Yesterday we reported that General Motors issued a stop-sale on 2013 and 2014 model-year Chevrolet Cruze sedans equipped with the 1.4L Ecotec turbo engine. Oddly, the company didn’t tell dealers what was wrong at the time, but details have finally surfaced. And it’s not just a stop-sale, but a recall, too.
The Problem: The issue stems from “an interconnecting bar on the half shaft on some Cruzes “may not meet GM specification and could fracture and separate,” according to GM. If that happens while driving, the vehicle would lose power to the wheels and coast to a stop — but steering and braking control can still be maintained.
Additionally, a vehicle with a broken connecting bar could move unexpectedly when parked on an incline without the parking brake applied, resulting in a possible crash or pedestrian injuries. GM said it doesn’t know of any crashes or injuries related to the problem.
Number of affected vehicles:Â 172,000
The Solution: Dealers will need to replace a right front axle half shaft. At this time, we’re not sure when GM will be informing customers.
Comments
Here is the rest of the story.
We had heard previously from GM that it had issued a stop-sale on Chevy Cruze models equipped with the 1.4-liter turbocharged engine, and now there’s an apparent recall to match that stop-sale against. A total of 172,000 cars from the 2013 and 2014 model years will be recalled to replace half shafts that could fracture while driving. Several dozen shafts have separated, according to GM, but there have been no crashes or injuries associated with those failures. The stop-sale has since been lifted, meaning compact car shoppers can add the Cruze back to their potential test-drive lists, should they so desire. Of those Cruze models covered under this new safety campaign, some 2,500 examples are actually re-recalled models, that is, vehicles that were previously recalled and repaired with suspect halfshafts.
The new recalls are being seen by some as GM working to clear its slate of recall-related items ahead of next week’s government hearings on the automaker’s massive ignition-switch issue. GM spokesman , “As Mary Barra said, customers are our compass and we have redoubled our efforts to ensure their confidence and peace of mind.”
GM right now is being very proactive in all phases of any issues to try to turn the flow of negative publicity and in dealing with the Government. Their tact is to not do like Toyota in telling the public noting is wrong as this lead to a lot of bad publicity and a larger fine or the negative publicity when Jeep argued with the government about their fuel tanks a couple months ago.
GM has some work to do and it will take some time but they will get this worked out. The thing that it will leave is a better system in dealing with issues that they needed and just had not yet fixed along with other issues they still need to fix.
I think this stop sale thing got kind of ahead of itself and GM put the call out before the other half got the info to the dealers. Another thing they need to work on.
I need answers on the recall of the Chevy Cruze 1.4 turbo right front axle shift but can’t seem to be getting any from Chevrolet. What is taking Chevrolet so long in getting these new parts to the Dealers Service Departments? Our Cruse has been sitting at the dealer for a month and a half with a broken right axle shift and the Service Manager has no ETA. So annoyed at GM at this point. Can or does anyone care anymore to help get this matter resolved or at least get me the answers?
Recall for the front axle half shaft. They said I have to wait
a month to have fixed this problem. Right now, when I writing this, I have already
7 weeks.
Recall for the front axle half shaft. They said I have to wait
a month to have fixed this problem. Right now, when I writing this, I have already
7 weeks. And this after another problems with this car.
This is unbelievable!!
Have to agree with you Scott; several dozen occurrence equates to less than 1/10 of 1% of the cars. But again this will get tons of press.
GM no doubt wanted to make sure they had a handle on it so they issued a stop sale; but have lifted it since it is not a safety item.
say again?
http://www.nytimes.com/2014/03/30/business/total-of-gm-vehicle-recalls-in-2014-hits-4-8-million.html?hp&_r=0
Not a big deal. Half shafts fail on cars all the time. Rarely does it result in anything but inconvenience and a repair bill if you are out warranty.
Yes a pain but nothing to panic about.
We just need to get used to the media reporting anything GM does for a while as they will be in reporting mode on anything negative from GM. This is common when ever any MFG has issues. They did it with Toyota last year too.
My Dad had a 1968 Austin America that broke the left half shaft at the wheel CV joint. It continued to run but it was very noisy as the joint balls were out of the cage and the shaft rattled around inside it. There were no news about this ever, and the warranty didn’t cover it. It was our first front-wheel drive vehicle and we were quite scared!
Oh I have see it all.
Ball joints on the older Crown Vic’s and many imported cars that did not have grease fittings but were not sealed well break and drop the wheel out. Axles that broke or lost the C clip and come out. Busted CV joints. In fact my buddy just lost one in a massive explosion as he hammered his Fiero too hard with a custom built 3800 Supercharged engine in the car. He was lucky as the tranny did not go with it.
In my past job wrenching on cars I drove in the pretty crippled cars and made it. It was like coming back from a Bombing run in a B17 that had taken some heavy hits.
One Ford was stuck in Reverse and I had to back it up about a mile to get it to where we could fix it. We just went in early when there was no traffic and just backed it to the shop. A cop even stopped buy and ran blocker for us.
What was bad on some early Austins were the engine oil pan was also the transmission. You lose one you los the other. The first time I saw that I though neat idea to save space but not good if it fails.
What about the Sonic and Encore with the same 1.4 engine?
Different platform, so they probably use different half shafts.
They had a recall earlier for the Cruze with the 1.4L engine and manual transmission for this same reason. I guess they found out the issue plagues more than the manual equipped Cruzes. My 2013 Cruze was included in the earlier recall, the only inconvenience was having to drive to the nearest Chevy dealership (100 miles away) and wait for about 4 to 5 hours for the technician to replace the half shaft.. I took a vacation day, so I got paid to sit around waiting for my car to get fixed.. win win for me, free repair and paid to do nothing but sit on my butt.
I have cruze 2009 and I had the same problem 3 times, 1st time I was driving at 80km with my family in the car but thank God I managed to park on the side, no one know when it will happen again and Wendy it will cause, I called the dealer I bought the car from telling him about this problem he booked me for tomorrow for a (routine service) but after I knew last night that they are calling cruze back I should do something about it.
I don’t know seen this other problem or it’s only in my car, every time I do a turn our drive over anything not leveled with the street the stability light with the ABS lights goes on and stay on till I restart the car.
Never buy a Cruz.
I have a 2012. A very good car, excellent gas mileage, very comfy and quiet. No problems whatsoever except that it is an LT2 with a very wide tire package. Poor traction in snow. I know several people who own them in different model years. None of them have had any issues. I tested a Toyota and a Honda before buying the Cruze. It is superior in every way on the road to both of them.
What is even more frustrating is the Service Department at Chevy dealers don’t have an ETA on the Right Front Axle Replacement and the owner of the car with the broken part can’t find any answers from any GM EXECS as to what the hold up is and why. Our Cruz has been at a dealer in Christiansburg,Va. for the last 6 weeks and they said they were told to tell the customer it could be 3 weeks to 3 months before this part is delivered to them. This is very very disappointing news especially to a life long supporter of GM Products.
One month ago I took my Cruze to the dealer because of the recall with the axel. For 1 month I don’t have my car, but I still have to make my car payments. For 1 month I don’t have OnStar available be cause I’m driving a rental. I still have to pay OnStar because its a contract. We have just moved to Phoenix to live and trying to get around without OnStar is very difficult when you are used to having that help. I have had the GM/OnStar combo for about 5 years, but right now I am not a very “happy camper. It seems to me that GM should have OnStar available to OnStar subscribers . Two weeks ago we got lost in the Arizona desert and I pushed the OnStar button to ask for directions and was told that they couldn’t help because the car didn’t that capability. WHY NOT?????????
Jim Shanklin
16611 N. 1st Ave.
Phoenix Az 85023-7400
[email protected]
863-464-0503
As as GM dealership employee, I can understand your frustration. But when a dealership gets you a rental for when a car is in for warranty work, GM pays the bill but can’t guarantee you will get a GM vehicle as a rental. Many times the rental is whatever is available from the rental dealership which means it could be a non-GM brand. If you happen to get a GM rental, GM won’t hook up the Onstar each time a different customer happens to get that car as a rental.
As someone who deals with Onstar for our dealership, if you go to your dealership where your car is being worked on, they should have an Onstar regional manager who would likely consider authorizing either a refund for the time you are without your car or extend your contract for that time allotment at the end of your contract for free. I can’t guarantee they will, but if they want a continued Onstar customer, they will likely arrange something for you to make up for your lost time.
I know that doesn’t help with getting lost right now in a new city, but most of us also carry smartphones which have navigation programs also (google maps, etc).
So this recall goes for every cruze with the turbo engine? I thought the first recalls was for the manual transmission equipped cars? Does this recall also affect the automatic transmission cruzes’?
The recall is for all cruzes with the 1.4l engine. I had the right half shaft replaced on my manual 1.4l Cruze with the previous recall, and now I have to take it back in to get that shaft replaced with a new one that this current recall requires. From what I was told by my dealership, was the transmission fluid/oil is on back order, and that is whats taking so long to get the work done.
I have been without my Cruze for a month and have been driving a rental. I share many of the same frustrations mentioned above by Cruze owners. I’ve called several Chevy dealerships in town, and it looks really bad on the dealership when even they do not know when the part will be available. I understand GM pays for the rental, but I purchased a Cruze and not a Dodge Avenger, which doesn’t even compare to what I get from my Cruze. I’m paying on a car I’m not driving and insurance to keep the note with the bank, yet I’m stuck with a mediocre rental. This would not be a huge issue except when I took my car in for a routine oil change, I was notified my car would be fixed due to the recall within two to three days. A month later, I’m still without my car with no end in sight. I think it’s slightly pathetic GM recalled the Cruzes but did not have a part ready or even remotely ready. I feel like once they made the recall, the replacement part should have been top priority. I’m grateful for the free rental, but I just want my Cruze back, and I do not like not having a definitive answer on when my car will be returned. It is pretty sad if you ask me. I also have not been able to find any answers or updates online about this recall, which further implies to me it is no closer to being solved than it was the first day I took my car in for an oil change and left without it.
I have a 2013 Chevy Cruze and was driving to work one day when the axle broke in the middle of a very busy intersection. I had to push the car (by myself) to the side of the road. I’ts been at the dealership for 3 weeks. I’m extremely displeased because this was the first NEW car I had purchased in 18 years, and I can’t even drive it. I’ve been a loyal GM owner (used) my entire life, and have called GM to express how unhappy I am, but they did nothing. They said I could write a letter to Detroit. Meanwhile I’m making car payments and not driving my car. I’ve never received any notification of this recall. I’m upset because I put my kids in the car and wasn’t notified of the defect. What if I had my two kids (one autistic) in the back seat when I broke down in the middle of a intersection? They would have freaked out! Doesn’t GM care about safety?
If Chevy doesn’t care about safety they wouldn’t issue a recall… I understand that not being able to use your car is a great inconvenience, but this is a costly repair that they are taking care of.. did they give you a rental car for the time that your car is at the dealership? You own one of the thousands of cars that are affected by this recall, and it takes time to manufacture the replacement parts and fluids needed for the repair on all of the cars affected by the recall. We all need to be patient, and understand that if General Motors didn’t give a damn, they wouldn’t be paying for this fix, or any other recall that they have going on now, in the past, and in the future.
So why have I not been NOTIFIED of this recall? I’ve never received a letter or email from GM. I would think that if they were concerned about safety, the would have told me I was driving a defective car.
My dealership notified me quite a while before I received anything from GM. I also got a notification from OnStar.
Today, I receive my safety recall notice in the mail in regard to my 2013 Chevy Cruze. I was proactive in April and took the car to the dealership when I heard of this possible recall. Mine was on the list, but I was told it was safe to drive until parts become available. One week later the right front axle half shaft broke putting my life in danger.
The recall letter states, “….while driving the vehicle, the steering and braking control would be maintained.” This is NOT true. My brakes did not work at all when this happened and I had to use the emergency brake to get the car stopped. The letter goes onto say, “Parts are not currently available.” So how many Cruze’s are out there on the high way unsafe? If you own a Chevy Cruze, get it to the garage immediately and don’t wait. If you are on the recall list demand they provide you a rental car. These cars are not safe to drive as my Cruze is proof. Feel free to repost this status to make folks aware of what is really taking place.
When they get your car in please let us know how a broken drive shaft could affect your brakes as they have nothing to do with each other and the brakes are controlled via brake lines and not by a drive shaft. Not saying your brakes didn’t fail, just wondering how a drive shaft could affect braking.
dpach-the car has been sitting at the dealership for 6 weeks. I can tell you there were no brakes. Perhaps the brake lines were cut when the shaft broke.
RHO–when your driving in traffic and are about to enter the freeway and your car stops moving I would consider it dangerous.
Now you are being a drama queen. I agree that there is no excuse for such a long wait for parts, but CV joint/driveshafts fail on FWD cars all the time. Your car can run out of gas, the fuel pump can quit suddenly, there are all kinds of ways your car can quit running suddenly. There is no way that vehicles can be made 100% reliable and free of sudden breakdown. That is just reality. I got a recall on my Cruze this week for the booster switch. It is extremely unlikely that there is anything even wrong with the one on my car. Out of hundreds of thousand of cars, there have been a handful of failures. You really have to keep it in perspective. I think you are sensing a windfall over this and over dramatizing the situation.
Cars break driveshafts every day. It is almost unheard of for it to be a crisis or dangerous.
Glad I seen these Google & Bing info updates. My dealer (Graff Davison) told me it was only 2014 manual trans turbos. After seeing all the comments certainly appreciate as I was going buy mine Saturday.
Sent my salesman WTF notice
Tony
My understanding GM now is recalling all 2014 CRUZE models both automatic and manual transmission. Confusion seems to be big problem as GM Dealers are not aware the automatic transmission version also is now on recall.
Can anyone confirm recall applies to ALL 2014CRUZE models with turbo engines??? I was going to purchase a automatic turbo but, now can’t get straight answer.
Yes this does apply to all 1.4L equipped Cruzes, and superceeds the manual equipped Cruzes with a 1.4L recall. I had my half shaft replaced in the first recall, and they had to replace that one with a different half shaft that complys with specifications for the current recall. Any new car the GM dealership sells has to have everything replaced that a recall requires. So if you do get a new Cruze it will have the right (recall approved) parts already installed.
I own a 2013 Chevy Cruze 1.4L turbo. I am just NOW learning of this recall due to a consumer legal services letter. I am appalled that no one at the dealership or GM has contacted me before hand. I have young children, (I bought the car when my daughter was 3 months old). I commute for work, i commute for sports activities. I am always in my car. I have had some problems with it, i currently have popping sensations coming from the floor board and the service department at Chevy can not duplicate it nor fix it. As far as the surging goes they cant duplicate that either! It is still under warranty and you better believe that this car will be back into Chevy and Chevy will be placing my family in a safer vehicle. This is outrageous!! How can you not let people know what the heck is going on with they have children involved. Disgusted.
Has anyone had any problems with the 1.4 liter turbo motor having bad piston and rings right around the 85,000 to 95,000 miles. It seams for some reason my Cruze has developed a blow by which should never happen at this time on any motor !
If anyone else has had similar problems please let me know, would greatly appreciate it.
We have a 2014 cruze with only 47000 klms and it has only 30 lbs compression on one cyl and skips on that cylinder.
any one have this problem.
A elderly lady had it on rental and now my sr. wife drives it.
I put sea foam and atf fluid in it and have driven it myself incase of carbon ,but no change.
The mechanic says the camera in plug hole shows the piston and cyl walls like new.
Guess it must be a valve.
Have to decide this week to have engine torn down or replaced.
Any comments?
I have a 2014 Cruze Lt with 1.4 liter turbo with 52000 miles still under warranty I have had to have the dealer replace the turbo twice in a year and know it is bad again I want a new and better car now also replaced engine oil cooler which was $600 cause dealer said warranty would not cover it because it’s an accessory which it is not it is part of the engine it cools the oil I bought an extended warranty even I am so tired of this piece of junk car
Well,I’m checking this to see if it could possibly have anything to do with the turbo unit.we have a 2014.Idid like the car but she’s making it awful hard.the entire turbo unit blew,having problems with the electrical system.had to replace the whole water line, container 2 weeks after we had it.At this point im thinking I should just trade it in and call it a day.
I bought the car for my grandson . it ran go for about 2weeks then it start to get hot boling the water & blowing the holes on the car where it was build up pressure it just had 135000 miles on it Iput mew hloes & averything I could think of IT been set for about9 month now WE DON’T WHAT DO WITH THE CAR DON’T HAVE THE MONEY TO FIX IT WE GOT ABOUT 5000.OO INIT NOW HE VERY UPSET ABOUT