Got this in the mail today. Not really a recall, but worth posting anyway.
Cruze "recall" notice
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Does anyone else see the verbiage as a little off? "General Motors as received reports of transmission overheating while towing 2011 model year Chevrolet Cruze vehicles..."
So... they are only in danger if they are towing a 2011 Chevy Cruze with a Chevy Cruze? Just sound strange. =)
So... they are only in danger if they are towing a 2011 Chevy Cruze with a Chevy Cruze? Just sound strange. =)
JHZR2
Staff member
So what does the baseline OM state? That 4-wheel towing is OK, and now it isnt?
Towing of AT vehicles is always a touchy subject because there have to be pumps in certain spots to ensure consistent lubrication even when the engine is off.
Someone will find a reason to blame GM, but this seems to me to be common knowledge to check if one is going to tow the car.
Towing of AT vehicles is always a touchy subject because there have to be pumps in certain spots to ensure consistent lubrication even when the engine is off.
Someone will find a reason to blame GM, but this seems to me to be common knowledge to check if one is going to tow the car.
I know from what I have read that some bearings inside the transmission require constant lubrication from the pump inside the transmission itself. So towing with the engine off will cause bearing damage and possibly a leak very quickly.
The only trick is towing the car in N with the engine running if all four wheels are on the ground. Personally I would use a dolly for the drive wheels regardless or a car hauler.
The only trick is towing the car in N with the engine running if all four wheels are on the ground. Personally I would use a dolly for the drive wheels regardless or a car hauler.
This is common sense or should be.
Vehicles I have owned the manufacturer always state in the owner's manuals NEVER to allow the drive wheels of the vehicle to be on the ground while towing or severe damage or failure of the transmission will result.
Vehicles I have owned the manufacturer always state in the owner's manuals NEVER to allow the drive wheels of the vehicle to be on the ground while towing or severe damage or failure of the transmission will result.
This is typical of many large corporations...they have to protect the stupid...and cover their behinds because of some people's stupidity.
BUT - if the owner's manual states that the car can be towed on all four wheels, then GM made a mistake and they are correcting it. I have not seen a Cruze owner's manual to verify..,.maybe NickR can check his.
BUT - if the owner's manual states that the car can be towed on all four wheels, then GM made a mistake and they are correcting it. I have not seen a Cruze owner's manual to verify..,.maybe NickR can check his.
I'll check mine tomorrow to see what it says.
You generally can't tow automatic cars 4-down, but Hondas and some late-model Saturns are a notable exception. The owner's manual specifically states that you can tow a Honda 4-down, and many people do. My folks towed our '05 MDX 4-down for years. Saturns are the same way, because they use a transmission design very similar to Honda's (well, they used to anyway; not sure if they still do).
Other automatics you can tow 4-down are ones with true transfer cases, where you can put the transfer case into neutral and the transmission does not spin as the vehicle is towed. Obvious examples are most Jeeps, the ones with true transfer cases.
Other automatics you can tow 4-down are ones with true transfer cases, where you can put the transfer case into neutral and the transmission does not spin as the vehicle is towed. Obvious examples are most Jeeps, the ones with true transfer cases.
The dealer gave me that supplement when purchasing mine. It okays dinghy towing for manual transmission, and disallows it for automatic transmission.
The original manual appeared to copy directly from our Honda's manual where it said to run the car first for 5 minutes before dinghy-towing, then stop every few hours to repeat. Whups!
The original manual appeared to copy directly from our Honda's manual where it said to run the car first for 5 minutes before dinghy-towing, then stop every few hours to repeat. Whups!
Originally Posted By: tinmanSC
Does anyone else see the verbiage as a little off? "General Motors as received reports of transmission overheating while towing 2011 model year Chevrolet Cruze vehicles..."
So... they are only in danger if they are towing a 2011 Chevy Cruze with a Chevy Cruze? Just sound strange. =)
The Cruze isn't doing the towing, it's being towed.
Does anyone else see the verbiage as a little off? "General Motors as received reports of transmission overheating while towing 2011 model year Chevrolet Cruze vehicles..."
So... they are only in danger if they are towing a 2011 Chevy Cruze with a Chevy Cruze? Just sound strange. =)
The Cruze isn't doing the towing, it's being towed.
I thought that it was common sense, their are very few cars with auto's that you can tow with the drive wheels on the ground.
If one wants to dinghy-tow a Cruze, they need to get a manual transmission model. Those can be dinghy-towed all day without damage.
Originally Posted By: sciphi
If one wants to dinghy-tow a Cruze, they need to get a manual transmission model. Those can be dinghy-towed all day without damage.
Chalk up one more good reason why a manual transmission is better than automatic.
If one wants to dinghy-tow a Cruze, they need to get a manual transmission model. Those can be dinghy-towed all day without damage.
Chalk up one more good reason why a manual transmission is better than automatic.
Originally Posted By: urchin
Originally Posted By: sciphi
If one wants to dinghy-tow a Cruze, they need to get a manual transmission model. Those can be dinghy-towed all day without damage.
Chalk up one more good reason why a manual transmission is better than automatic.
I was trying to avoid that, but yeah, at least 10% of Cruze buyers share your sentiment.
Originally Posted By: sciphi
If one wants to dinghy-tow a Cruze, they need to get a manual transmission model. Those can be dinghy-towed all day without damage.
Chalk up one more good reason why a manual transmission is better than automatic.
I was trying to avoid that, but yeah, at least 10% of Cruze buyers share your sentiment.
Originally Posted By: Hokiefyd
You generally can't tow automatic cars 4-down, but Hondas and some late-model Saturns are a notable exception.
Any GM with a 4T40E or 4T45E can be towed 4-down. A short and not complete list of cars that used this transmission: Chevy Malibu, Cavalier, Cobalt, Pontiac Grand Am, Sunfire, Oldsmobile Alero, Saturn Ion.
You generally can't tow automatic cars 4-down, but Hondas and some late-model Saturns are a notable exception.
Any GM with a 4T40E or 4T45E can be towed 4-down. A short and not complete list of cars that used this transmission: Chevy Malibu, Cavalier, Cobalt, Pontiac Grand Am, Sunfire, Oldsmobile Alero, Saturn Ion.
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