2016 Chevrolet Cruze

MY VALVE COVER HAS WENT BAD AND STARTED LEAKING OIL AROUND MY SPARK PLUGS. UPON FURTHER INVESTIGATION OF MY OWN I HAVE FOUND OUT THAT THIS IS A COMMON ISSUE FOR MANY YEAR MODELS OF THE CHEVY CRUZE. MY VALVE COVER IS AN UPDATED VERSION OF THE PLASTIC ON THE 2015 AND OLDER AND IS NOW A METAL ONE. I SPOKE WITH A LOCAL MECHANIC WHO INFORMED ME HE HAS REPLACED 75 NEW VALVE COVERS THAT GENERAL MOTORS HAS BUILT A NEW VALVE COVER TO REPLACE THE METAL ONE ON MY CAR. ALSO THIS METAL VALVE COVER HAS CAUSED MY CAR TO START SMOKING HEAVILY WHEN I DROVE IT TO MAKE ME HAVE TO HAVE MY CAR TOWED HOME UNTIL I CAN GET THE ISSUE FIXED.

I OWN A 2016 CHEVROLET CRUZE WITH <100K MILES, NO ACCIDENT HISTORY, AND NO PREVIOUS ISSUES. I BOUGHT THE CAR NEW FROM THE DEALERSHIP AND HAVE BEEN THE ONLY OWNER. I WAS DRIVING STRAIGHT ON A RESIDENTIAL STREET (<30 MPH) WHEN THE CAR STARTED PUTTERING AND SHAKING. THE CAR SUDDENLY SHUT OFF RIGHT IN THE MIDDLE OF THE ROAD, AND I HAD TO SWERVE TO THE SHOULDER TO AVOID CRASHING. UPON BRINGING THE CAR TO THE CERTIFIED CHEVY DEALERSHIP, WE LEARNED THE CAR HAD A DAMAGED PISTON AND CRACKED CYLINDER WALL. THE ONLY FIX WAS TO COMPLETELY REPLACE THE ENGINE. IT SHOULD BE NOTED THE OIL HAD BEEN CHANGED JUST THE WEEK PREVIOUS. I KNOW CHEVY IS AWARE OF THIS ISSUE BECAUSE THEY RELEASED SAFETY BULLETIN PIP5421F BACK IN 2018 REGARDING THIS VERY ISSUE. I ALSO KNOW THERE IS AN ACTIVE LAWSUIT IN THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA, BUT THIS DOESN'T APPLY TO US IN MINNESOTA. I FIND IT UNACCEPTABLE THAT CHEVROLET IS AWARE OF PREMATURE ENGINE FAILURE IN THEIR VEHICLES, AND HAVE NOT ISSUED A RECALL, EVEN THOUGH IT POSES A SAFETY HAZARD.

MY CAR HAS A BAD SMELL COMING FROM THE ENGINE. IT STARTED SMELLING LIKE A DEAD ANIMAL UNDER THE HOOD, THEN IT SMELLED LIKE ANIMAL URINE, AND NOW IT SMELLS NAUSEATING, I'M NOT SURE WHERE IT IS COMING FROM OR WHY IT'S THERE, WE ALREADY CHECKED UNDER THE HOOD FOR ANY VISIBLE DAMAGE TO THE HOSES AND IT IS DISAPPOINTING THAT THERE IS NOT A RECALL FOR THIS PROBLEM THAT CHEVY CRUZE OWNERS SEEM TO COMPLAIN ABOUT. MY CAR ONLY HAS 48K MILES ON IT AND WE LET IT SIT IN THE DRIVEWAY MORE THAN RUN IT BECAUSE OF THE SMELL. THE SMELL IS THERE WHEN YOU START THE CAR -- WE HAVE TO DRIVE WITH THE WINDOWS OPEN A LITTLE BIT SO THAT WE DON'T OVERWHELMED WITH THE SMELL.

AFTER REPAIRING THE COOLANT SYSTEM CAR, I DROVE IT AROUND THE BLOCK TO ENSURE IT WAS WORKING PROPERLY. UPON DOING SO, ALL GAUGES STOPPED WORKING. I ALSO PUT THE CAR IN REVERSE TO PARK IT IN THE DRIVEWAY AND THE TRANSMISSION WOULD NOT GO INTO THE SELECTED GEAR. WE HAD TO PUT THE CAR INTO NEUTRAL AND PUSH IT INTO THE DRIVEWAY. ALSO, ALL NOTIFICATION LIGHTS WERE ALSO LIT AT THE TIME. WHEN IT FINALLY SHIFTED INTO DRIVE THE CAR JERKED VERY HARD.

CAR HAS 66062 MILES SITTING TURNED ON THE CAR HOSES STARTED LEAKING AND THE CAR STARTED SMOKING FROM UNDER THE HOOD. TOWED IT TO THE MY SHOP FOR A PRESSURE TEST THEY ADVISED IT WOULD HAVE TO GO THE DEALER FOR A COOLANT HOSE PROBLEM THEY COULD NOT ADDRESS. TOWED IT TO THE CHEVY DEALER. REPAIRS DONE WATER PUMP REPLACEMENT AND THE WATER OUTLET HOSES WERE LEAKING. I RESEARCHED THIS PROBLEM AND THIS WAS A RECALL FOR THE VERY SAME MODEL ONLY FOR THE YEARS 2011-2014. THE 2016 MODELS SHOULD BE INCLUDED IN THAT RECALL AS WELL BUT WERE NOT. I HAVE RESEARCHED MANY OF THE VERY SAME COMPLAINTS FOR THE 2016 MODELS BUT NO RECALL YET. RECALL WAS 1/2015 BULLETIN #14371B -ENGINE COOLANT LEAK FROM WATER PUMP. #