There’s something eerie happening with the Chevy Cruze… no one seems to know what it is yet, but it’s enough to seemingly be responsible for two fires and for the NHTSA to launch a full-scale investigation.
Coincidentally, the Cruzen that are experiencing the fire-related issues seem to be 2011 models that have recently been into a dealership for their first oil change, which makes us wonder if the fires have something to do with an error during the oil change process.
Hat tip to Todd B.
Comments
Very sad – guess i’m lucky with a 2012
I don’t think the year of production has anything to do with the fire. Most of the ’12s haven’t turned enough miles yet to have the OLM call for an oil change. The engine design is exactly the same for ’12 as it is for ’11. Also, both 1.4L and 1.8L Cruzen have caught fire. The one is this video was a 1.8L motor if I recall correctly. Both engines have the filter on top of the engine, but the 1.4L filter is tilted slightly and the 1.8L filter is pretty much vertical. There have been a lot of US built Cruzen that have had oil changes by now and only a few of them have caught fire.
You’re absolutely right. I mentioned the year of production because it just be the right time for many 2011s to get their first oil change… which isn’t the case for recently-purchased 2012s.
I understand the car was a total loss when they arrived on scene but damn that took a long time to flake out that hose line. A quick connected booster line at that. What is that, less than 100 feet of hose? Not trying to knock a firefighter or nothing but damn I have flaked out a hose line longer than that at 230 in the morning faster than that. And we saved the farm implement. Whatever that means.
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2011 Chevy Cruze, 10k miles, smoke gray with custom flames, recently serviced, engine fires right up, and will burn rubber. THIS CAR IS HAWT!
Probabilistically, this is a freak accident that hardly equals less than a half of a percent.
But if I were GM, I’d drop on this like Cruzii all around the world were catching fire on the hour.
This same thing has happened to numerous cars. There was a rash of first gen MINI Coopers that spontaneously combusted. You know what? Because this happened to a GM car though, let the witch trials begin!!!!
Oh no!! No bueno!!
What a drag, hope GM gets a hold of this problem… I couldn’t imagine having my child in the car seat, and this happens… Looks like a major PR nightmare; lawsuit anyone… Hopefully my 2011 HHR doesn’t catch fire…
I don’t think there’s actually a technical problem with the car, but one with the way oil is changed at the dealer. I’ll find out more soon.
And your HHR has no reason to do this as it uses a completely different powertrain, and there’s never been any problems with it to my knowledge.
The oil filter is on top, did I catch that right Jamis or anyone for that matter.
Yupp, on top. Making it very easy to change out.
Yes, the oil filter is indeed on top of the engine in the Cruze. The filter is a cartridge style (like in the ’60s) but with a plastic frame and paper element. It fits into a “can” on top of the motor above the exhaust manifold and there is a screw on cap with an O ring on it for sealing. On the 1.8L motor the access to the filter assembly is pretty open, but there still exists an opportunity for spillage when you lift out the oil soaked filter element. On the 1.4L motor the canister is tilted slighty and is under tubing for the intercooler and coolant. This makes it a bit more of a fiddle to remove the filter element. The design is still easier to get to than the traditional position of the filter on the back side of the engine block of most I4 engine designs. You still have to be careful in cleaning up after your work and making sure you get the cap on properly with a new O ring properly in place.
Yeah, your reading skills are doing just fine.
Instead of the old cylindrical oil filters that mount beneith the engine, the Cruze has a cartridge oil filter.
What that means in that built into the block, near the top and accessable from under the hood, is a hole where the cartridge oil filter is placed. With the oil filter cap off and the filter removed, what remains is a “cup” where the filter sits. Holes at the bottom of the cup allow for the passage of oil when the engine is in operation. With the filter in and the cap on, the filter works as conventional oil filter.
Pros – No oil spilt during filter changes; oil simply collects at the bottom of the cup ready to be fed back into the system. You’ll never need adjustable band wrench and sandpaper to remove a stubborn filter, or puncture it with a screwdriver. It also means you simply stand and install the filter and only crawl under the car to drain the oil.
Cons – You may need a specialized socket bit to removed the cap. In my case, I needed a 32mm socket to get the cap off with an extention; I had to substutute with an old 1.25″ socket. You do need to physically seperate the filter from the cap and replace the cap’s o-ring.
Graw’s take – Cartridge oil filters are worth their weight. I don’t know why the automotive world hasn’t done away with cylindrical filters when cartridges make the whole process faster and cleaner.
FTW, the Cruze requires two different sized sockets for the oil filter caps. It seems the 1.8L needs a 32 mm short socket, while the 1.4L has a 24 mm hex on if. I have no idea if the filter cartridges are the same or different P/Ns. If they are different, there may be another way for the tech to screw up the oil change. Curiouser and Curiouser.
So does the Verano have a similar system, it has a different engine right.
I hope they resolve this , never heard about a Korean made Cruze that burnt out and they are on the road since 2009.