GM Issues Chevy Cruze Stop-Sale Over Defective Airbag Units
Airbag supplier Takata’s woes continue as General Motors has issued a stop-sale of 33,000 2013 and 2014 Chevrolet Cruzes equipped with the supplier’s airbag units.
Automotive News reports the driver’s side inflator module “may have been assembled with an incorrect part,” according to a notice sent out by GM to Canadian and U.S. dealerships. Unlike the Takata inflators recently recalled by Honda, Toyota et al, the Cruze’s units may fail to inflate the airbag in a crash. Those affected are either in the showroom or already in customer possession.
The stop-sale comes at an inopportune time for dealers as the end-of-the-month sales push kicks into high gear, especially since the Cruze is GM’s best-selling car. Cumulative 2014 sales of the compact total 119,330 through May, and are currently backed by $2,500 in incentives through July 30. Meanwhile, dealers are in pursuit of big wins this quarter under the automaker’s Standards of Excellence program, where small dealerships can receive a $10,000 bonus and $150,000 for the biggest stores.
The stop-sale order may be just the beginning: National Highway Traffic Safety Administration spokesman Jim Cain says GM will file an official recall notice with the agency “soon,” piling onto the 44 recalls already affecting a total of 20 million units globally since the start of this year.
Seattle-based writer, blogger, and photographer for many a publication. Born in Louisville. Raised in Kansas. Where I lay my head is home.
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What happened to impeccable Japanese 'quality?'
GM just hates airbag deployment.
This is an aberration. Normally, GM blows.
This is what happens when you specialize from auto making to auto assembling. Most of the components are made by somebody else, but the assembler company gets all the blame.