What 698 owners told NHTSA about the 2014 Chevrolet Cruze Limited

I took my car into King Chevrolet last year around August. The car was overheating and the fan was running almost all the time. When they ran the diagnoses which I was charged 100 dollars for, they told me I had a loose plug. About 1 month after that, it started doing it again. I called the service department and was told I should get rid of the car as they are not that good of a vehicle by the service tech. I found the thermostat was broken and replaced it. It helped for a while then I noticed the check engine light and it was code p0420 which stated it was a bad catalytic converter. I noticed a recall in 2018 by GM, recall # 16186. I called them today and they said my car was not affected. It did affect 2014 chevy cruze according to the recall. They wanted me to bring it in to have it diagnosed again for 100 dollars. I have have the valve cover replaced twice as the pvc valve was defective. The car has 116,000 miles now and it had 96,000 when this started happening. I would like to know if they are telling the truth, or just trying to soak me for repairs.

NHTSA ODI 11462481

The radio started to turn on and off and while that was happening it became difficult to steer. The message on the dashboard read "Service Stabilitrak".

NHTSA ODI 11461907

I have a 2014 Chevrolet Cruze, and when I turn the ignition off it sounds like it's trying to start on it's own. It also has a faulty catalytic converter.

NHTSA ODI 11458316

The hose that carries the coolant constantly pops off and leaks coolant. I had it fixed in 2019 at a dealership when it first happened. It started happening again last year and it will over heat. A light in my car comes on saying things are shutting down in order to cool the vehicle. I cant afford to keep fixing it. I don't know why it keeps happening.

NHTSA ODI 11457430

When parked and left to idle after driving for a while, the traction light comes on and the dash displays service StabiliTrak and traction control. After this happens the car seems to lose power and sometimes feels as if the breaks are catching and letting go.

NHTSA ODI 11455954

The touch screen radio unit has totally failed. Without this system, I cannot hear the directional signals or view the backup camera. No aftermarket modifications were made on this or related parts. This car is eight years old and has been maintained according to the manufacturer's service schedule.

NHTSA ODI 11455408

In the steering column it’s really hot where you connect to make a call and where you turn on cruse control. This part of the steering column should not be hot.

NHTSA ODI 11454736

The contact owns a 2014 Chevrolet Cruze. The contact stated that while driving at various highway speeds, the vehicle would independently enter into limp mode and downshift as the service traction control, service stabilitrak, reduced engine power, and the check engine warning lights were illuminated on the instrument panel. The vehicle would not shift out of first gear once the failure occurred. The contact had taken the vehicle to the dealer on multiple occasions and each time the dealer was unable to duplicate the failure. The manufacturer had been notified of the failure. The vehicle had yet to be repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 30,000.

NHTSA ODI 11454018

The heater blend door actuator and or lever gear for the blend door actuator that controls the windshield defrost failed and this raises a major safety concern as it strictly limits your visibility. This is becoming a known issue on the Cruze as i have seen and heard of the problem repeatedly online in the cruze forums. This needs to be seriously addressed to general motors and be taken care of. Plus the cost to fix it is over $1,300.00 as the entire dash needs to come out. Please address this safety concern.

NHTSA ODI 11448510

Coolant system constantly leaking on thermostat housing, water pump and hoses. I’ve had it repaired 4 times!!

NHTSA ODI 11445906

The contact owns a 2014 Chevrolet Cruze. The contact stated while driving 70 MPH, she started to smell a burning oil odor inside the cabin of the vehicle. The contact stated no warning light was illuminated. The contact stated she turned off the heater to stop the odor from entering the cabin. The contact took the vehicle to the local dealer, where it was diagnosed with needing the turbo oil feed and return line to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired but was pending repairs. Upon investigation, the contact associated the failure with TSB: PI0851B. The manufacturer had not been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 130,000.

NHTSA ODI 11445951

While driving check engine light came on and car start losing power and not shifting correctly being close to home attempted to baby vehicle home. Car started to make strange noise immediately pulled over and shut car off. Had car towed to personal mechanic. The turbo has blown apart

NHTSA ODI 11445188

The car suddenly lacked power and was making a strange noise. The oil level suddenly dropped. Then the engine light came on. We took the car to the dealer. And a few days later we received a letter from Chevrolet about extending the warranty on the PCV valve due to failure. We contacted our personal service person who confirmed that was inline with the PCV failure. We then took it to the Chevrolet dealer who said it would cost 9k to repair despite it being a known issue. This could have resulted in an accident if we had not caught it.

NHTSA ODI 11443001

The contact owns a 2014 Chevrolet Cruze. The contact stated that while his wife was driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle lost motive power. The traction control and check engine warning lights along with various codes were illuminated. The vehicle was towed to the contact's residence. The contact self-diagnosed the vehicle with a cylinder misfire. The contact replaced the ignition coil pack and four spark plugs; however, the failure recurred. The dealer was made aware of the failure but informed the contact that the VIN was not included in a recall. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and provided the contact with a code to provide to a dealer. The failure mileage was approximately 28,000.

NHTSA ODI 11442540

My 2014 Cruze has 55600 miles and started to make a ticking noise oil was checked no problem however there was no antifreeze/coolant so I added it. Less than a week later again I had NO antifreeze/coolant I saw that Chevy had a recall on some 2013 & 2014 chevy cruze’s head gasket. My VIN isn’t coming up. I feel after babying my car and servicing her religiously that the issue is the responsibility of the manufacturer.

NHTSA ODI 11442586

My engine is making whistling sounds, the positive crankcase ventilation (PCV), is failing. This is causing my check engine light to flicker on and off. The diagnostic codes report that the turbo seal may be cracked due to this issue above.

NHTSA ODI 11441073

The contact owns a 2014 Chevrolet Cruze. The contact had taken the vehicle to a dealer for an oil change however, upon return of the vehicle, the check engine warning light illuminated. The contact's son called the dealer and made an appointment to have the vehicle serviced. The contact informed her son that she would be charged a diagnostic fee and the contact canceled the appointment. The contact then took the vehicle to an independent mechanic where they discovered a coolant leak related to a defective water pump. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 33,047.

NHTSA ODI 11440796

We have discovered a known issue with the pistons cracking. Seems this issue has impacted a huge number of people. We are now left with an unuseable vehicle that requires 8k in repairs. There are tons of articles and complaints about this issue. Chevrolet must repair or reimburse all those that have been impacted.

NHTSA ODI 11439780

The contact owns a 2014 Chevrolet Cruze. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the vehicle radio will go in and out and the steering wheel would become hard to maneuver. The contact stated that it felt as if the vehicle had lost power however, the vehicle was still running. The contact stated that no warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where no failure could be diagnosed as the failure could not be duplicated. The contact stated that OnStar was also unable to diagnose the failure. The contact stated that the battery cables were replaced however, the failure continued. The contact stated that she believed that the dealer contacted the manufacturer as she was told by the dealer that they had spoken to an engineer. The failure mileage was approximately 57,000.

NHTSA ODI 11438522

When going from park or a complete stop, the vehicle violently slams into gear and catastrophic failure is only around the corner. It also shifts like this when going back and forth between 4th and 5th. Doing a full trans flush seems to make the issue slightly better but always comes back to being violent again. After speaking with multiple mechanics they all recommend driving it till the trans fails or buying a new car. My car has 213k highway miles on it and the issue has been there since 100k miles (about 3 years ago). Another odd thing about it is that if you shift into manual mode while coasting to a stop and then shifting back to automatic after you exit the complete stop, it avoids the hard slam. The vehicle also shifts fine in manual mode from 4th to 5th. After doing research in group forums ( www.cruzetalk.com ) there are a ton of threads with this EXACT issue.

NHTSA ODI 11437237

My vehicle takes too long to accelerate. The engine light came on. When checked the code that came up was the turbo.

NHTSA ODI 11436603

I have a code p0420 code and engine light keeps comeback on I had the catalytic converter replaced, and everything inspected by Friendship Chevrolet in Forestcity NC 28043. Kept my car for two weeks and still couldn’t find the problem of this p0420 code so my engine light stays on.

NHTSA ODI 11433927

When the car is stopped, the brakes and in Drive or Reverse, the engine jumps-hiccup. The car move slightly forward every time. It has no check-engine light or code. The mechanics all said it could be a manufacturer defect. It happens mostly in the morning. Most of the time it works properly. The car has 45,000 miles. Also the belt tensioner has been raplaced two times in a month, Is still giving issues.

NHTSA ODI 11433517

Several times the steering wheel mechanism locked up while driving and I was unable to steer it momentarily. During that time several warning lamp indicators intermittently illuminated, and the radio shorted, and the instrument panel flashed or blacked out. Also, there is a coolant leak. I have the vehicle at the dealership repair center and they haven’t reproduced the above problems, but did find a problem with a engine coolant leak from the water pump and a radiator hose in which they are repairing.

NHTSA ODI 11432529

I was in a collision and zero airbags deployed. I was hit T-bone style at an intersection.

NHTSA ODI 11432227