes were applied. This happened to me 4 times within a 7 month period, 3 times were in the winter when I would be backing out of a driveway but I had assumed it was due to the slick road conditions that we had but I…
Tl contact owns a 2011 Chevrolet Cruze. The contact stated that while driving at 65 MPH, the steering wheel became difficult to turn. The contact had to apply excessive force to the steering wheel in order to turn the vehicle. In addition, the contact stated that the brake pedal failed to respond making it difficult…
Speed control
70 complaints · 10%Half of these problems showed up before 49,000 miles. Parts named most often: accelerator pedal.
I was driving and all the sudden my car slowed down, a message came up that said "engine power reduced". I could not drive and had no acceleration ability. This has happened several times, and now it is happening frequently and completely stalls out.
1.4 liter 2011 Cruze heater blowing cool air. Gm inspection done on 10/17/13 and they said everything was good. They told me not to worry about the intermittent check engine light that keeps coming on. This happened within two weeks. We added a almost a quart of coolant following the directions in the owners manual.…
Steering
48 complaints · 7%Half of these problems showed up before 55,000 miles.
The steering is "notchy" after driving straight for a short period of time. This requires additional effort to do minor course corrections causing over-steer. This is particularly dangerous on snow and ice. I have the letter from gm #14232 dated november 2014. I called immediately and was told "the parts are on order…
Failure to be notified of severe safety defect affecting 2.2 Chevrolet vehicles 6 other recalls all specifying exact condition (NHTSA special coverage bulletin 14232 power steering stick slip lock up ) began experiencing intermittent lock up of steering on highway one month ago still confused under terms of special…
Complaints are owner reports to NHTSA, not verified defects. One complaint can name several components, so shares add up to more than 100%.
2011 Chevrolet Cruze recalls
Electrical: ignition
Risk: If the key is removed without the transmission in park, the vehicle may rollaway as occupants are exiting, increasing the risk of injury.
Fix: Gm will notify owners, and dealers will inspect and if necessary replace the key cylinder lock housing, free of charge. The recall began on october 14, 2016. Owners may contact chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020, buick 1-800-521-7300, and gmc 1-800-462-8782. Gm's number for this recall is 50490 and 50491.
Full defect summary
General motors llc (gm) is recalling certain model year 2016-2017 buick verano and 2016 chevrolet malibu as the electronic park lock lever may allow the ignition key to be removed without the transmission being in park. Also, certain 2013 buick encore, 2011 buick regal, 2013-2014 buick verano, 2011-2016 chevrolet cruze, 2010-2013 chevrolet equinox 2013-2015 chevrolet malibu, and 2011-2013 gmc terrain vehicles may have been serviced with similar defective replacement electronic park lock levers. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of federal motor vehicle safety standard (fmvss) number 114, "theft protection and rollaway prevention."
Brakes: power assist
Risk: A loss of braking assistance will require extra pedal force and/or distance to bring the vehicle to a stop, increasing the risk of a crash.
Fix: General motors will notify owners, and dealers will replace a microswitch in the power brake vacuum pipe assembly, free of charge. The recall began on october 7, 2013. Owners may contact chevrolet at 1-800-222-1020. Gm's recall number is 12213.
Full defect summary
General motors (gm) is recalling certain model year 2011-2012 chevrolet cruze vehicles equipped with 1.4l dohc gasoline turbo engines and 6t40 front wheel drive automatic transmissions and equipped with an electric vacuum pump to provide supplemental vacuum for brake assist, when needed. In the affected vehicles, the pump may not activate, resulting in an intermittent reduction or loss of brake assist.
Engine: engine and engine cooling
Risk: Either condition could result in an engine compartment fire, possibly causing injury or death.
Fix: Gm will notify owners, and dealers will modify the engine shield to prevent fluid from contacting the shield. Also, on vehicles with a manual transmission, dealers will apply a protective tape to the electronic power steering wire harness. Repairs will be performed free of charge to the owner. The safety recall began on july 10, 2012. Owners may contact the chevrolet owner center at 1-866-694-6546.
Full defect summary
General motors (gm) is recalling certain model year 2011 and 2012 chevrolet cruze vehicles manufactured from october 2, 2009, through may 31, 2012. Spilled or dripping oil (such as after an oil change) may collect in the engine shield (bellypan) near hot engine or exhaust system surfaces. As a result, the oil and the engine shield may ignite and burn.
Fuel system: mounting
Risk: The fuel tank could come loose in a crash, possibly allowing fuel to leak from the tank. A fuel leak in the presence of an ignition source could result in a fire.
Fix: Gm will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the vehicle for missing welds. If the vehicle is missing welds, dealers will secure the bracket attachments with fasteners. Repairs will be performed free of charge. The safety recall began on july 9, 2012. Owners may contact the chevrolet owner center at 1-866-694-6546.
Full defect summary
General motors (gm) is recalling certain model year 2011 and 2012 chevrolet cruze vehicles manufactured from october 2, 2009, through may 14, 2012. Attachment welds for the fuel tank strap secondary brackets may have been omitted.
Transmission: gear position indication (prndl)
Risk: The driver may not be able to restart the vehicle and the vehicle could roll away after the driver has exited the vehicle, resulting in a possible crash without prior warning.
Fix: Dealers will inspect the transmission shift linkage for correct installation and adjust the shift linkage system free of charge. The safety recall began on may 23, 2011. Owners may contact chevrolet at 1-800-630-2438, or www.gmownercenter.com.
Full defect summary
General motors is recalling certain model year 2011 chevrolet cruze vehicles manufactured from october 6, 2009, through april 27, 2011 and equipped with an automatic transmission for failing to comply with federal motor vehicle safety standard no. 102, 'transmission shift lever sequence, starter interlock, and transmission braking effect,' and federal motor vehicle safety standard no. 114, 'theft protection.' these vehicles may have been built with a transmission shift linkage that is not properly installed. If the linkage is not properly installed, the prndl shift lever may not accurately reflect the position of the transmission gear. With this condition, the driver could move the shifter to park and remove the ignition key, but the transmission gear may not be in park.
Steering: shaft sector
Risk: This could allow the shafts to separate, resulting in the loss of steering. Loss of steering control may increase the risk of a crash.
Fix: Dealers will inspect, and if required, repair the intermediate shaft/steering gear assembly to assure the bolt is fully seated and the shaft properly assembled. This service will be performed free of charge. The safety recall began on may 23, 2011. Owners may contact chevrolet at 1-800-630-2438, or www.gmownercenter.com.
Full defect summary
General motors is recalling certain model year 2011 chevrolet cruze vehicles manufactured from october 2, 2009, through april 21, 2011. The bolt attaching the intermediate steering shaft to the steering gear input shaft may not have been properly installed.
Steering: column
Risk: Should the steering wheel detach from the steering column while driving, the driver could lose the ability to steer the vehicle, increasing the risk of a crash.
Fix: Dealers will inspect to ensure that the steering wheel is assembled properly. This service will be performed for you free of charge. The safety recall began on april 7, 2011. Owners may contact chevrolet at 1-800-630-2438, or at the owner center at www.gmownercenter.com.
Full defect summary
General motors is recalling certain model year 2011 chevrolet cruze vehicles. During manufacturing the steering wheel could have been improperly fastened and may detach from the steering column.
Recall repairs are free at any franchised dealer. Enter your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls to see which recalls are still open on your car.
NHTSA defect investigations
Chapman chevrolet / cruze engine recall
Summary
Nhtsa opened aq12-002 to determine whether chapman chevrolet of philadelphia, pennsylvania complied with the requirements of the national traffic and motor vehicle safety act, 49 u.s.c.chapter 301 (safety act) and its implementing regulations.the safety act requires, among other things, that a manufacturer notify its dealers of defects related to motor vehicle safety and non-compliances with federal motor vehicle safety standards and, in turn, that a dealer not sell a new vehicle subject to a recall unless the recall remedy has been performed (49 u.s.c. ? 30120(I)). Nhtsa issued an information request (ir) letter to chapman chevrolet on october 16, 2012.chapman chevrolet responded to this re
Engine compartment fire
Summary
In a june 21, 2012 letter to NHTSA, general motors llc. (gm) submitted a defect information report (dir) identifying a defect in approximately 413,148 model year (my) 2011 through 2012 chevrolet cruze vehicles manufactured from october 2, 2009 through may 31, 2012 (recall 12v-288). According to gm, engine oil change procedures can result in spilling or dripping of oil on the engine shield.also, manual transmission vehicles with a completely worn clutch may cause hydraulic fluid to be expelled from the clutch housing vent hole.if oil, debris or the burning hydraulic fluid contacts hot engine or exhaust system surfaces, and the engine shield, the shield may ignite and burn, leading to a possib
Questions about the 2011 Chevrolet Cruze
- What are the most common problems with the 2011 Chevrolet Cruze?
- By NHTSA owner complaints: engine (295 complaints, typically around 63,000 miles); transmission (193 complaints, typically around 57,500 miles); electrical (96 complaints, typically around 59,000 miles).
- How many recalls does the 2011 Chevrolet Cruze have?
- 7 recalls listed by NHTSA, the latest from July 5, 2016 (electrical). Check your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls to see which ones are still open on your car.
- Is the 2011 a bad year for the Chevrolet Cruze?
- It is the 2nd most complained-about Cruze model year since 2000, with 732 complaints. Complaint counts are not adjusted for how many cars were sold, so popular years collect more of them, and the newest years have had less time to.