General Motors recently ordered dealerships to stop selling Chevrolet Cruze sedans in model years 2013 and 2014 until a problem in the driver’s side air bag can be fixed, according to a recent article in the New York Times.
The call to halt sales was issued after a defect in the driver’s side air bag inflator was discovered, according to the automaker. About 33,000 vehicles may be affected by the problem, which both GM and its supplier are working to fix.
The supplier, Takata, is a Japanese company that is already under scrutiny for having supplied defective air bag parts to other automakers, including Ford, Chrysler, Honda, Toyota, Nissan, Mazda and BMW. The propellant the supplier used in the air bag assemblies in some vehicles may explode under certain conditions, causing serious harm to those in the vehicle or depriving them of the protection of an air bag when they need it most in a car accident.
Cruze Air Bags Have ‘Mechanical’ Issue
The Chevrolet Cruze’s problem is not related to the potentially exploding propellant, a GM spokesperson said. Rather, the air bag assemblies in the affected Cruze vehicles do not contain the right parts. GM described the Cruze’s problem as a “mechanical” issue, but did not elaborate on how this mechanical issue might affect the performance of the air bag.
The Chevrolet Cruze is currently GM’s best-selling passenger car. Sales of the Cruze are up 41 percent from 2013, with over 32,000 Cruze vehicles sold this year alone, according to the company.
Although dealers have been ordered to stop selling the vehicles until the air bag problem can be fixed, the vehicles remain on dealership lots. The company is still determining whether a recall will be necessary to fix Cruze vehicles that have already been sold but that may contain the defective part, according to GM.
Air Bag Issue Adds to GM’s Recall Woes
The Cruze problem appears at a time when GM is already under scrutiny for vehicle defects and failure to issue recalls.
In May, the company agreed to pay up to $35 million in fines for failing to promptly recall millions of its small cars for a problem in the ignition that could result in the engine shutting off, the air bags failing to inflate and other problems. Recently, a second ignition problem in the same vehicles was discovered, in which the ignition key may be removed when the vehicle is not in park or when the engine is running. This second problem affects about 2.1 million vehicles, according to the New York Times.
Auto Defects Can Cause Serious Injuries in Crashes
Vehicle defects pose one of the most concerning risks in vehicle safety. Many defects are hidden within the vehicle’s parts or even in the materials used to make the parts, making the defect invisible to the driver until something goes wrong. Many motorists who suffer serious injury as the result of a defect do not even realize the defect exists until it is too late.
Auto manufacturers and the companies that supply components such as air bags to automakers may be held liable for defectively designed and manufactured parts in a product liability lawsuit. If you have been injured in a car accident that you believe was caused by an automotive defect – or if you believe a defect made your injuries worse than they otherwise would have been – it is crucial to seek help from a lawyer who has experience with these kinds of claims.
General Motors recently ordered dealerships to stop selling Chevrolet Cruze sedans in model years 2013 and 2014 until a problem in the driver’s side air bag can be fixed, according to a recent article in the New York Times.
The call to halt sales was issued after a defect in the driver’s side air bag inflator was discovered, according to the automaker. About 33,000 vehicles may be affected by the problem, which both GM and its supplier are working to fix.
The supplier, Takata, is a Japanese company that is already under scrutiny for having supplied defective air bag parts to other automakers, including Ford, Chrysler, Honda, Toyota, Nissan, Mazda and BMW. The propellant the supplier used in the air bag assemblies in some vehicles may explode under certain conditions, causing serious harm to those in the vehicle or depriving them of the protection of an air bag when they need it most in a car accident.
Cruze Air Bags Have ‘Mechanical’ Issue
The Chevrolet Cruze’s problem is not related to the potentially exploding propellant, a GM spokesperson said. Rather, the air bag assemblies in the affected Cruze vehicles do not contain the right parts. GM described the Cruze’s problem as a “mechanical” issue, but did not elaborate on how this mechanical issue might affect the performance of the air bag.
The Chevrolet Cruze is currently GM’s best-selling passenger car. Sales of the Cruze are up 41 percent from 2013, with over 32,000 Cruze vehicles sold this year alone, according to the company.
Although dealers have been ordered to stop selling the vehicles until the air bag problem can be fixed, the vehicles remain on dealership lots. The company is still determining whether a recall will be necessary to fix Cruze vehicles that have already been sold but that may contain the defective part, according to GM.
Air Bag Issue Adds to GM’s Recall Woes
The Cruze problem appears at a time when GM is already under scrutiny for vehicle defects and failure to issue recalls.
In May, the company agreed to pay up to $35 million in fines for failing to promptly recall millions of its small cars for a problem in the ignition that could result in the engine shutting off, the air bags failing to inflate and other problems. Recently, a second ignition problem in the same vehicles was discovered, in which the ignition key may be removed when the vehicle is not in park or when the engine is running. This second problem affects about 2.1 million vehicles, according to the New York Times.
Auto Defects Can Cause Serious Injuries in Crashes
Vehicle defects pose one of the most concerning risks in vehicle safety. Many defects are hidden within the vehicle’s parts or even in the materials used to make the parts, making the defect invisible to the driver until something goes wrong. Many motorists who suffer serious injury as the result of a defect do not even realize the defect exists until it is too late.
Auto manufacturers and the companies that supply components such as air bags to automakers may be held liable for defectively designed and manufactured parts in a product liability lawsuit. If you have been injured in a car accident that you believe was caused by an automotive defect – or if you believe a defect made your injuries worse than they otherwise would have been – it is crucial to seek help from a lawyer who has experience with these kinds of claims.