Holden Cruze Problems

Holden has in the past replaced faulty transmissions without cost to the owner, but I would guess they won’t offer to replace yours free of charge, as your car is seven years old. But until it is assessed you can only speculate that the transmission is at fault.

It’s probably an issue with the computer, but it could a wiring issue, a sensor problem. Have a mechanic check it.

Leaking water pumps are not unknown; most are changed every time the timing belt is changed because they’re leaking.

It’s an annoyance rather than a safety issue per se, one that’s related to the car’s computer system. By stopping and restating you are rebooting the computer, same as your computer when it shuts down for some unknown reason. The difficulty for those trying to find the problem is that it happens sporadically, and not necessarily when they are working on the car.

The 1.8-litre manual is a solid, generally reliable car compared to the automatic, which is know to be troublesome. Obviously, it doesn't have a turbo, which can also be troublesome.

Holden is at least showing a desire to fix your car, and getting the engineers to look at it would be worthwhile, but it must getting to the point that the car should be called a ‘lemon’ even though we don’t have such laws in this country. If this had happened in the US there is little doubt that the car would have been replaced or you would have had your money refunded. I would be looking to come to an agreement with Holden to get out of the car.

It sounds like it could have the dreaded Cruze auto transmission problem. Take it to a Holden dealer, or an automatic transmission mechanic and have them check it.

Your choices are limited. An i30 of around 2014 would handle your towing needs and fit your budget. You could also look at Holden Cruze or VW Golf wagons.

If it is the well-known transmission issue then you could have a claim against Holden to repair or replace it, but if it isn’t you have no claim. You need to establish what the problem is, and you can then contact Holden, but until you actually know what the problem is you are in limbo.

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.