Holden Problems

Definitely not a Cruze as I get lots of owner complaints. If you only need a small car, definitely the Polo. It's a classy little job that's a sporty drive and it gets The Tick.

No, it’s not a wise thing to do, no matter how much you trust the dealer. The price and mileage you quote for the car are nothing special, they’re about average, so there wouldn’t seem to be any reason to rush in. Go and see it for yourself, take it for a test drive, or at least have someone you trust do it for you.

Quality should not suffer in the final Commodores. As for parts, they'll be available for at least a decade.

Glad to help but just sad you're not the first — or last — person who has needed CarsGuide help to get justice after a Cruze auto transmission failure.

Holden’s response is entirely appropriate and you should do as they have suggested and get the car checked by the dealer, so the cause of the problem can be determined. If you don’t do that you won’t have any claim for compensation, but if you do, you can rightly ask Holden to fix the car for you at its expense. It’s not the only case we’ve heard about, and Holden has replaced a number of transmissions with problems like the one you describe.

NOTE: As a result of receiving a number of reports of transmission problems with the Holden Cruze we have contacted Holden for assistance in getting to the bottom of it. Once we’ve heard from Holden we’ll post any update here.

UPDATE: When asked about Holden's policy of replacing automatic transmissions in the Cruze when owners report them as giving trouble, the company's Director of Communications, Sean Poppitt gave us the following response.

"We are addressing each customer on a case-by-case basis, there's no single fix to the (automatic transmission) issues you've brought to our attention. For those unfortunate customers who experience problems, our Customer Care team are assisting them case by case, and we'll work with them to find a resolution."

Our advice to Cruze owners having any problems with the automatic transmission in their cars is to report it to the dealers immediately and request assistance in the form of a replacement transmission.

Holden's customer service line is: 1800 033 349

The warning lights are indicating there is a problem with your car’s engine/emission system, and it needs to be checked by a mechanic to determine exactly what it is. By all means check the oil level in the engine, by removing the dipstick and seeing the level indicated on it, but I doubt that is the problem.

There's no reason why Holden should replace your car because of an oil leak. The company has an obligation to fix the leak under warranty, so it should not cost you a penny. To write it off as a lemon at this stage doesn't make any sense. I wouldn't bother approaching Holden for a replacement.

Strictly your car is out of warranty, but because there have been a lot of problems with the Cruze transmission it would likely be fixed by Holden at its expense. If you haven’t already take the car to your Holden dealer to be assessed, and if it’s found that the transmission needs to be replaced approach Holden with a claim to have them do it.

NOTE: We contacted Holden asking for a response, which is still coming. In the meantime, Danielle Warland tells us that Holden has agreed to replace the automatic transmission in her 2010 model Cruze. This will be the second time the automatic transmission has been replaced.

From what we've seen there is unquestionably a problem with the automatic transmission in the Cruze, for which we hope to get more information from the company.

We have also seen Holden replace or offer to replace transmissions in cars when owners complain. Any owner who believes they have a problem with the transmission in their Cruze should report it to their Holden dealer.

UPDATE: Cruze owner Danielle Warland has updated us with the latest news on her troublesome car.

"I got my car back last week after taking a week to fix. I did find out that Holden uses reconditioned transmissions. The gentleman at Holden advised me that me that the old one will be stripped back and rebuilt; no wonder they don't last. I have now decided to sell my car as it has been five years of hell with one issue after another and a lot of money spent."

Our advice to Cruze owners having problems with the automatic transmission in their cars is to report it to the dealers and request assistance in the form of a replacement transmission.

The new Holden Cascada will be perfect for you. It's the spiritual successor to your Astra but a better drive and more classy. I'm sure that, like me, you'll give it The Tick

It's not recommended that you run the Apollo on E10.