Owners of other General Motors vehicles from Chevrolet, Buick, GMC, Cadillac and Holden such as the Sonic, Spark, Malibu, Impala, Volt, Bolt, Camaro, Corvette, Trax, Equinox, Blazer, Suburban, Tahoe, Traverse, Colorado, Silverado, Express, TrailBlazer, Encore, Regal TourX, Envision, Enclave, LaCrosse, Cascada, Sierra, Canyon, Acadia, Terrain, Yukon, Savana, XT4, XT5, XT6, Escalade, CT5, CTS-V, XTS, CT6, ATS, Astra and Commodore may also find these DIY instructions to be helpful.

The OEM (original equipment manufacturer) mass air flow sensor in this 2018 Cruze LT was marked as genuine General Motors part number ACDelco 55498433. (It is also known as part number GM 55498433 or Bosch 0280218471.)

The compatible replacement MAF sensor for the earlier 2016 and 2017 model years is part number ACDelco 12671625.

If your Cruze has the Ecotec 1.6L diesel engine, the compatible sensor part number is ACDelco 12671624.

The tools needed to remove and replace the sensor include a Torx T30 star bit screwdriver to remove the engine cover and a Torx T25 screwdriver to remove the two screws that secure the sensor to the engine air filter housing.

The first two steps are to open the hood and then move to the left (passenger) side of the engine bay.

The MAF sensor is attached to the right side of the engine air filter housing in between the rubber hose that leads to the turbocharger and the top half of the air box. The sensor is also situated near the oil fill cap.

Push down the black plastic release tab on the electrical connector before pulling the power plug straight off the old sensor.

I later realized that in order to remove the second screw located further down on the sensor, you'll first have to remove the plastic engine cover.

You can choose to first remove the engine cover, or follow the steps as I've shown in the pictures.

To remove the engine cover, loosen the large bolt located at the front right (driver) side corner of the cover.

The bolt is situated below the "T" and "E" in "ECOTEC" and located closer to the front of the car.

Set the bolt aside in a safe place.

Remove the oil filler cap by twisting it off in the counterclockwise direction.

Set the cap aside in a safe place.

To help prevent from having foreign objects or debris fall down into the engine, replace the oil fill cap by twisting it on in the clockwise direction until it is snug.

Now that the engine cover has been removed, you'll have easy access to both of the screws on the outer edge of the old MAF sensor.

Spin out the two screws the last few turns by hand to help prevent them from falling down into the engine bay and becoming lost.

Set the two screws aside in a safe place.

Carefully slide the old sensor straight out of the port in the air intake assembly.

Some of the symptoms of a dirty, failing or faulty MAF sensor include hard starting, rough idling, hesitating, surging, poor acceleration, hiccupping, low fuel economy (less MPG), stalling, loss of power and misfiring. You might also see a CEL / SES (check engine light / service engine soon warning) on the gauge cluster. If you have an OBDII scanner (or OBD2 scan tool) it might reveal a MAF sensor related DTC (diagnostic trouble code) such as P0100, P0101, P0102, P0103 or P0104.

If you would like to try cleaning your old sensor before purchasing a new one, use CRC Mass Air Flow Sensor Cleaner spray.

Carefully spray the exposed sensor wire with the spray and allow it to air dry.

Do NOT use compressed air or forcefully wipe the sensor wire with a towel to dry it.

Carefully slide the new sensor straight into the port on the engine air filter housing.

Spin in the two screws a few turns by hand in the clockwise direction to make sure they don't fall down and become lost in the engine bay.

Tighten the two screws in the clockwise direction with the Torx T25 screwdriver until they are snug.

Push the electrical connector straight on to the new sensor with the red locking tab facing up towards you.

You should feel or hear the power plug "click" securely into place.

Slide the red lock tab in towards the sensor to secure the electrical connector in place.

Remove the oil fill cap by turning it in the counterclockwise direction.

Set the cap aside.

Push the plastic engine cover down into place.

Then replace the bolt at the front right corner of the engine cover by turning it in the clockwise direction with the Torx T-30 screwdriver until it is snug.

Be sure to write down the MAF sensor cleaning or replacement in your vehicle's service records.

For more, please check out all of my 2016-2019 GM Chevrolet Cruze DIY Repair & Maintenance Guides.