Holden Cruze Problems

The big difference between the two Cruzes you’ve nominated is that the earlier car was built in South Korea while, from 2011 on, production moved to Holden’s Australian production facility in Adelaide where it was built alongside the Commodore. There’s a school of thought that suggests the locally-made versions would be of better build quality than the Daewoo-made version, but in reality, there’s not much in it.

That said, we’d go for the later, Australian-made car, as these had a much better range of engines from which to choose. Specifically, the locally-made Cruze could be had with a 1.4 or 1.6-litre turbocharged petrol engine either of which was smooth and pretty zingy. Or, you could opt for the two-litre turbo-diesel or the non-turbo 1.8-litre petrol as seen in the early, imported Cruze.

The diesel is very frugal and offers a relaxed driving experience, but the two turbo-petrol engines are the pick of the crop for smoothness and performance. The one to avoid? The non-turbo 1.8. It was breathless, noisy and generally unpleasant.

It’s hard to say what has happened, but you’d have to think something behind the panel was damaged, perhaps shaken loose in the crash.

If you’re happy to drive a manual you should be fine, but if you’d rather be driving an automatic look at something else. Perhaps a Toyota Corolla or Mazda 3.

It’s a common problem with that model Cruze. It will need a new transmission. I would guess that Holden’s apparent reluctance to help is because the car is so old.

Check the owner’s manual to find the correct battery for the car. If the replacement is the correct one, have the condition checked to make sure it’s up to spec. By doing those checks you should be able to eliminate the battery as the problem, or confirm the mechanic’s opinion.

It sounds like the Cruze automatic transmission gremlin has struck. In the past Holden has come to the party with some or the entire repair costs, but that was some time ago when the car was near new. As yours is seven years old Holden might not be as cooperative. Even so it would be worth calling Holden (1800 033 349) and lodging a claim for compensation.

The best people to check it for you are the people from Holden. It’s most likely a problem with the electronics of the car. Because it only happens occasionally, and you can bet it won’t happen when the mechanic is there looking at it, it will hard to trace the cause.

You could try for a goodwill payment from Holden, but I doubt that you would have any success. Your car is 10 years old, it’s done 200,000 km, and you bought it second hand.

Holden recalled 8000 diesel Cruzes in 2014 for a driveshaft problem that causes the vehicle to lose power. The cars affected were mostly built between February 2009 and December 2010. Holden replaced any driveshafts found to be faulty. Contact your dealer, or Holden direct.