Holden Cruze 2015 Problems

The most problematic of the Cruze transmissions were the six-speed automatic fitted to Cruzes built between 2011 and 2013. Holden actually instituted a special repair program for owners of these cars and extended the warranty period on those that had been repaired under the terms of that program.

The 2015 car you’re looking at should not have these problems, but the Cruze itself was plague by a long list of other faults including oil and coolant leaks, overheating, cracked cylinder heads and more. To be fair, the later the build date, the less likely the problems were to occur, but any Cruze needs a careful, independent inspection before money changes hands.

The turbocharged petrol-engined Cruze was the pick of the bunch; smoother and sweeter than the turbo-diesel and packing a lot more punch than the non-turbo petrol version. But they’re not without their potential traps.

The good news is that the car you’re considering is a 2015 model, so it got the bigger 1.6-litre turbocharged engine and a build date that should have put it beyond the earlier transmission failures of some Cruzes. The earlier, 1.4-litre engine was known for coolant leaks from the water pump, although the later 1.6-litre also seems susceptible to overheating. Some Cruzes with this engine required new thermostat housings to be fitted to correct this, so make sure this has been done by a previous owner.

The 1.6 turbo also showed problems with the cooling system for the turbocharger unit (as distinct from the above cooling problems). It seems as though the coolant hoses for the turbocharger were underdone when it came to Australian underbonnet heat levels, and a leak could ensue.

To be completely honest, these cars were a Daewoo design (even though they were built by Holden in Adelaide after 2011) and they seemed a bit short on engineering in some areas. They’re also a car that will become more problematic – relative to some of the competition - as they age. It wouldn’t be my pick for a long-term purchase.
 

Earlier models were trouble, but the later ones appear to be reliable. I wouldn’t be concerned about signing up for it.

You seem to have kept good records of the problems with your car, which will help when it comes to the crunch. It’s also good that you are pursuing Holden through VCAT. If you bought it new in 2015 the warranty must have only just expired, which should help you claim against Holden for the cost of repairs. I would pursue Holden to replace the transmission; the car has a long history of trouble with the transmission, which you can verify with the records you have kept. If that fails to move Holden I would again go to VCAT to get some satisfaction.

 The problem models are from around 2010/2011. They are definitely ones to avoid, but you needn’t be worried about the 2015 model.

I doubt that it's possible to swap the lease to someone else. I would talk to your lease company and see what the rules are for getting out of the lease.

It depends on the car, but some get better fuel mileage on the higher octane rating if they are set-up to take advantage of it. The best way to determine if it is better is to run it on each fuel and actually measure the consumption.

If there is no error code showing on the computer — and that's common — you're probably getting better service if they're prepared to drive it in search of the fault instead of waiting for it to break down