TruckTrend is not too pleased with the timing belt used in the Cruze diesel either.
First Drive - 2014 Chevy Cruze Clean Turbodiesel - Diesel Power Magazine
Trying to find out if this is an interference engine or not, with an interference engine, if the belt breaks or slips, the pistons will crash into the valves and in some cases, even crack the heads. Never was a good idea.
One thing about a chain, it constantly receives clean engine oil, belt depends upon one or two very limited lubricated ball bearings where the grease dries up. My major reasons for a broken belt was not the belt itself, but these two pulleys would seize up. Also a dust shield that really does not shield from road debris, see a mess when you remove the belt cover.
One thing with even new tensioners and idler pulleys I pop off the bearing seals, should be stamped with the company of origin. Will only accept Made in the USA, Canada, or Japan, China is really crap.
There are three types of ball retainers, riveted is the best, spot welded steel is second best, plastic is pure crap. Whatever idiots started using plastic should be shot have a long torture period, sure causing us a lot of grief. Another bad joke is using a plastic idler pulley, will dump these in a hurry even if I have to make my own pulley out of steel on my machine lathe. Plastic gets very brittle with age and heat, this would break a belt in a hurry, I trust Gates Made in the USA for a timing belt.
Use to say, only use OE, but the way things are today, don't know where in the hail they are made. Over years of experience if satisfied with the bearing, clean it out and only use Wolf's High Temperature Wheel Bearing grease. This stuff last for years and never gets hard. With even some "good" bearings find some white crap inside.
The timing belt is only the beginning of problems, they added also the single drive belt driving components also with limited lubricated bearings. For me, this is even more work, if that one belt breaks in some deserted area out of cell phone range in subzero weather, this can be the end of your life! Compounded by all that aluminum and plastic in these things with very low melting points. If that water pump quits turning, you really have major problems.
In the long history of automotive, these were never problems before, but sure are now. What's their solution? OnStar, and not a very good one at that, doesn't work at law on tree lined roads we deal with.
Not too concerned on these issues with my 88 Supra or 82 454 CID motorhome, both have three belts. I really got teed off at GM with their air compressor idler pulleys, were using a retainer ring to hold in that bearing ring, but then started peening it in to save a half a cent. When cast iron ages, gets rock hard and can't even peen in a new bearing, it chips off! So had to drill four holes and used countersunk flat head screw to hold it in. Then the a$$holes used an interference fit for the clutch plate, another really stupid idea, where others were using shims for the proper spacing. That compressor shaft really has to be rusty so that interference fit would hold. Maintaining the proper gap was another newly created problem.
Like I am saying what never use to be problems before are sure problems now. Planning soon on checking all those limited lubricated bearing on the Cruze, more problems that were never problems before. Money will never replace my family.