Holden Cruze Gearbox & Transmission Problems

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.

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 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 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.

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.

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.

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.

The car is still under warranty, so you should expect that the repairs would be covered. It’s no unreasonable that they want the car for a full day; you have to give them every chance to find the cause. As they claim they couldn’t find the problem when driving the car, it would be a good idea if you were to test-drive it with them to demonstrate the problem you are concerned about. That way there is no doubt in your mind or theirs about what it is you feel needs to be fixed. The fact that the transmission oil is very black suggests there is something wrong internally. Have the diagnostic check done, and then work out who pays for what and what needs to be done to get your car running again properly.

I’d say it’s got the dreaded Cruze automatic transmission disease. It’s common in that model and it’s likely the transmission will have to be replaced. Contact Holden Customer Care on 1800 033 349 and see if they do.

The car is six years old, and was bought used, so you are unlikely to get any sympathy at Holden. You need to negotiate with the dealer who sold it to you, but I doubt that you will get any support there either. Your choices are to persist with it and hope that it doesn’t have any more gearbox issues, or unload it.