If your Chevy Cruze won't start, you need to review the following components in order: the battery, the battery terminals, the key fob battery, the starter motor, and the alternator. In some scenarios, you might need to check the fuel system components as well.
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Chevy Cruze is an amazing vehicle created by Chevrolet in 2008. This vehicle involves thousands of interrelated components that might fail over time and cause some starting problems.
Dealing with starting problems can be very challenging, especially if you're driving in a cold environment. When your Chevy Cruze won't start, the problem might be related to tons of potential reasons.
The purpose of this article is to help narrow down the list of causes for your Chevy Cruze not to start. We will list potential solutions that can get your Chevy Cruze going temporarily, while we will also highlight the permanent solution to get rid of the problem completely. We will also Highlight important symptoms that might associate with your Chevy Cruze starting issue. If you notice any of these symptoms, you need to describe them clearly to your mechanic to help him resolve the issue.
10 reasons my Chevy Cruze won't start
Your Chevy Cruze internal components are not designed to last forever, and there will be a point of time where one of these components might wear out, causing some starting issues.
Since the Chevy Cruze is designed with hundreds of internal components, it's very hard to pinpoint which component is causing the problem.
Luckily, automotive experts came up with a list of potential reasons that you can review in order. Your Chevy Cruze starting problem will be resolved most of the time after the first couple of components. You might deal with a situation where your Chevy Cruze won't start unless you go through the entire list in rare situations.
Let's take a closer look below:
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Check your Chevy Cruze battery
The first thing you need to look at when you are Chevy Cruze won't start the battery. If your Chevy Cruze has an old battery, it might be the time now where this battery is at the end of its lifetime, and therefore, you might need to replace it.
Sometimes customers who installed new Chevy Cruze batteries had also to deal with starting issues. This is because the new battery might not be operating at its full capacity immediately after you install them. Therefore, if you have a new Chevy Cruze battery, you might need to wait a couple of days before mentioning that you're dealing with starting issues.
How to fix Chevy Cruze starting issues due to A faulty battery?
Before we dive into the solution for your Chevy Cruze battery issue, you need to confirm that the problem is coming from the battery. To do so, you might need to perform a voltage test where you connect both battery terminals to the test and then see if there is any voltage.
If you realize that the voltages between 12 and 13, the battery is in good condition. However, if the voltage is below 11.5 or higher than 14, the problem is related to the battery.
Once you confirm that the battery is causing the issue, the next step is to get the vehicle started. For a temporary solution, you can rely on jumpstarts to get their vehicle going and drive it to the nearest dealership or repair shop.
However, if you're looking for a permanent solution, you need to install a new battery to resolve the problem completely.
Remember that automotive experts do not recommend jumpstarting your car as a permanent solution because it can damage electrical components, especially those associated with modern vehicles.
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Consider checking the battery terminals
The next step after and inspecting the Chevy Cruze battery is to take a look at the terminals. Your battery terminals can be corroded. Corroded battery terminals prevent the electrical current from flowing smoothly to the engine, and therefore, it is not surprising to deal with your Chevy Cruze won't start issue.
How to fix a Chevy Cruze starting issue due to corroded battery terminals?
If you've confirmed that the battery terminals are corroded by noticing any signs of weird silvery-green deposits, you need to clean them up.
Cleaning up the battery terminals must be done carefully while ensuring that you don't expose yourself to any risks of electrical shocks.
However, if you realized that the battery terminals have some cracks, you might need to install new ones other than spending the time cleaning up the old ones. It is usually recommended that if you notice any cracks in one terminal, you need to replace both terminals.
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Test the key fob battery
After confirming the battery and the terminals are in good condition, the next step is to check the key fob battery.
If you have realized that Chevy Cruze won't start, especially after pressing the push button, the problem might be related to the fob battery.
How to fix a Chevy Cruze starting issue due to a bad key fob battery?
One way to fix this problem is by testing starting the Chevy Cruze using a different key fob. If you've realized that the problem is resolved, you might need to purchase a new one.
Some customers might rely completely on using the key fob's physical key, so they don't have to deal with the key fob battery without charges.
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Inspect the starter motor
The starter motor is responsible for getting the engine started by transferring the small electrical current it receives from the battery into a larger one that can start the engine.
It is not surprising to deal with starting your Chevy Cruze issues due to a bad starter motor. Although the sudden motor lasts between 100,000 miles and 150,000 miles, your Chevy Cruze might not start because of it.
How to fix a Chevy Cruze starting issue due to a broken starter motor?
Chevy Cruze won't start because of a bad starter motor; you only have one solution: to replace the starter motor. Unfortunately, there is no workaround or simple trick to get your vehicle going if it has a broken starter motor.
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Check the alternator
At this point, most Chevy Cruze starting problems should be resolved by either fixing the battery, the battery terminals, the starter motor, and the key fob battery.
However, if Chevy Cruze won't start after reviewing all mentioned components, the next step is to check the alternator.
The alternator does not go bad very fast, and usually, the Chevy Cruze alternator lasts between 200,000 miles and 300,000 miles. However, it might be the culprit.
How to fix a Chevy Cruze starting issue due to a bad alternator?
Like the starter motor issue, alternator does not have any workaround. Therefore, your only solution to get your Chevy Cruze working again is installing a new alternator.
Many customers decide to go with a decent used alternator to save on repair costs; however, keep in mind that used alternators might not provide you with the best solutions and is acceptable for problems shortly.
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Inspect the fuel filter
The first five mentioned components are the primary involves components in the starting process of Your Chevy Cruze.
Sometimes when your Chevy Cruze won't start, the problem is more related to the fuel system.
The first thing you need to check if your fuel filter is causing the issue.
Although a partially clogged fuel filter will not prevent your Chevy Cruze from starting, if the fuel filter is completely clogged, your engine will not receive any fuel, and therefore, your Chevy Cruze won't start.
How to fix a Chevy Cruze starting issue due to a clogged filter?
Chevy Cruze filter is completely clogged; your only solution is to clean it up or replace it.
Usually, a completely clogged filter will cause some clear symptoms that you will notice before dealing with the starting issue. You will notice a significant drop in your vehicle's overall performance, and therefore, you will need to check it before reaching a stage where you're shooting cruise won't start.
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Check the fuel pump
A damaged or failed fuel pump will not send any fuel to your vehicle's engine, and therefore, it is not surprising to deal with Chevy Cruze starting issues.
The fuel pump is not designed to last forever, and there will be a point of time where this pump fails due to the continuously moving components that touch each other and break each other down.
Similar to the clogged filter, when your fuel pump fails, you will notice the issue before dealing with a starting problem in your Chevy Cruze.
How to fix a Chevy Cruze starting issue due to a failed fuel pump?
Unfortunately, when your vehicle's fuel pump wears out, you have no other solution than to install a new one.
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Inspect the fuse
Chevy Cruze won't start even after checking the mentioned components; there might be a situation where a blown or damaged fuse might be causing the problem.
Therefore, consider inspecting the fuse box looking for any signs of a bad or blown fuse. If you've found one, you need to get it replaced immediately, so you don't have to deal with Chevy Cruze starting issue.
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Check the spark plug
The spark plug is responsible for sending the right spark with the right frequency at the right time to your engine cylinders. When the spark plug goes bad over time of use, your vehicle will not burn the air-fuel mixture, and therefore, your car won't produce any power, and therefore, you are Chevy Cruze won't start.
How to fix a Chevy Cruze starting issue due to a blown or damaged spark plug?
If the spark plug is the culprit behind your Chevy Cruze starting issue, you need to get it replaced immediately. There is no workaround solution for this component.
Again, spark plug issues are one of those problems you will notice before dealing with the starting issue.
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Inspect the engine
Yes, engine failure will prevent your Chevy Cruze from starting. While it might be obvious that when your Chevy Cruze engine completely fails, you won't be able to start the vehicle, many people might miss this point.
In very rare situations, the only issue that might be causing your starting issue might be related to a completely failed engine.
However, engine failure is not something that happened suddenly, and you will notice symptoms of a bad engine way before dealing with it.
How to fix a Chevy Cruze starting issue due to a failed engine?
Unfortunately, you can't resolve the problem unless you install either I used, rebuild, or brand-new engine. Of course, installing a new engine is one of those very expensive repair costs that many people do not prefer to do, and instead, they sell their vehicles.
Chevy Cruze won't start: final thoughts
Chevy Cruze is an amazing vehicle that attracts tons of customers every year. However, dealing with starting issues can be a little frustrating for inexperienced Chevy Cruze drivers.
There are plenty of possible reasons behind your Chevy Cruze starting issue. This article lists all potential reasons along with common repairs.
If your Chevy Cruze repair costs are piling up and you notice that they're getting close to 75% or more from your vehicle's value, it might not be worth fixing this car, and instead, you should sell it to purchase a better one.
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