I am having the worst trouble with my 2011 Cruze, I love the car but I cannot breathe when I drive it because the smell of burnt antifreeze is so bad. It gives me instant headaches and I am constantly taking pain medicine.

I have had it to the dealer 5 times now, replaced heater core, then an update, then they said nothing was wrong, then they pumped stinky deodorizer in the car, then I took it back again, they said they cleaned a leaky coolant bottle and cleaned the interior. IT STILL STINKS! Now it is at a different dealership's service area and they said they don't smell it!!! What the heck is going on here?

I carpool with 3 other people and they all smell it, it is so bad that we try to not use the heat as much as possible, people bring blankets,yes, they have to bundle up in my NEW car to keep warm, otherwise, we just can't breathe. This is insane and I think it is wrong. I never had this type of problem with my usual purchase of a pretty well used car. I finally get to a point in my life where I want to reward myself with a nice car and I can't stand to drive it.

Can anyone HELP??? PLEASE!!!

Update from Jan 29, 2013: I am just wondering if anyone knows what I can do about this smell in my 2011 Chevy Cruze. I have no other vehicle to drive. I work 74 miles away from home so I am not in my car for just a few minutes each day, I am in it 3 hours a day. I am seriously having health issues with this smell. I have nausea, severe headaches, dizziness, and last week I had nosebleeds for two days. I cannot live like this. The dealership has my car and they said there is no smell. I am desperate for advise. I have read the long term affects on inhaling coolant and it includes kidney failure. I am very concerned. Can anyone offer advice???

Started smelling antifreeze when i started the heater last fall (2012) I have taken to dealership 3 times now... 1st time they said they didn't smell anything and tested and no antifreeze leaks. 2nd time they still didn't find anything. 3rd time they made me buy a $25.00 "cabin filter" --- took care of problem for maybe 12 hours. Just had my husband take it in Friday (feb 8, 2013) they told him it was the windshield wiper fluid he was using and suggested he change it. Bull XXXX I got mad and looked it up on internet and found this. Have a call into Dealership again to see what's the excuse now.

I smell antifreeze when I use my heater. While GM attempted to offer a repair to this issue, the repair performed did not fix the car. The smell is lighter now than it was before but still present and gives me a headache when driving if I use the heater for more than 10 minutes at a time. The dealership informed me that the smell is not harmful, but the poison control center states that extended, consistent, or repeated exposure can in fact be harmful. I am concerned with the fact that GM simply sent a memo about this problem to the dealerships instead of placing a recall on this issue. It can in fact be harmful and a solution needs to be found. The first attempt does not work.

smell was so bad had to drive with the windows open, dealership (true north chev, north bay, ont) refused to do as i told them to recreate the problem, they just checked for leaks and sent me away, they finally drove the car after the 4th visit and agreed that there was a smell, but it wasn't too bad.... i refused to take the car back, they had a rep from gm canada come in and they agreed to buy it back. i feel bad for others that have to deal with that smell, and the dealers should be quicker to acknowledge the issue and offer some suggestions. fight back, refuse to accept the car until they fix it or they get you something else....

I bought my 2011 Cruze LT last may and I was very happy with it. Took it on holidays had absolutely no problems with it till September. I started it up n put the heat on when I went to go and open my car door I could smell this really strong coolant smell I thought that was kind of odd but when I open the car door the whole interior was right full of it so I called the dealership they told me to bring the car up to them. When I took the car to them they ran a test to check for antifreeze smell and couldn't find anything. So I said okay maybe it still needed to be broke in but than it just got worse over the days and months.The smell got so bad I took it back to the dealership and they finally said it was the heating core and they where going to replace it. So it was replaced, they gave the car back and on my way home the smell still appeared once I got home I phoned up to the dealership once again they than said they have no clue and to just drive the car till it blows up. I kept it for more week went to Jasper for a day was up into the mountains when the smell was so bad we pulled over into a pull out and got out of the car that's when it smelled like something was on burning under the hood, we lifted the hood up and couldn't find or see anything. We got back into the car and started it up and the smell of gas came through the vents no engine lights or anything came on i stopped the car immediately and that's when I had decided after the fifteenth time of taking this car back to the dealership to get this problem fixed that I was done. My car now has been with GM for one week because I refuse to drive it. So I can relate to the people who are having this problem, it is a pain in the butt.

have had a lot of issues with this car. nearly every other week my car was in the shop trying to get repaired. the awful smell was making me actually sick. mechanics kept second guessing me because they couldn't smell the antifreeze. i was sick of always being told to be patient and we are trying our best. i was getting to the point that i hated the car which i chose at one time with pride. i was sick of paying every bi weekly for a car that i couldn't enjoy and dreaded turning the heat on. my mechanic was driving it more than i was. after many months with this problem, GM decided that they couldn't fix the problem and that they were buying back the car and taking it away. i am very frustrated and also annoyed that a new model car could be built like a bunch of garbage.

Oh boy, Im having the same problems that others are having here. That totally terrible buring coolant smell in the cabin when I use my heater. The smell usually starts about 20 min into driving. My windshield gets a film on it just like someone else mentioned here. I've taken it into the dealership 3 times and they cannot figure it out. Yes, they replaced the heater core and that did not work. I contacted GM but they have passed my case off to at least 3 reps now. I have been professional and kind up to this point but the last time I called I let the poor girl have it! I told her that I give GM one week to help me out or I am taking this piece of you know what to the FORD dealership for a trade in and I will post my story all over the internet and NEVER look at a GM vehicle again. I could tell that this girl didn't even read my case file; she thought it was a conditioning problem! GM doesn't give two craps in hell for their customers. I drive 127 miles/day and I cant breathe anymore! BTW, I had another issue that it took the dealership 4 tries to fix but I cant post that issue here. I've had this car in the shop more than in my driveway!

There is a TERRIBLE antifreeze smell when the car heats up. And I mean TERRIBLE

!!!!!! It is especially bad in the colder weather when the heater is in use. The smell is so bad it is dangerous to drive. Plus, having had cancer it concerns me that I am breathing in toxic fumes everytime I drive in the winter. I have had it to the dealer twice for the same issue and they could "not" duplicate the problem...yet everyone who rides with me can't tolerate the smell. I even went as far as to call corporate and they just sent me back to the same dealer. I demanded that the regional rep for Chevy get involved, but they would not honor my request.

After being a loyal customer for GM for 20+ years and purchasing 4 new vehicles from them... I am done with the company! Here are some additional items that had to be fixed: Air conditioning (no freon when manufactured). Quarter panels repainted due to poor paint quality. Thermostat housing replaced twice(leaked coolant into the main computer and blew the computer). And just to think... all this happened with less than 12,000 miles on the car.

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I have the same exact problem, smell of antifreeze when the heater blows hot air only, never when cold air is blown. A foggy type of film on the windshield that is clearly visible at night under streetlights or when the sun is in front of the car. I even saw droplets right above the defrost exit vent in the beginning of the problem. My kids and my wife are disgusted of that smell, i have headaches, nausea, all my little familiy is complaining of that smell. Here in Québec, it's cold (under the point of congelation) for long period of time, 2 months at least without going above 0 degrees celcius so i always use the heater at maximum or at least half way. Brought it to the dealer, no leak found in the car, they played with every hoses, putted pressure in the system, nothing. The level went down an inch and half in the overflow bottle so thet rectified the level and putted UV dye in the system. Then 2 weeks after, they saw that the waterpump was leaking a little bit so the ordered one. 3 weeks later, they installed the new one, same problem after a month. Now, i went to the dealer for another(again) problem(trunk latch rubber pad) and talked about the smell that is still not solved, the Service manager tried the car, when he smelled something, he pulled the heat off and said that this is the plastic that emits this smell and that it's normal. he said that i only need to lower the temperature. WHAT?? i can't use the heater on my 32000$ car??? I then told him about the film in the windshield, he said that it's "normal", it's in every car, it's dust particles that gets on the windshield.... i washed meticulously the windshield 4 times since 7 months.... and guess what? It reapears after 2 weeks or so... small build-up that gets anoying. I now hate this car and GM. This afternoon, i wrote them an email with about 7 links (the first 7 i found) on cruzetalk and other forums of tons of poeple, like me, who smell antifreeze and GM don't solve their problems.

I have the same problem. I have and anti-freeze smell in my 2011 Cruze when it heats up all the way then you can smell it. Took it to the dealer they said that the coolant level has not went down and that's not the point the smell is there and it makes you sick to your stomach after a while. I am going to take it back to them again. It's seems to be a problem and they are not wanting to admit it. First time i took the car in to the dealership they let it sit there and cool down and of course they couldn't smell it. When i told them it smells when the car is fully warmed up. I am not done with this, I am retired from gm and have bought over 15 new cars and trucks and was treated ok till this Cruze issue. Good Luck to us all !!!!!

I have taken my 2011 Cruze in because of the coolant smell twice. I took it to the dealership in January and one of the mechanics said the heater core was seeping. In February, I had to go to the dealership owner because the service manager could not get the part. The parts for this car are not available because all parts being manufactured are being sent to the assembly line for the new cars being built. That is the reason I was given for the service manager not being able to get the part. Finally, in February, the heater core was replaced. IT DID NOT FIX THE PROBLEM. My car still smells like coolant. The longer you drive, especially with the heat on, the worse it gets. It is back in the shop again trying to find out where the smell is coming from. Transmission problems too. Nothing constant. Waiting for that to tear up. I am completely feed up with this car and I seriously regret the day I purchased it. I have owned Chevrolet's for the last 20 years and I have never been so disgusted with a car.

I have taken this to two Certified Service GM Centers and they can not smell it or they have no fix for the problem. I have to wait for more complaints and maybe a service bulletin will be issued to fix it. Until then happy driving your New smelly Chevy Cruze that you purchased from us. I have never been so disappointed in customer service in my life. When I was looking to buy the car they spent the whole day with me. Now I can't get anyone to listen to me or give a damn about my problem. I will never buy a Chevy again and I will tell all my family and friends about the problem and the lack of service Chevy provides.