Holden Cruze Gearbox & Transmission Problems

You're a member of a large club. I would approach Holden with the view of having them replace the gearbox for free as they have done with many other Cruze owners. Because of the age of the car, they might not replace it for free; they're more likely to make you an offer to cover part of the cost of replacing the car.

The symptoms are exactly as reported by other Cruze owners and the first step is to get it to an authorised Holden dealer to have the diagnosis confirmed and reported to Holden. At the same time you should contact Holden customer service at Fishermans Bend and report the problem with full vehicle details.

If it's just a smear I wouldn't be too concerned with it, I'd simply keep a close eye on it, but if it's more than a smear I'd have it checked out. Most people find out about the transmission problem when they lose drive. By then it's too late, the transmission has been damaged.

We have had numerous reports of transmission failures on the Cruze and you would suspect that yours has suffered a similar failure. You could try and recoup your money, but I would guess it's too late and you wouldn't be successful. If you do choose to do it talk to your Holden dealer and ask them to submit a claim to Holden.

Owners have been reporting transmission failures in the Cruze to me for several years and Holden has been quietly replacing them through that time. If the car is still under warranty that's an even bigger incentive to have the transmission properly assessed, not by the dealer but someone from Holden's head office, and replaced if necessary.

I doubt that Holden would agree to replace the transmission free of charge, even though I think they have a moral responsibility to do so, given that there is long history of this problem that suggests that it is a flawed product. I would recommend that you contact Holden's customer assistance people and ask them for help.

The most common transmission problem that affects the Cruze relates to the automatic transmission, not the manual. As yours is a manual it isn’t affected by these issues. I would suggest you have a mechanic check your car to diagnose the problem for you before you go any further with a claim against Holden. If the noise you are hearing happens while you have the clutch pedal depressed in the process of changing gears it could be a worn clutch throw-out bearing, but if it is a crunching noise when selecting gears it could be either the clutch isn’t fully disengaging, or it could a synchromesh problem.

Transmission troubles are common with the Cruze of that vintage, and you're right, it will be expensive to replace the transmission. The only thing you could try is to contact Holden and see if they would come to the party and help with the cost of repairs, given that it is such a common problem. While saying that I don't fancy your chances of getting any help.

We aren't getting reports of problems with the latest model, the reports we have had relate to 2010 models or so. That said, I would be wary of buying the Cruze, the best thing about them is the cabin size. I would go for the Lancer first and Pulsar second, the Cruze a long last.

You need to get it fixed, without doing that you car is seriously devalued. I would approach Holden, either through your Holden dealer or directly through the company's Customer assistance service and try and negotiate a deal to have the gearbox replaced.