2012 CHEVROLET CRUZE Complaints

IT BEGINS WITH THE RADIO BLINKING ON AND OFF WHEN THIS IS HAPPENING THERE ARE SEVERAL THINGS WE NOTICE THAT GOES ON IN THE INSTRUMENT PANEL SUCH AS SIGNAL LIGHTS NO SOUND, SOMETIMES PUTTING THE WINDOW UP WILL TRIGGER THE WRENCH TO BE DISPLAYED, ALSO LOSS OF THE ABILITY TO TURN THE WHEEL. NO CRUISE CONTROL WHEN THE RADIO IS BLINKING. *TR

NOXIOUS COOLANT SMELL INSIDE VEHICLE WHEN HEATER IS ON. COOLANT SMELL COMING FROM ENGINE COMPARTMENT WHEN IT IS WARM. THE WATER PUMP HAS BEEN CHANGED, NEXT REPAIR WAS RE ROUTING COOLANT RESERVOIR, NEXT REPAIR WAS MOLD FOUND IN HEATER CORE COMPARTMENT/CLEANED AND DEODERIZER WAS USED, LAST REPAIR WAS HEATER CORE CASE REPLACED. THIS PROBLEM STARTED WITH A LEAKING WATER PUMP AND HAS NOT BEEN ADDRESSED. SEEMS GM IS TRYING DIFFERENT REPAIRS IN HOPES IT WILL BE FIXED. THE PROBLEM DOESN'T,T SEEM TO BE DIAGNOSED. ONLY HAPPENS IN COLD WEATHER MONTHS WITH THE HEATER ON. HEATED AIR FROM THE VENTS SMELL LIKE BURNED COOLANT. VERY IRRITATING TO THE EYES AND THROAT, EYES ARE WATERY AND SWOLLEN, VERY DIFFICULT TO SEE AND DRIVE. THEN SEVERE COUGHING. WE CAN NOT SAFELY DRIVE LONGER THAN 20 MINUTES. MY DEALER TELLS ME THEY NEVER HEARD OF THIS PROBLEM YET IS QUICK SEARCH OF THE INTERNET SHOWS MANY DOCUMENTED CASES. THE SMELL OF COOLANT IS IN OUR CLOTHES AND THE FABRIC OF THE INTERIOR OF THE CAR. *TR

ENGINE DOES NOT MAINTAIN ENGINE TEMPERATURE AND CONSEQUENTLY DOES NOT HAVE CONSISTENT HEAT. IT WILL GO FROM 170 DEGREES TO 100 IN LESS THAN 3 BLOCKS. THIS WILL CAUSE THE WINDOWS TO FROST OVER AND LIMIT VISIBILITY. IT HAS BECOME UNSAFE TO DRIVE IN THE WINTER. IT HAS BEEN IN FOR REPAIRS ABOUT 8 TIMES IN TWO YEARS WITH NO SUCCESS. I ALSO CONTACTED CHEVROLET CUSTOMER CARE. THEY TOLD ME NOT TO TURN THE HEATER FAN IN PAST LEVEL 2 UNTIL THE ENGINE REACHES OPERATING TEMPERATURE. THE PROBLEM IS THAT IT RARELY DOES OR HOLDS IT VERY LONG. THIS WINTER IN MN HAS RANGED ALL THE WAY TO -20. REGARDLESS OF TEMPERATURE IT DOES THE SAME THING. MY RESEARCH INDICATES THIS HAS BEEN AN ISSUE WITH THE CRUZE AT LEAST SINCE 2011. *TR

ELECTRICAL ISSUES THAT INCLUDE LOSS OF POWER STEERING WHILE DRIVING: WARNING INDICATORS WOULD FLASH ON AND OFF, SUCH AS "SERVICE STABILITRAK", "SERVICE POWER STEERING" AND "SERVICE ABS", WHILE DRIVING.RADIO BEGAN SHUTTING ON AND OFF WHILE DRIVING. WHEN THE DISPLAY & RADIO SHUTS OFF, EVEN THE BLINKER WOULDN'T MAKE A SOUND. WHAT I FIND ALARMING IS DURING THESE EPISODES, THE POWER STEERING ACTUALLY FAILS FOR A SHORT PERIOD OF TIME. ON A 20 MINUTE DRIVE, I EXPERIENCED 4 FAILURES AND THE ABOVE ELECTRICAL ISSUES HAPPENING NON-STOP FOR THE DURATION OF THE TRIP. A DAY LATER, AS A TEST, I DROVE MY CAR AROUND MY NEIGHBORHOOD (LESS THAN A 1 MINUTE DRIVE) AND EXPERIENCED ALL THE SAME ISSUES, INCLUDING LOSS OF POWER STEERING...I HAVE SCHEDULED SERVICE WITH A DEALER...A SEARCH ON THE INTERNET SHOWS AN ALARMING NUMBER OF CHEVY CRUZE OWNER WITH THIS ISSUE, WHICH POINTS TO MANUFACTURING OR DESIGN DEFECT AND NOT WEAR & TEAR...LOSS OF POWER STEERING WHILE IN MOTION WOULD SEEM TO BE A SAFETY ISSUE AND SHOULD BE ADDRESSED. *TR....UPDATED 07/31/14 *BF *TR

COOLANT SMELL INSIDE VEHICLE CABIN AND OUTSIDE OF VEHICLE. NOTICED WHEN I FIRST PURCHASED THE CAR DURING THE WINTER. THIS OCCURS AFTER EXTENDED DRIVES, TYPICALLY MORE THAN 30 MINUTES, DURING COLD WEATHER WHEN USING THE HEAT. PROBLEM HAS PROGRESSIVELY GOTTEN WORSE. GM HAS LOOKED INTO IT APPROXIMATELY 8 TIMES. 4 REPAIR ATTEMPTS (COOLANT RESERVOIR CAP REPLACEMENT, WATER PUMP, COOLANT RESERVOIR MODIFICATION AND HVAC ASSEMBLY REPLACEMENT). PROBLEM HAS NOT BEEN RESOLVED. INTERNET SEARCH HAS REVEALED MANY OWNERS EXPERIENCING THE SAME CONDITION, AS WELL AS A CLASS ACTION LAW SUIT DUE TO THE COOLANT SMELL INSIDE THE VEHICLE CABIN. THIS IS A HEALTH RISK TO ALL OCCUPANTS. FURTHER RESEARCH REVEALED AFFECTED MODELS INCLUDE THE: CRUZE, MALIBU AND SONIC. *TR

THE CENTER INFORMATION CENTER WITH THE RADIO BEGAN SHUTTING ON AND OFF WHILE DRIVING. WHEN THE DISPLAY & RADIO SHUTS OFF, EVEN THE BLINKER WOULDN'T MAKE A SOUND. SOMETIMES DURING THIS A NOTIFICATION WOULD COME UP "SERVICE TRACTION CONTROL" AND/OR "SERVICE STABILITRACK." I TRIED TROUBLESHOOTING IT MYSELF FOR A FEW DAYS. SOMETIMES THE BLINKER, SEAT WARMER, OR EVEN PLUGGING IN MY PHONE TO THE USB PORT SEEMED TO TRIGGER IT. I NOTICED THE VOLTAGE FLUCTUATING FROM 12.9 - 15.2V WHILE DRIVING OR AT A STOP. THE DAY THAT I TOOK THE VEHICLE IN FOR REPAIR, ALL THE NOTIFICATION LIGHTS BEGAN TO BLINK AND THEN THE POWER STEERING WENT OUT DURING A LEFT TURN. THE DEALERSHIP REPLACED BOTH BATTERY CABLES AND MENTIONED THAT THEY'VE HAD MANY OF THESE CARS IN WITH THIS SAME ISSUE. THE ISSUE APPEARED TO BE RESOLVED AND THE CAR WAS RUNNING GREAT, UNTIL YESTERDAY 1/15/14. EVERYTHING MENTIONED ABOVE, EXCEPT FOR THE POWER STEERING LOSS, IS HAPPENING AGAIN. IF YOU SEARCH THE INTERNET AND YOUTUBE, YOU'LL QUICKLY SEE THIS IS A GROWING PROBLEM THAT NEEDS TO BE RESOLVED AND RECALLED. *TR

RECENTLY, CAR RADIO HAS BEEN FLICKERING ON AND OFF, ALONG WITH SERVICE NOTIFICATIONS OF STABILI TRAC, TRACTION CONTROL. CHEVY DEALER NOTIFIED, SERVICED CAR, FOUND NOTHING AND HAS NO EXPLANATION. TODAY, STOPPED AT A CORNER TO MAKE A RIGHT HAND TURN. AS I WAS ACCELERATING AT APPROX 2-3 MPH AROUND THE CORNER, THEN STEERING WAS LOST AND COULD NOT TURN THE CORNER. LOST ALL CONTROL OF CAR. VERY FORTUNATE THERE WAS NO DAMAGE OR INJURY TO ANYTHING OR ANYONE. SCARY INCIDENT THAT COULD OF HAD A WORSE OUTCOME. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2012 CHEVROLET CRUZE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 13V360000 (SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC) HAD SURPASSED A REASONABLE TIME FOR REPAIR. THE MANUFACTURER WAS CONTACTED AND STATED THAT THE PART WAS NOT AVAILABLE FOR REPAIR. THE CONTACT STATED THAT ADDITIONAL FORCE HAD TO BE APPLIED TO THE BRAKES IN ORDER TO STOP THE VEHICLE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 40,000.

AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS, WHEN TRYING TO MAKE A SLIGHT STEERING CORRECTION, THE STEERING WHEEL SEEMS TO STICK AND IT TAKES EXTRA EFFORT MOVE THE STEERING WHEEL. THAT EXTRA EFFORT SUDDENLY MOVES THE STEERING WHEEL BECAUSE THE POWER STEERING SEEMS TO RETURN AND THIS CAUSES THE CAR TO MOVE AS THOUGH THE DRIVER IS JERKING THE STEERING WHEEL. IT IS VERY DIFFICULT TO HOLD A STEADY, SMOOTH TRACK AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS. THE STEERING CAN ALSO EXHIBIT THIS SAME TYPE OF STICKING WHILE SITTING STATIONARY BUT THIS DOESN NOT CAUSE A DANGEROUS SITUATION. THOUGH IT DOES NOT DO THIS ALL OF THE TIME, IT IS EASY TO DRIVE THE VEHICLE LONG ENOUGH TO START THIS ERRATIC STEERING ISSUE. THE DEALER HAS STATED THAT THE GM SERVICE REP HAS NEVER HEARD OF SUCH A PROBLEM AND THEY HAVE NO TSB'S OR RECALLS IN EFFECT SO THEY CAN DO NOTHING. THIS IS THE SAME METHOD OF IGNORING THE PROBLEM THAT GM USED IN DEALING WITH THE BRAKE BOOSTER MICRO SWITCH ISSUE. NEVER HEARD OF THAT PROBLEM EITHER, EVEN THOUGH MANY PEOPLE HAD COMPLAINED OF THE SAME THING ON A CHEVY FORUM AND NUMEROUS WRECKS HAD OCCURRED. "NEVER HEARD OF THE PROBLEM SO WE CAN'T FIX IT" OR IS IT MORE LIKE "WE CAN'T FIX IT SO WE HAVE NEVER HEARD OF THAT PROBLEM". *TR

DRIVING IN A STRAIGHT LINE FOR ~10-15 SECONDS AT SPEEDS OVER 40 MPH WILL CAUSE THE STEERING WHEEL TO "STICK" IN WHAT FEELS LIKE A NOTCH THAT REQUIRES AN OVER-CORRECTION TO GET THE CAR TO RESPOND AND CHANGE DIRECTION AGAIN. WHEN THIS HAPPENS, THE CAR'S ELECTRIC STEERING WILL KICK BACK IN WITH A LITTLE SWERVE TO THE LEFT OR RIGHT THAT FEELS SLIGHTLY DANGEROUS IN SLICK CONDITIONS WHERE OVER-CORRECTION COULD LEAD TO A SLIDE. *TR