General Motors is recalling thousands of Chevy Cruze cars made at its plant in Lordstown. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration says the cars, from the 2013 and 2014 model years, were built with an incorrect baffle, which may cause the air bag inflator to rupture and injure the driver and passengers. M.L. Schultze of member station WKSU in Kent reports.
The suspension affects about 33,000 new and used models of the compact cars and was triggered by the discovery of potentially faulty airbags from Japan’s Takata Corp.
The airbags are also in Hondas, Mazdas, Toyotas and Nissans. But Jeremy Acevedo of Edmunds.com says GM has to be especially cautious because the Cruze replaced the Cobalt, which contained the ignition switch that’s been linked to at least 13 deaths.
“The Cruze is a tremendous seller for Chevy. And so it is important that everything goes smoothly with this. But amid all GM’s safety woes, this looks like a proactive approach to making sure safety that has a major place at their table.”
The sales suspension comes at a time of year when dealers need to move cars. But Acevedo says it should be over quickly and that it should not affect the long-term health of Lordstown’s production or jobs.