Holden Cruze JH (Sedan) (2012-2016)

Any positive reviews has to be a lie – Do you like cheapness do you like an engine compartment that leaks all types of fluids do you also like a transmission/gearbox that was destined to fail,I was given a 2014 sri z with turbo at 108,000ks only got to 136,000ks and that was it the transmission started clunking it went into limp mode and 4 dashboard lights came on,got it diagnosed and… Read more

surprise surprise the transmission is screwed, would cost $1000's to replace and even mechanic's were sceptical about that,what a piece of absolute garbage don't ever buy one don't ever be given one any still on the road are definitely running on borrowed time (or on it's 2nd transmission) any owners of one might think otherwise but you are wrong it will happen to you unregistered and sold it for $800 in the same day what a disappointing piece of junk GM your "quality" hasn't changed, garbage garbage garbage garbage!

The Holden Cruze is a piece of Crap! – I purchased a Holden Cruze brand new in December 2016 with a five year factory warranty. The car has always been serviced by the book and has in fact had extra oil changes every 6 months. Since new I have only travelled 37700 Km. The check-engine light is on. Holden Dealers have diagnosed it. Replaced many engine parts. Total cost to me nearly… Read more

$3500 and guess what the engine light is still on. I complained to Holden Customer Care but they simply washed their hands off the issue. They just do not care. The car is only out of warranty by about 12 months. Customer Care just do not care. Never buy a Holden vehicle ever again!

Car is a write off before it's even 8 years old and hasn't even hit 90k – This car has been an absolute nightmare since purchasing. Holden lied about free servicing and capped price, as they would add "optional extras" without explaining the option extras. My first free service cost me almost $500.00. This car has cost me a fortune to pay off and then on top of that the services were rarely below $800.00. The turbo has… Read more

been gutless since I got it and it only got worse. I have done less than 90k in this peice of junk, which has had two thermostat housing failures, the last one has now caused the cylinder to crack, leaving the car basically a write off. The coil packs have failed so many times, I lost count after the 8th time. Owning this car has been an absolute nightmare, the fact I will be soon rid of it is the only positive. The amount of money I have spent on this trash, I could have bought something much much nicer. Thank God Holden is gone in Australia, they are a bunch of theives and I hope General Motors is next to go.

First 10 years were ok. Last Year has been a nightmare – Got it new using Salary Sacrifice in Sept 2011. Paid 16K for it when i left that job in 2013. Full service history. 1.8L 6SP Auto Run only on 98ULP its entire life (naively thinking I could make the engine last longer) Only done 89K 50K+ of that was Adelaide - Melbourne return and Adelaide - Sydney return. Worth noting I never had any issues on… Read more

the highways and was a pleasant enough at different times of year. Loved the heated leather seats and

Mar 2013 -November 21

Did require quite a bit of work for the age including: -Brakes replaced 3 times -CV Boot blew - lost power steering on busy main road (massive and expensive job) -Suspension replaced (warranty) -Takata airbag (warranty) -Power Steering Pump replaced in May 20 (1.5K) -globes in headlights replaced ($40)

November 21 Driving over West Gate bridge in peak hour: - the auto trans started flaring (1st time) -Had to tow it home didn't improve -Spent 3.5K getting fixed by dodgiest Auto trans people in Melbourne (Airport West area) -Lasted 4 weeks before flaring started spontaneously on Boxing Day -Too scared to drive too far from home since then -Mid Feb-22, the trans flared again and revved the motor so high, it blew the emission control sensors.

Summary -Was a good car, but it is now at that point where it costs more to repair and the risk so high that other latent or hidden problems are lurking that it is no longer viable, despite being in mint condition.

To be fair, I had no idea these cars were so bad until everything started failing at once and I tried to DYOR some causes. However, for a car too completely crap the bed after 10 years and only 80K with full service history and Kingswood Country level TLC is just unacceptable.

Good riddance Holden. You got what you deserved.

Love my Cruze – So many bad reviews on the Cruze, thought I better give my verdict, Mine was one of the last Cruzes (2016) to be assembled in S.A. Holden plant with some 60% imported parts from South Korea (Daewoo). Having the car just on one year, I have had minimal trouble. Love the ride, stable, firm but comfortable, car has a sure footed, heavy feel to it,… Read more

which I like for a small car. has enough power and gears seem to down change nicely to the right gear when kick-down is used. Interior trim is of a good standard, ( for a car in this class ), cabin room is great in every aspect, boot size is very generous. The panel fit and paint is spot on, the outer appearance is fantastic, love the look of the Cruze. Seat lumber and lower seat could do with a bit more contour and padding. Heater and air-con work a treat with good range of fan speeds,( not the old 1,2,3) Sound system does every thing I could ask of one. Must admit I do have a hissy fit making the voice recognition understand what I ask her to do, but we get there in the end.

The only issues I have had is that I had a coolant leak, a very slow one, I traced it back to the heater hose near the fire wall on the engine side, just a worn out O-ring. On ordering a new simple O-ring, was told it came as a full assembly on heater hose, clamp, connector with O-ring, $76.00, bit of a crap.

I change the oil and oil filter every 5000 kms, she had done 54,000 kms when I got her and has now hit 76,000 kms. I have changed the auto trans fluid, flushed and bled the brakes, flushed the power steering fluid, flushed and renewed the radiator coolant and changed the sparks.

All in all, great little car so far, must have been lucky to get one of the later models after all the bugs had been ironed out of them. But then again, I upgraded from a Jeep Wrangler JK, so any car would be a gem after that.

MyLink is terrible, car is underpowered, but still a good drive – The car runs rather well. I get about 550km out of a full tank of petrol which isn't bad. The car lacks power, so when you put the foot down, it thinks about it for a bit before deciding. The cruise control is a little heavy-handed when going up certain hills near home (it'll shift down two gears instead of one, revving the living crap out of… Read more

the engine in the process), but I like that it's a toggle switch, so I don't have to actually turn it on each time I start the car, I just need to set my speed.

The leather interior is nice, though I'm not always a fan of the stitching on the steering wheel, as it's very rough on the underside. The center console is a bit too far back to be really comfortable. You can bring it forward with the same lever that opens the console, but the angle of it means your elbow just pushes it back.

MyLink could be a LOT better. The Bluetooth stutters like crazy (once every 5 seconds, and I think that's because the Bluetooth buffer isn't big enough) and stutters worse when it first connects. There's no Android Auto, and the "apps" that were promised are just baked into the firmware, with two of those (Pandora and Stitcher) requiring constant data to function. You're better off just using Bluetooth on your phone. When city driving I want to SEE my navigation (Google Maps), not hear the woman read it out. With no Android Auto, and ZERO firmware updates from factory, I'm stuck hearing what she says, or installing a phone holder, which kind of defeats the purpose of having an in-car system.

That aside, the car still runs well. I'm not the best at getting the car in for a service (it's been tens of thousands of km since my last service) but it still runs alright.

If Holden are reading this, they should offer an upgrade to Android Auto, because MyLink is a terrible thing to have in a world of smart phones.

I love my Coco CRUZE!! – Coco Cruze (Named after Coco Peru) is a 2014 SRi-Z Series 6 Speed Manual. This is actually my third Cruze. Funnily enough, when I purchased my Cruze, my mechanic friend stopped talking to me. Coco has been by far, the best car I have ever owned. We do city driving, country driving and everything in-between. Coco has never skipped a beat. I service… Read more

it every 7,500 or 6 months. Coolant gets changed yearly, and I make sure all maintenance is up to scratch. I'm currently at 112,900 km and hope to see many more years out of Coco. Recently I was given a hire car after someone hit my car. It was a brand new VW T-CROSS. I could not wait to get back into Coco. I really do think these 1.6 turbo Cruzes were underrated, In my experience and opinion they are a brilliant little car.

2013-2016 SRi's are criminally underrated – I've owned a 2013 Cruze SRI V for the last 2 years and despite the bad reviews I love it. Currently at 210,000 km and it drives like beauty. Never had any major issue with it (I do service it every 10,000 km). The 1.6 Turbo engine is actually quite fun, and far better than the gutless 1.8 Petrol or the 1.4 Turbo. Got a decent amount of power and… Read more

acceleration for the price too. I only paid $9000 back in 2020 yet it can beat VE SV6's that costs $5000-$10000 more.

Would never recommend a 2009-2012 Cruze, or any 1.8 Petrol Cruze (too gutless and boring) but the 2013-2016 1.6 Turbo SRi's are criminally underrated.

Holden you disappoint me – Any other problem any other Cruze owner has had and then some I bought it in Dec 2014 crossover model 2011 but a 3012 features .. it had 45k on the clock and one previous owner bought it from a Holden dealership. I traded my 2007 be commodore, as I needed a car that used less fuel. I also purchased the extended new car warranty. The car had been… Read more

serviced prior to purchase or so they said. In January 2016 problems started 63k the turbo died. My extended warranty that I paid for was not worth the paper it was written on, they voided all warranty cos it was 1500k out from their schedule (try getting a car serviced at Christmas/new year/ I managed to scrape the funds to get it repaired/replaced. At 65k the front rotors had to be replaced, 75k it started overheating, thermostat housing replaced, 80k water pump 90k resisvior,, loss of power is a common issue esp if aircon on, hoses split often it has been 140k now gearbox is sluggish, the only reason I still have it is due to just paying it off, and not in a financial position to purchase another car. I am a Holden girl but this car has cost me a fortune to buy and the constant repairs.

These cars are lemons and a bottomless money pit!! – Bought the car brand new, Holden insisted all the problems were on the earlier models and had been fixed by the 2014 JH Z series, had the car serviced every 15,000 kilometres & spent half the car price again on repairs. 3 failed thermostats, 1 replaced under warranty, failed oil cooler, cracked head & gasket, faulty coil pack, transmission oil was… Read more

black, cracked water bottle, list goes on & on. All the major problems occur just when the car is out of warranty at 5 years or at around 150,000 kilometres.

Overall good – Ive purchased the Holden Cruze 2012 SRI manual brand new in 2012 from McGrath Liverpool, NSW. overall it ha been good, , ive done nearly 130000 kms and since purchase have had no mechanical issues. its good on fuel and being a manual with turbo it does have good acceleration and can rev out quite a bit. small issues ive had are key fobs falling… Read more

apart which i replaced, paint near side mirrors fading. ive read other reviews stating this car is a lemon, i think their mainly the 1.8 litre automatics.

Do not buy this car – I would give this 0 stars if possible. Never EVER buy this car. If you see a used Cruze for sale - don’t do it no matter how good a deal it appears to be. We purchased this car brand new in 2013. For the first 2-3 years it was ok with no major issues. Then it just started falling apart. Coolant issues, engine light going on and off, constant oil… Read more

leaks amongst other issues. After years and thousands of dollars we recently discovered the turbo, water pump and cylinders were all falling apart/not working and the car has now been sent to the wreckers where it belongs. Every single mechanic we have seen cringes when would tell them we had a Holden Cruze. Just don’t do it.

Save yourself the headaches and believe all the bad press – I downgraded my car so I could get a home loan. I wanted a cheap run about. I read all the reviews on the Cruze but thought surely they can't all be duds so took a chance and bought a Cruze. I got about 10000ks from it before I started having issues. I had the car for a year and half and in that time needed to replace the thermostat , water pumper… Read more

, turbo , numerous cooling hoses and oil pipes. After fixing all these the turbo started leaking again ! So enough was enough and I sold it. Purchased a Lancer which was made in the same year. I've now had the lancer for three years and not a single issue. Believe the reviews on the this poorly built car and save yourself some money and get something else.

Rubbish – I my opinion the biggest load of rubbish to hit the streets with all the recalls, overheating, transmission problems and various other flaws. Drive one (eject yourself first though) over a cliff.

Built like a tank, a good drive, a little annoying – Car is a daily driver that does a lot of rural driving. The 1.6 turbo petrol is powerful and good fun but the engine gearbox combination is clearly a bit old compared to a new comparable car like a Kia Cerato GT. I’ve had two of these. The first written off after a hail storm. It also crashed into a large kangaroo doing 100kph. The car… Read more

remained composed during the crash and the fact that it was repaired not written off by the roo says a lot. Outstanding road holding. A real pleasure in the curves. Good seats and headroom. On my first one, same model but plastics broke in a few places. Same km on the new one but no broken plastics. Centre display is too bright but it can be turned off and it’s got reasonably poor software.

Holden cruze is a piece of junk – Only travelling mostly local from home and work. 90km car yr is 2014 Car service was on time and after that every 4 months. I've had transmission issue's, oil leaks and coolant leaking even after changing tubes multiple time's. Show details

Don't get one... constant electrical issues – We have had a lot of issues with our Holden Cruze. So many sensors needed replacing to the point where we would stop replacing them because the engine light would always come on for something else. Each sensor is a few hundred to replace plus the labour costs. It's been a nightmare. The car doesn't have much power either. Would never buy a Holden again. Show details

Terrible car, stay away, a rip off from holden GM – Bought on 2016, when it was 15000 KM, used for 2 years, towed 6 times from freeway, loss of power, coolant leaks, ignition coil failure, faulty gearbox, changed all cooling system, And it continue, stay away from this car, save your money. Show details

Great Family Car – We have had our Cruze for almost 4yrs now and we still love it like the day we first bought it. Its been used for daily commute to work and up and down dirt roads with no dramas. We have put on well over 70,000km since purchasing and have had no major dramas with it. We get it serviced regularly to the service book recommendation and have had no… Read more

major issues mechanically. One of the best cars I have owned and would happily buy another again if I had to!

Cooling system faults. Continuesly – Have replaced the coolant system completely and some componants several times in two years. Also replaced the coil pack four times during this period. The car has been teken to several mechanics and auto electricians with good reputations and the same problems keep returning. Wouldn't recommend to anyone to ever consider purchasing a cruze. Show details

Worst Car Ever – Worst car ever. That’s not fair... I’ve only owned 10 cars and only driven about 100 so I could be biased? Basically, day 1 of buying it ... needed to have calipers and breaks replaced within a week. Within warranty, I had the transmission changed twice. 1 part goes, go to Holden... and next time a part that sits right next to that part goes.… Read more

Clearly it’s pathetic engineering. What’s awesome is Holden plugs their computer in and says “the ECM is telling us it may be this, or it could also be (insert 50 other things)”. Grreeeaaaattt. Went to sell it, and no car dealership would give me any better than $2k trade in for a car that’s is road worthy and has only 90k on the clock!!! Avoid buying this car... I hope this saves someone a lot of hassles. What do I do now? Nail the bonnet shut and see how long it lasts ...

Worst car ever – Purchased as a family car, to be safe and reliable, it was far from it. Catastrophic transmission failure at 65k could have killed me, my son or my passenger due to also having the air bag fault during uncontrollable failure of the car. Entire cooling system before 90k Faded mirror brackets before 65k Customer care are disgusting individuals who just like to cause drama.  Show details

Lemon jh 1.4 litre of holden accc – Every 10000 km our car has been serviced by holden dealship we done 4 turbos 3 water reservoir 3 water pumps endless problems with water .now our latest problems is out jh holden cruze 1.4 litre car cutting out while driving on highway .i just found out mechanic has taken relay fuses to fuel pump without our knowledge .our car cut out while… Read more

drivi g on gighway with semi tralier avoiding us car shakes like timing out or not getting correct fuel. back to holden .see what going on .

I wish I never bought it – I've had all my regular service done, but every few months the car would have an issue that would cost me whole heap of money and headache. For the last 3 years of owing Holden Cruze, I've spent over $2500 for repairing, and now it has a faulty with power steering rack and pump, which will cost me $3000 to fix. The insurance company said that it… Read more

is a manufacturers default, but Holden says that they might not be able to do anything for me since its warranty has ended. When I contacted Holden and was told that, the staff literally asked me 'what outcome did you want out of this conversation?'

Customer service is bad. So many expensive issues are constantly caused. Why buy such a headache and stress bringer when you can buy something a lot decent? I am never buying Holden again.

Fabulous to drive, quick to respond – With family members having side air bags makes it safe. Quick braking response. Wifi for operating technology is sharp and trendy. Ipod, mobile phone linking and tablet hotspotting, kuds are entertained on long journeys. Tight turn table and roomy boot makes a responsive car with loads of shopping and luggage space. 3 large Samsung bags. Proud to be the last generation built in Australia!! .  Show details

Piece of junk – 2012 Holden Cruze CD . Within three months I had problem with transmission and after 4 months started motor was playing up. I had to replace them , I spent like 2 grand. The car has no power to drive . Car shakes little bit . I can’t trust that car for long life , I have to sell it ASAP.  Show details

Dashboard -Vent/Grill – After multiple issues with this car, the main issue that I have had is the Dashboard Vent/Grille, this is moulded into the Dash (left side even to surface of Dashboard, right side bowed and uneven and subsequently cracks) and cannot be separately replaced, the whole Dashboard has to be removed and replaced. You cannot simply replace the… Read more

vent/grille itself which is wrong, by whoever designed the car. Have had this replaced 3 times now, with the same style of moulding issue put back in the car. Brand new car, with the same issue replaced back in it. Now that is Customer Care!!! Disgusting. Quality Control systems at Holden are poor. And the cars built are not what they were years ago.

Best car ever – Brought this car new and is the best car ive owned and trust me ive had a few! Great fuel economy and has everything i need. I had read reviews on how badly made and unreliable they are but i have never had any problems plus the fact im getting 1100klms on a tank of diesel! If i have 1 negative comment it would be the lack of bluetooth but apart from that im happy..thanks holden.  Show details

Its not that great – I brought this car brand new for my first car. it uses so much petrol its ridiculous and its sluggish. Theres a rattle in the door that holden keeps telling me doesn't exist and the Engine light keeps coming on atleast once a month, so holden keeps taking the car back for nearly the whole weekend.  Show details

love it! – I have recently bought this car, a Holden Cruze 2012 SRI-V and i have found it a dream to drive through the Adelaide hills! Its a great size, affordable and a little luxury. Many people have said they are lemons but i think it all is to do with the petrol and driving style. I purchased mine with 95,000 kms on the clock and it drives a dream. At… Read more

first i though it was a lemon as the engine light came on with a code P0171 lean bank 1, so replaced the O2 sensors which fixed the problem. As they are a turbo petrol, premium fuel should be used, i found the previous owner had been running 91 for some time which cause them cars computer to register that as normal.. but will adjust as i keep using 98 since sensors being changed. Overall the car is smooth to drive, cheap to service, great on fuel, has power even with A/C on, spacious, heated seats.. love my little beep beep!

Choose Wisely, have car inspected – Bought this car for $150.00 (yes, $150.00) with 120000Klm's. Cylinder head in the boot as the mechanic that tried to fix it, had no idea on the complexity of the cam timing set up. Excellent car to drive, OUTSTANDING fuel economy, (6.8 per 100 on first full tank)... BUT..... IF you are looking at buying one of these, be wary... Have the car… Read more

inspected, and tested for head gasket issues.

These are widely known for head gasket failure, some also had automatic transmission issues, which I believe is a GMH known issue, as they were repairing damaged ones for free.

If the head gasket has been replaced, and it's not leaking oil from the transmission like a wounded bull, then you have a chance of it being a good car...

Don't pay big dollars for one, as the value of them, is very likely to plummet once they all start getting a few klm's on them..

Horrible mechanical issues – Had the car for 3 days and the engine gave up on me, got it for the wife but isnt reliable enough for use of motor vehicle, worst car ever, terrible engineering, it's a nice looking car with a comfortable interior, heated seats, gps and such but to own this vehicle you'd have to be mad.  Show details

Poorly designed motor vehicle - STAY WELL CLEAR!! – The car is used as a daily commute for my family and has been problematic from day one with various faults. It has now suffered the infamous Oil Cooler failure and Holden Customer Care do not want to know about it and help resolve what is a fundamental design flaw that has led to this failure. This was my first ever new vehicle and first ever… Read more

Holden I have owned and incidentally it will be the last. Poor workmanship and even poorer customer service.

Terrible Car Service and Customer Service at Booran Holden Cheltenham – I drive to work and back home on a daily basis. I get my car serviced every 9 months as advised by holden Today i serviced my car paid for service and lights $400 and i was told the battery was leaking and corroded which needs replacing. Burge tank leaking coolant. Another $400 which i declined. Further more i got a text message to say my car… Read more

was ready to collect. The staff member handed the key without checking if the car was washed. I was told if i wanted the car washed it would take 20 mins then later he said an hour. You would assume that Booran Holden Service Centre would offer a complete service and customer satisfaction however this isn't the case at Cheltenham. Not happy and won't be going back to Booran Holden Cheltenham.

Reliable car! – Its has many practical and useful tools an expensive car usually have.It offers comfort, it as a sport version. Inbuilt GPS, reverse alarm. Never had a breakdown with this car even if i have drove nearly above 100km. Very strong built, medium size car. it is not noisy at all.  Show details