What 585 owners told NHTSA about the 2013 Chevrolet Cruze Limited

Everything thing on this engine has failed. Oil and coolant leaks just keep happening now the head gasket started leaking.

NHTSA ODI 11583338

The cars first started telling me randomly that it needed service to the stabilitrak and the. Would disappear, the next component was the anti theft activated and after turning car off..next time I tried to turn on, it acted as if battery was dead and locked my key in ignition. Fixed itself a couple hours later. Next time it gave me issues all of these components started to come on at same time while also causing power steering to come on and go out in the middle of driving which could have caused a horrible wreck (didn’t thank god) and also started flickering lights inside and outside of car, and the radio turned on and off as well…the car now will not turn on and acts as if battery is dead unless I use cables and have someone jump start my car…it definitely seems to be shorting out like the wiring isn’t working the way it should…I have now taken it to auto one and they tested battery and altinater and said both were in great condition, so I researched and have seen that my car make and model years from 2011-2015 have a recall on the negative battery cable not being crimped right enough but my car specifically isn’t included because it is past its warranty…which I’m sorry is ridiculous in every way no matter any warranty this was a mistake made by the manufacturer and it should be corrected on every car that is included in the years they specifically stated themselves they failed to do correctly when made…my car behaving this way and putting me and my family in danger is nothing that is our fault but the manufacturers and it should 100% be covered…I’m currently waiting to have it looked at by mechanic to reconfirm what I already know, and will know shortly that it is indeed the negative battery cable..I need this covered and corrected by dealer near me

NHTSA ODI 11568925

2013 chevy cruze has so many coolant leaks coming from different locations. This vehicle should be on recall for this major problem. It is basically a lemon but doesn't quite meet requirements for lemon. So close though

NHTSA ODI 11568380

There is a leak that is causing the coolant reservoir tank to empty every couple of days. It appears that the coolant fumes are going inside the car. It has been taken to the repair shop on several occasions and has had the coolant reservoir replaced. However, the problems persists and the coolant fumes are making me ill from inhaling them. The car was taking in to a Chevrolet dealer December 2023 for an oil change and the service technician stated my car was “fine”. I asked about any possible leaks as I have observed spots in my parking spot. He assured me there were no problems with my car, but I persisted. He printed the service log and he determined the staff who completed the oil change had in fact noticed a leak, but the guy at the desk assured me there was not a problem. A few weeks have gone by and coolant continues to leak and the fumes are getting inside the cabin of the car. They are most noticeable when use the heater or the AC and the fumes can also be observed when I exit the car.

NHTSA ODI 11567402

Vehicle, when parked in garage with key in the ignition, will start all by itself. There have been several times in the past when I could hear the car attempt to start itself unsuccessfully in the garage as well. I run down to remove the key from the ignition when this happens. Idling engine in an enclosed garage can lead to carbon monoxide poisoning to home owner and occupants. Removing key from ignition when parked alleviates problem however this has happened several times now both in and out of garage. One owner vehicle since new, no other keys or objects on key ring/fob when this has happened. Vehicle has 75k miles. Problem began at around 70k miles. Car has been garaged and well cared-for it’s entire life.

NHTSA ODI 11564586

Traction control warning pops up and steering stops, even while driving. Motor shuts down and smells like fuel in water res.

NHTSA ODI 11558464

Recall Bulletin: 14371B; water pump leaked causing a crack in the coolant reservoir, The dealership in charge of repair stated that the leak caused permanent engine damage and was now undrivable and needed a new engine. Coolant (anti-freeze) is very hazardous to your health and a coolant leak can cause your engine to overheat and cause damage to your vehicle (including reduced power to your engine). No, the temperature gauge remained at a neutral to cool temp at all times, despite the dealership claiming that the engine was running hot and therefore causing the damage (engine damage = unable to retain pressure).

NHTSA ODI 11556749

I wanted to file this because I feel this a safety concern. My vehicle has always been kept up on maintenance. One day out no where it started acting up my 2013 Chevy Cruze Ls. I had a shop come back after they did a diagnostic that is was a faulty throttle body sensor and Pcv. I have issues with it shutting off and I’ll have to coast it to stop.What I’m not understanding how can there be recalls for my vechicle same problems same make/model but it’s not showing my vehicle matching up with my Vin #.I do have all the supporting documents and paperwork stating these issues.

NHTSA ODI 11553913

The car overheated in the Spring of 2023 and was towed to a repair shop. The shop determined the thermostat went bad. It was replaced. The car broke down on the interstate on October 1 and had to be towed again. The shop determined the head gasket had blown due to coolant and oil mixed in cylinders. They advised the head gasket could be sent to a machine shop to repair (at a cost of $3k), but no guarantee it won't happen again due to the history of the 2013 Chevy Cruze engines. The recommended replacing the engine instead at a cost of $6,000.

NHTSA ODI 11549062

The contact owns a 2013 Chevrolet Cruze. The contact stated while driving approximately 45 MPH, the vehicle stalled. The contact coasted to the side of the road and stopped the vehicle. The contact stated restarted the vehicle after several attempts. The contact stated no warning light was illuminated. The contact stated there was white smoke coming from the exhaust. The contact stated that the failure had become a recurring failure. The contact had taken the vehicle to a local dealer, where it was diagnosed and determined that the water pump needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The contact stated that the water pump failed again and was replaced; however, recently the water pump failed again. Additionally, the contact stated that there were electrical failures with the vehicle and the doors failed to lock as needed. The contact also stated that the steering wheel had locked up on several occasions. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer had been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 130,000.

NHTSA ODI 11543816

ABS system is failure. Stability, traction control. Catalytic converter failure, mileage reading failure.

NHTSA ODI 11542801

Coming home from grocery shopping the night of Sept 3, 2023 the radio kept turning off then coming back on. I was on the highway about 20miles from home radio still turning on and off about every 5mins (go black/blank then light back up) and I had felt when i would accelerate it would as I would slightly go up hill. Once I jad got about 4miles from my house the radio went off once again and dash warning light said "Stabili Trak" and head lights had went off then came back on again. I just was grateful I was not to far from home since it was dark out and the lights were now Turning off too. The next morning (sept 4, 2023)since I did not have another vehicle and my son needed to get to football practice, I drove down the lane of my driveway and the dash warning light kept flashing, the window warning light said turn window on (so I rolled it back up and it turned off), radio kept turning on and off relentlessly, vehicle kept shutting off on me while driving before I even got down my driveway which is about 200 feet. I starred it back up and returned home. I made phones calls to drip it off in sussex NJ at service center where I had bought car as someone followed me(I did not have any problems the hour drive there/40miles) left a message on the voicemail regarding issue, checked to see of recalls though wasn't any. It was not safe to drive the way the car was, just with the only 1 warning dash signal in the middle of driving and headlights stop working them start to couldve caused accident then car turned off while I slowly drove down my driveway doing 7mph as well and I had my son in the car too. Very scary especially driving at night and that happens without much of a warning at 1st.

NHTSA ODI 11542531

The Water pump failed causing my car to almost stall out and overheating losing power and almost causing me to get hit

NHTSA ODI 11541330

The contact owns a 2013 Chevrolet Cruze. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle failed to properly accelerate while the accelerator pedal was depressed; however, the RPM was rising. No warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to be diagnosed. The contact was informed that the engine needed to be repaired. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and suggested a full diagnostic test be performed. The failure mileage was unknown.

NHTSA ODI 11541116

The contact owns a 2013 Chevrolet Cruze. The contact stated that after his wife exited the vehicle and closed the front passenger’s side door, all the doors were erroneously locked, leaving the couple stranded outside of the vehicle. The tow truck service was called to the scene and was able the unlock the doors. The cause of the failure was not yet determined. The manufacturer and local dealer were not contacted. The failure mileage was 85,000.

NHTSA ODI 11539727

Was driving engine started to rattle, smoke out the tail pipe, check engine came on with a code that reports a rattle, with loss of engine power in the middle of the road nearly causing an accident. Mechanic reported internal engine failure. Oil and timing belt was change recently at direction of the maintenance schedule.

NHTSA ODI 11539131

My car constantly has coolant and oil leaks, a/c getting clogged , car is stalling while I drive if shutz off when I drive in stop and go traffic and will roll backwards if on a hill . Car constantly overheats. Turbo keep going out as well . Car currently isn’t running

NHTSA ODI 11536584

For the last couple of months my Chevy Cruze LT 1.4L turbo engine has been having severe cooling issues making my car overheat in a little amount of time. I drive 20 minutes back and forth to work and everytime I get to work or get home from work I find myself having to fill up with antifreeze again and again and again. I’ve replaced the water pump and multiple hoses. And now I have to replace more hoses.

NHTSA ODI 11534311

I was on my way home, its a 15 minute drive, I was about 5 minutes from home, I was on 279 North doing 50 mph, no warning at all the gas pedal started to lock, then the brakes and steering wheel. Next thing I sern was a flame out of my exhaust and smoke under my hood. I thought the car was going to burn up. No check engine light came on, no warning lights, NOTHING, had to get it towed off the highway. My Car only has 50,000 miles on it. This happened on the highway, luckily it was around 11pm and not ti busy, & could of been deadly. My engine blew the pistons out of it from what Im told! Safety Hazard!

NHTSA ODI 11532356

This car has had many heating/cooling issues. Coolant leaks is a constant. From having vacuum leaks to thermostat housing issues. Constantly having to add coolant. I've read this is a common issue with Sonics and Cruzes. Our other car is a Sonic with the same issued. We always have a certified mechanic do the repair but same thing happens. Help!

NHTSA ODI 11529264

At approximately 144,000 miles my cruze began overheating. I already replaced the thermostat at 100k upgrading to metal housing. I took my cruze back to the dealership where I bought it to have it repaired and after spending 1400 on repairs, I continued to get a warning light coming on stating ac off due to high engine temp, but the engine is not over heating! As soon as I turn the car over the message comes on. There is no way it’s overheating when it has been sitting for over 12 hours! I have had multiple houses replaced, the coolant resivoir, etc. I keep taking it to the shop for them to tell me the same thing that there is nothing wrong. After replacing a sensor the message disappeared and this lasted about 3 weeks but it has now returned. I have taken AMAZING care of this car. I have always changed the oil exactly when I was supposed to and I have always been good to it. I see that there are other recalls for Chevy Cruze same year model and I strongly suggest that mine should be included!! Please help!! I cannot afford any more trips to the shop and I certainly can’t afford another car right now!

NHTSA ODI 11523486

The contact owns a 2013 Chevrolet Cruze. The contact stated while driving at various speeds on several occasions, the vehicle started shaking and the engine overheated. The contact veered to the side of the road and antifreeze was added to the reservoir. Additionally, the contact stated that the vehicle was leaking antifreeze while parked or while driving. The check engine warning light was illuminated and cleared independently when the engine cooled down. The vehicle was towed to a dealer where it was diagnosed that an unknown part needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired but the failure persisted. The manufacturer was notified of the issue. The failure mileage was approximately 150,000.

NHTSA ODI 11521540

Thermostat keeps alerting me that it's overheating, while constantly guzzling anti-freeze and water. There's no obvious leak, completely dry under the car. The car will shut its self off.

NHTSA ODI 11518275

The 2013 Chevy Cruze is prone to overheating and there is always a coolant leak or something related to the coolant/antifreeze that is leaking or not correct. My Chevy Cruze has been leaking coolant profusely and so has my friends who had a Chevy Cruze as well. It is truly a pain to continuously refill the coolant so that the vehicle will not overheat. A recall needs to be in place immediately. I’ve heard this same story on Chevy Cruze a way too many times.

NHTSA ODI 11517398

The 2013 Chevy Cruze is prone to overheating and there is always a coolant leak or something related to the coolant/antifreeze that is leaking or not correct. My Chevy Cruze has been leaking coolant profusely and so has my friends who had a Chevy Cruze as well. It is truly a pain to continuously refill the coolant so that the vehicle will not overheat. A recall needs to be in place immediately. I’ve heard this same story on Chevy Cruze a way too many times.

NHTSA ODI 11517399