Holden Cruze Problems

The first point of contact after you’ve consulted the dealer is with Holden’s Customer Care (1800 4646 5336) to lodge a claim for a refund of the cost of repairs to your car.

The problem with the Cruze transmission is well known.

You have done the right thing by registering your concern with Holden, and it has responded by telling you a diagnostic check is needed to assess the situation with your car.

Pay the $135 for the test, and providing it confirms the problem I would expect Holden to replace the transmission at its cost.

I can certainly understand your frustration. This sounds like a reasonably common issue with the Cruze however, which along with the fact that your vehicle is now undrivable could stand you in good stead for a no-cost or at least discounted replacement outside the factory warranty period. 

My advice is to be the squeaky wheel until the issue is resolved.

Follow up:

Hi Malcolm, 
Thanks for your reply. I bought this car because the Commodore was bigger and more expensive. Holden have agreed for me to pay $320 instead of $590. Which is not bad but I feel it is not about the money but that this is a poorly made part. I've also asked them to reset my transmission as this gets a bit rough. 

Thanks again,

Peter

The offer you have been made is pretty standard one, and not a bad one given that your car is now eight years old. If you want to pursue Holden for the full amount it would be best to consult the state consumer affairs department in Perth and get their advice.

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

Of those choices the Mitsubishi Mirage would appear to be the best option. It is the newest, has the fewest kilometres, and is the cheapest. It’s also reliable and should give you good service. In order of preference I would suggest the Toyota Corolla and the Holden Cruze.

You’re right that lots of owners have had trouble with the automatic transmission in their Cruzes, but yours being a manual isn’t affected by that problem. I wouldn’t be taking the advice to get out of it.

 No, it’s not fair to ask you to undertake a diagnostic check at your expense. The transmission is known to be faulty, and as long as you haven’t abused it in any way, they should be replacing it free of charge without question.

It’s hard to know how Holden has managed to largely get away with this problem.

Ford was heavily fined by the ACCC for what is a similar situation. An automatic transmission of any sort should not fail to the point of needing to be replaced in 70,000 km, and in my view should be replacing them at no cost to the owner. The fact that your car hasn’t been serviced by a Holden dealer should have no bearing on the problem. It is a dud transmission and Holden should accept full responsibility for it. Talk to the people at the ACCC and get their advice on the approach you should take with Holden.

It’s cars built around 2010/2011 that are the ones affected with the transmission problem, which is the most concerning one. You should be safe in buying the 2013 model, and you have done the right thing in checking the service history.