We have a 2013 Cruze LT and almost since we have had it we've noticed a thumping noise from the back and the front. On Tuesday the dealership replaced the rear shocks and told us that should solve the back problem. We took it for a drive and the thud/thump was still there--especially when going over bumps. They are contacting higher up techs to discuss the next move and we are on hold. The front noise hasn't yet been addressed at all, as I think that they are thinking that once the back noise is gone, the front will will disappear as well. I don't think that will happen. They have looked under it and say that everything is secure. The service at the dealership is at a loss as to what is wrong and so are we. We are waiting to hear from them as to what the higher up tech says. It's frustrating since we always tell everyone to buy American (and for us in the case of the Cruze, support the local factory) and then we get this noisy car that they can't seem to fix.
KSanders
I've got the same noise but only in the back. Took mine in and they said it was normal for the car. Bull****, it's not normal! If you dealer figures it out please let me know.
I have the same noise from the front and the back. It seems to go away in the warmer weather. I am guessing that the front noise may be the underbody shield thumping around, but it has been too cold to get under the car to check. I believe I read on the forums that it is only held on by plastic push type "rivets" and that they don't hold it securely/tightly to the underbody, letting it move slightly.
I'll let you know when I hear from them. We had it in last Tuesday (4th) and they said that they would call us after they talk to higher up tech (I guess higher up tech is in Michigan?)
They haven't even addressed the front noise. We were told that they would do that after the back is fixed. Your theory could be-to me it always sounds like the pole to hold the hood up is bumping around. That's not it, so maybe it is the shield. I'll keep you posted--but since it's taking them a while to find the back noise problem--who knows when they will address the front?
I have what sounds like a bad bushing in the Brand New 14 with 400 miles. Took it into the Dealer and they heard it. Sounds like it is located in the Spare Tire/Jack area/Rear wheel. They ordered a bushing for the rear link suspension but it is sold as an entire assembly. I had to wait for the part, it could take a month. It came in the next day (very impressive!) and hopefully this will be the problem. If its a simple designed rear end it should be simple to fix, right?
My Montana had a thunking in the rear from day one whenever it was cold outside. I never had it looked at but I also never had to have the struts or rear shocks replaced in 10+ years and 186,000 miles of ownership. For OP, get your dealership to look at the front struts - there has been at least one redesign for the front struts.
I had a thunk in the back that was really bad at low speeds when turning left, IIRC. It ended up being a loose parking/emergency brake cable bracket. The dealer greased it, tightened it down, and sent me on my way. It hasn't been back since.
If they replaced the rear shocks already, it's possible that they didn't tighten down the top rear shock mounts all the way. It's a bear to tighten down the rear shock mount tight enough without the supplier's special tool. I made do with my impact wrench, a lot of duct tape on the strut rod, and a beefy pair of adjustable pliers. Tightening that blasted bolt took me 30 minutes a side, IIRC.
If they replaced the rear shocks already, it's possible that they didn't tighten down the top rear shock mounts all the way. It's a bear to tighten down the rear shock mount tight enough without the supplier's special tool. I made do with my impact wrench, a lot of duct tape on the strut rod, and a beefy pair of adjustable pliers. Tightening that blasted bolt took me 30 minutes a side, IIRC.
KSanders,
Please be sure to keep us posted. If you need additional assistance with your dealership, please do not hesitate to reach out to us via private message.
Erica Tiffany
Chevrolet Customer Care
Please be sure to keep us posted. If you need additional assistance with your dealership, please do not hesitate to reach out to us via private message.
Erica Tiffany
Chevrolet Customer Care
Both my 13 sonic and 14 cruze have this rear thumpish kind of sound. Sounds like a loose shock. To me both my cars sound like the right rear.
I worked on mine extensively this weekend. Took everything out of the trunk including the spare, set the seats down and let my wife drive around town with me in the trunk
. I couldn't figure it out. Only thing I can say for sure is that its coming from the right side, sounds like it could be in the fender well. I'm going to take it to the dealership I bought it from this week and let them try to figure it out.
. I couldn't figure it out. Only thing I can say for sure is that its coming from the right side, sounds like it could be in the fender well. I'm going to take it to the dealership I bought it from this week and let them try to figure it out.
Hey cruze01,
Hopefully your dealership can put an end to the noise you're hearing from the right side of your Cruze. Please keep us posted on your service visit, and if there's anything we can do to help, feel free to shoot us a private message.
Amber N. (assisting Jackie & Erica)
Chevrolet Customer Care
Hopefully your dealership can put an end to the noise you're hearing from the right side of your Cruze. Please keep us posted on your service visit, and if there's anything we can do to help, feel free to shoot us a private message.
Amber N. (assisting Jackie & Erica)
Chevrolet Customer Care
I think there was a report about the lower plastic sill cover getting loose and making a sound. I'm no expert so I could be wrong about your problem. The fix was adding some padding behind the plastic cover. It might not be your problem because a loose cover would be more of a rattle than a thump.
Good dealerships have a gizmo called a "chassis ear" that has remote microphones that are clipped onto different components. The tech drives around with a set of headphones and can switch between each of the microphones to see which component is causing the sound.
Good dealerships have a gizmo called a "chassis ear" that has remote microphones that are clipped onto different components. The tech drives around with a set of headphones and can switch between each of the microphones to see which component is causing the sound.
I have the noise in the front, it sounds like a blown strut.. I can hear it when going over expansion joints in the road.. I hear it every morning and every evening while driving through my neighborhood.. The dealership told me that they will not look at it since I have lowering springs on my car.. They said for them to even consider looking at it I would have to take the springs off and put the factory ones back on then bring it in.. Problem is that the struts were making the noise before I put the springs on.. Guess if falls under the category of if there is not cel on they wont even touch it.. Lots of work my dealership misses out on by not wanting to be a mechanic and wanting to "work" on customers cars..
Mines at the dealership right now for the same thing and other stuff. Service manager told me it was a bad strut bearing. 5500 miles on my 13 and lot of torubles with mine. Going on the second water pump, replacing the thermostat and already had the sway bar bushings replaced for a popping noise at 2000-3000 miles on my Cruze. Picking it up tomorrow. I'll report back.
Well I'm reporting back. The Dealer had to put in an entire new axle but it didn't eliminate my noise. I think it must be the E Brake Cable, although someone said it might be a loose Trunk lock latch, and sure enough my Detail guys found the latch missing its cheap plastic rivet, and the rivet as well. So I will get this looked at during my next (first) Free Oil change. The mechanic told me he had replaced a ton of the Rear End Trailing Bars, just not on the 2014. The E Brake cable has to be the culprit?
Interesting thread and one I wish I did not have similarities to. Tagging this for later, good luck guys!
I'm not sure what they did on mine. It took less than 30 minutes from driving in with the sound to driving away thunk-free. I suspect they loosened the e-brake cable in its bracket, injected a lot of grease, wiggled the e-brake handle around, injected yet more grease, and tightened it down.
Whatever you do, don't blame American-made for this. My Cruze makes this suspension noise too, but it doesn't hold a candle to the nightmarish racket my 2007 Hiroshima-built Mazda produced. Doesn't make it right, but could be worse
Thanks to some help from Laura in Customer care, we have talked to our service guy and we'll be taking it in next week one day for the "extended ear" test. I'll post the results after we have it done. Happy Valentine's Day to everyone and have a great weekend!
I dropped the Cruze off at the dealership last night for them to use the "magic ear" (or whatever it's called). Since we had a huge snow storm overnight and this go-round involves driving the car around to hear the noises, they may not get to it until tomorrow, but it's at the dealership now so hopefully it will be fixed for good this time. My loaner is a stripped down Cobalt that actually is quieter than my Cruze. I haven't had to unlock a car door with a key instead of remote entry since I had my '96 Grand Am---but it's a small price to pay if my Cruze is returned in tip top shape.
We called today to see what is happening with our car that has been at the dealership since Monday. Basically the noise is still there and the dealership was told by GM tech to tell us that it can't be fixed. They still don't hear the front noise, even when using the chassis ears. They will check the struts one more time because although they are not leaking, there could still be a problem with them. If anyone else has the thumping problem, please take your car in because GM tech told our dealership that there have only been 5 reported cases like ours--2 were fixed by putting on new shocks, 3 were not. Maybe if more cases are reported they will delve deeper into the problem and your ride will be quieter. We're also receiving help from Customer Service on this board--which we really appreciate.
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