2011 Chevrolet Cruze

THE COOLING SYSTEM IN MY 2011 CHEVY CRUZE HAS FAILED FOR THE 3RD TIME IN MY TWO YEAR OWNERSHIP. THIS IS DANGEROUS, MY CAR OVERHEATED AND WENT INTO IDLE MODE ON A 70MPH INTERSTATE(81) WITH MY FAMILY STILL INSIDE. CHEVY DENYS ANY PROBLEM! MULTIPLE CLASS ACTION LAWSUITS HAVE BEEN STARTED REGARDING THE FAULTY COOLING SYSTEM BUT THEY SEEM TO JUST DISAPPEAR. MY CAR CONSTANTLY SMELLS OF NAUSEATING COOLANT AND HAS BEEN "FIXED" TWICE NOW. SO WHAT GIVES? WHY IS THIS NOT BEING ADDRESSED? THE NHTSA NEEDS TO HANDLE THIS PROBLEM AS IT IS BIGGER THAN CHEVY WILL EVER ADMIT.

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 65 MPH TO 30 MPH.( I WAS ALMOST REAR ENDED BY A CAR BEHIND ME) I COASTED MY WAY TO THE RIGHT LANE AND WAS ABLE TO GET OFF THE EXIT. THE CAR TOOK ABOUT 4 HOURS TO GO BACK TO NORMAL. ( I RETURNED TO MASS, I HAD TO TAKE THE BACK WAY HOME AND AVOID THE HIGHWAY AS THE CAR STILL HAD REDUCE SPEED) THE CAR WILL RETURN TO NORMAL AND THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT WILL GO OFF. EVERYDAY NOW THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT WILL COME ON AND IT WILL SAY SERVICE STABLITRACK. THE CAR IMMEDIATELY LOOSES POWER AND YOU CAN HEAR THE ENGINE (SOUNDS LIKE A FAN BLOWING HARD) THE TRANSMISSION WILL NOT SHIFT. THE RPM WILL JUMP TO 4-5 WHILE ONLY GETTING TO A SPEED OF 35 MPH. THE DEALER HAS NO IDEA WHAT I AM TALKING ABOUT. THIS CAR WAS BOUGHT IN JANUARY OF 2015 AND HAS LESS THAN 65,000 MILES ON IT. I HAVE READ A FEW COMPLAINTS ABOUT THIS SIMILAR SITUATION HAPPENING TO THE SAME CAR I HAVE. THIS IS A SAFETY ISSUE!!! THE CAR HAS BEEN SERVICED ON TIME!!! PLEASE HELP ME!! I REFUSE TO TAKE THE HIGHWAY AS I NEVER KNOW WHEN THIS IS GOING TO HAPPEN.....

MOST OF THE MILES I PUT ON A CAR ARE HIGHWAY MILES. I HAVE A 90 MILE ROUND TRIP TO GET TO WORK. THE FIRST TIME THIS HAPPENED WAS APPROXIMATELY 2 YEARS AFTER I BOUGHT THE CAR AND HAD ROUGHLY 60,000 MILES ON IT (SUMMER OF 2013). THE A/C SHUT OFF AND THE WATER TEMPERATURE ROSE VERY QUICKLY. I TOPPED OFF THE COOLANT AND DIDN'T HAVE ANY MORE TROUBLE FOR AWHILE. ABOUT THIS SAME TIME I STARTED GETTING A SICKLY SWEET BURNT OIL SMELL IN THE CAR. VERY STRONG SMELL WHEN STOPPED AND THERE'S NO AIR FLOW TO DISSIPATE THE FUMES. JUST RECENTLY IT HAPPENED AGAIN. SAME THING, A/C SHUT OFF, WATER TEMP INDICATOR PEGGED OUT AND I GOT A MESSAGE SAYING "GO TO IDLE" OR SOMETHING TO THAT EFFECT. THERE WAS COOLANT SITTING ON TOP OF THE ENGINE. WITH THE CAR AT IDLE I COULD ONLY FIND A SMALL LEAK AT THE RADIATOR HOSE WHERE IT PLUGS INTO THE WATER OUTLET. I ASSUME THE LEAK IS MUCH WORSE WHEN THE WATER TEMP GOES UP AND THE SYSTEM PRESSURIZES. EVERY 50 MILES OR SO NOW I HAVE TO CHECK THE COOLANT LEVEL OR RISK ANOTHER OVERTEMP. NEXT IS THE TRANSMISSION. I HATE THIS TRANSMISSION. IT'S VERY JERKY WHEN SHIFTING AND HAS BEEN SINCE DAY 1. I THOUGHT MAYBE AS I DROVE THE CAR IT WOULD SMOOTH OUT EVENTUALLY. NO IT DID NOT. IT'S ESPECIALLY BAD IF YOU ARE COASTING TO A STOP BUT RESUME ACCELERATION BEFORE STOPPING. FINALLY, THE BRAKES HAVE A GLITCH. FROM MY DRIVEWAY I BACK SLIGHTLY UPHILL AND THEN DOWNHILL INTO THE ROAD. AT THIS POINT I HAVE TO STAND ON THE BRAKE PEDAL OR SHIFT INTO DRIVE IF I EXPECT TO STOP. IT SEEMS TO ONLY HAPPEN BACKING OUT OF MY DRIVEWAY. IF I BACK UP ON LEVEL GROUND I DON'T NOTICE IT HAPPENING. IT MAY BE THE DIFFERENCE IN SPEED. I'M NOT GOING AS FAST ON LEVEL GROUND AS I AM COMING DOWN MY DRIVEWAY.

PRACTICALLY EVERY DAY I DRIVE MY CAR, I EXPERIENCE EXTREME SHIFTING AND TRANSMISSION ISSUES. SPECIFICALLY, I HAVE TO FLOOR THE GAS PEDAL FOR THE CAR TO MOVE FROM 2ND TO 3RD SHIFT. THIS IS AN AUTOMATIC CAR, AND IT DRIVES LIKE A POORLY SHIFTING MANUAL. IT IS EXTREMELY UNSAFE TO DRIVE BECAUSE IT DOES NOT ACCELERATE WHEN I HIT THE GAS PEDAL, RATHER THE ENGINE REVS VERY HIGH AND LOUDLY, YET THE CAR DOES NOT ACCELERATE. IT ALSO HAS MADE LOUD POPPING SOUNDS FROM THE ENGINE, AND THE CAR FILLS WITH AN EXHAUST SMELL, AND DURING THE WINTER COOLANT SMELL IS OBVIOUS IN AND OUTSIDE THE CAR. I AM VERY UNCOMFORTABLE DRIVING-AND FEEL UNSAFE-DRIVING THIS CAR AND IT IS ALMOST FOUR YEARS OLD WITH LESS THAN 50,000 MILES! I HAVE BROUGHT IT TO THE DEALERSHIP ON THE BELOW DATES AND THEY CANNOT ?DUPLICATE THE ISSUE?, THUS HAVE NOT FIXED IT. ON ONE OCCASION, THE DEALERSHIP HAD MY CAR FOR 3-WEEKS! I HAVE NO IDEA IF THE DEALERSHIP IS EVEN DAILY TESTING, OR DRIVING, THE CAR. I DO KNOW, HOWEVER, IT IS EXTREMELY UNSAFE BECAUSE THE SHIFTING AND ACCELERATING IS UNRELIABLE AND WILL MOST DOUBTABLE CAUSE AN ACCIDENT INJURING MYSELF AND/OR OTHERS. I HAVE ALSO CALLED GM AND NUMEROUS OCCASIONS AND THEY WERE VERY UNHELPFUL, STATING THEY NEVER HEARD OF A SHIFTING/TRANSMISSION ISSUE WITH THE CHEVY CRUZE, WHEN IN FACT THE 2011 CHEVY CRUZE WAS RECALLED FOR SHIFTING LOCK CABLE. I HAVE RECEIVED, UNSOLICITED; A LETTER FROM A LAWFIRM TO SUE GM NOTING THIS EXACT ISSUES SHIFTING/POWER ISSUES (AMONGST FAULTY WATER PUMPS, WHICH I ALSO HAD REPLACED AFTER ONLY OWING THE CAR 2-YEARS), SO CLEARLY THERE ARE MANY OTHERS EXPERIENCING THESE ISSUES. DATES BROUGHT MY CAR TO (SULLIVAN'S ONEILLS IN AVON, CT) 1/16/2015; 5/2/2015; 5/09/2015;5/13/2015; 6/24/2015; 7/17/2015 MY GM SERVICE TICKETS ARE 71-1490864298 & 71-1490864298. THE CAR IS EITHER A LEMON, OR NEEDS TO BE RECALLED FOR SHIFTING/TRANSMISSION ISSUES.

MY HUSBAND NOTICED THE COOLANT LEVEL WAS LOW WHILE CHANGING MY OIL. HE FILLED UP THE COOLANT COMPARTMENT. A WEEK LATER, MY BATTERY DIED, SO WHEN MY HUSBAND WHEN TO JUMP MY CAR, HE NOTICED THE COOLANT LEVEL WAS ONCE AGAIN LOW AND THAT THERE WAS COOLANT PRESENT ON THE ENGINE HOSES. HE FILLED UP THE COOLANT AGAIN AND IT IS STEADILY LEAKING COOLANT WHEN THE CAR IS RUNNING. I RECEIVED A LETTER IN THE MAIL FROM GM IN 2014 ABOUT POSSIBLE COOLANT LEAK. THE LETTER TOLD ME TO TAKE MY VEHICLE IN FOR SERVICE IF THERE WERE ANY ISSUES WITH THE ENGINE COOLING SYSTEM. I WAS NOT HAVING ISSUES WITH ENGINE COOLING AT THE TIME, AND I PUT THE LETTER TO THE SIDE. TWO MONTHS AGO, MY AC BROKE DUE TO A ROCK HITTING IT. WHEN I TOOK MY VEHICLE TO THE CHEVY DEALERSHIP FOR THE AC, THEY NOTICED THE OPEN RECALL FOR THE COOLING SYSTEM AND RECOMMENDED I HAVE IT LOOKED AT WHILE I WAS THERE. THEY PROCEEDED TO INSPECT THE ENGINE COOLING SYSTEM, AT WHICH TIME IT PASSED THEIR INSPECTION. NOW TWO MONTH LATER, THE PROBLEM IS PRESENT AND THE CHEVY DEALERSHIP CLAIMS THAT IT WILL NOT BE COVERED SINCE THAT RECALL IS NO LONGER "OPEN" ON MY VEHICLE. THAT IS NOT FAIR IN MY OPINION.

THIS INCIDENT WITH MY CHEVROLET CRUZE HAS HAPPENED ON MORE THAN ONE OCCASION IN THE SAME MONTH. I WILL BE DRIVING, COMING TO A STOP AND THE WHOLE CAR WILL TURN OFF ON ME. THE AIR CONDITIONING SHUTS OFF, RADIO, THE WHOLE CAR POWERS DOWN. I PUT THE CAR INTO PARK, TURN OFF THE CAR, WAIT A FEW MINUTES AND TURN THE CAR BACK ON. PRAYING THAT ME AND MY TWO YEAR OLD DON'T GET INTO AN ACCIDENT THROUGHOUT THE INCIDENT.