mmriddile

We just bought a 2011 Chevy Cruze with automatic transmission at the end of June. One of the deciding factors for this purchase was because it was, according to GM and the owner's manual, towable four wheels down, just like the Malibu. This was to be the car we carried into retirement and would tow behind our 40 foot motorhome. So today, August 22, 2011, I received a letter in the Mail from Chevrolet: Dear Chevrolet Customer: As the owner of a 2011 model year Chevrolet Cruze, equipped with a 6-speed automatic transmission, your satisfaction with our product is very important to us. We are contacting you to make you aware that General Motors has received reports of transmissions overheating while towing 2011 model year Chevrolet Cruze vehicles, equipped with a 6-speed automatic transmission, with all four wheels on the ground (dinghy towing). In a few cases, this had led to damage to internal transmission components, and required replacement of the transmission. General Motors requires that if you tow your vehicle, you tow it with the rear wheels on the ground and the front wheels up on a device know as a dolly, following the instructions provided by the dolly manufacturer. Enclosed is a revised page to update your Cruze Owner Manual which contains revised instructions regarding towing your Cruze. Please take a moment to insert this supplement into Section 10 of your Owner Manual for future reference. If you have any questions or concerns, please contact the Chevrolet Customer Assistance Center at 1-800-222-1020 (TTY 1-800-833-2438) We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause. Jim Moloney General Director-Customer & Relationship Services The back of the letter has a the insert for the manual that shows the Dingy Towing as being forbidden for Automatic Transmission, but allowable for manual transmission. So it will be interesting to see how this will be resolved. I am going to be calling GM tomorrow to discuss the return of this car, because this is not just an inconvenience for us, it is a $23,000 mistake.