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How About That Crazy Cruze Steering Wheel Video?
by
Edward Niedermeyer
(IC: employee)
Published: April 12th, 2011
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As I’ve explained many times before, it can be very difficult to know when a recall is worth covering. Drawing too many conclusions from a single defect can be dangerous, as defects are a fact of any industry that balances quality and cost as closely as the auto business. But in this case, I’ve received enough emails about the video above that I’m willing to open a discussion about it here. But before you jump in, be sure to read the caveat after the jump.
Edward Niedermeyer
More by Edward Niedermeyer
Published April 12th, 2011 2:43 PM
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Having the steering wheel fall onto the lap of your wife or mother while your infant is in the back seat is a serious problem. The reason Toyota survived it's problem is because most people trust Toyota after decades of worry free driving with millions of cars. The reason Chevrolet should worry is because most people do not trust Chevrolet after decades of problem filled driving with millions of cars. This horrible issue simply reaffirms the prejudices millions have towards Chevrolets. If GM had hoped this vehicle would be cross-shopped and win over competitors - that hope is dead.
Not the first Chevy to lose a steering wheel. A friend, while in grad school, was tooling down 494 beltway around Minneapolis when the steering wheel on his Chevy Beretta came off in his hands. Car was only a couple years old at the time, he was still making payments. Too bad there was no YouTube at the time. Dealer told him this wasn't the first case he'd heard of with the Beretta/Corsica, but GM had no official position or recall of the problem. The internet sure lights a fire under OEMs to do the right thing and do it quickly.
This recall was not prompted by a quality failure of GM's production manufacturing system. GM found one loose steering wheel and traced it to an in-plant repair in which the originally installed steering wheel was replaced but the work was not done properly. The 2,000 some cars are almost certainly not all effected, but just captured by the wide net that would be used to make sure any car than had been or could have been reworked was checked. Most cars were probably still on dealers lots. GM is very, very agressive about any potential risk to safety.
The GM quality we've come to know and love is no longer the distant memory that GM wants us to believe