2011 Chevrolet Cruze: Antifreeze smell in the car
Common wear/failure (not a recall)
Symptoms
Owners of the 2011 Cruze report: antifreeze smell in the car. CarComplaints.com lists 43 owner complaints, average mileage 33,450 miles.
NHTSA has 36 owner complaints for the 2011 Cruze in this area. Examples:
- NHTSA complaint ODI #11483151 (filed 09/06/2022): “I purchased a car on 8-11& i didn’t pick it up until 8/13 of this year . on 8/14 the electrical went out of my middle consol starting with the radio and then down to the heating and air-conditioning buttons along with the fact that the windows would not roll d…”
- NHTSA complaint ODI #11476239 (filed 07/28/2022): “Last month the car started ti show me this errors stabili trak control and traction service control, i keep getting them driving on the highway, every road i drive, the steering wheal just becomes stiff and its hard to maneuver , the air condition turns off it…”
Likely causes
Sources do not establish a single root cause; diagnosis is needed. Owner-reported fixes are listed below.
Fix, in plain English
Most common owner-reported solutions on CarComplaints.com: water pump replaced (6 reports) get rid of the car (3 reports) replace heater core and all seals (2 reports) install block heater (1 reports) replaced mounting bolts to water pump (1 reports). Check for open recalls and extended warranty coverage with a dealer before paying out of pocket.
DIY difficulty: Pro
Opening the A/C system requires refrigerant recovery equipment, and US EPA Section 609 certification is required to service vehicle A/C for compensation. (Our assessment.)
Cost
CarComplaints.com owners report a typical repair cost of about $1,350 (owner-reported average, not a quote).
Typical parts (search links, no affiliate codes)
AutoZone · O'Reilly · Advance · RockAuto
Sources
Page last updated .