A few days ago GM Authority told you about the stop-sale hold for 2013-14 Cruze models due to a possible issue with an airbag module. Now we have word that General Motors has lifted the hold and has initiated a recall of the 33,000 2013-14 Cruze sedans, mostly in the U.S.
The hold and subsequent recall was prompted by a lawsuit from a Georgia woman who was blinded in one eye in an October 2013 accident where the airbag exploded with too much force. The airbag manufacturer, Takata Corporation, has been dogged with airbag recalls that number over 10 million. The woman claims in her lawsuit that her driver-side airbag was “defective and unreasonably dangerous,” according to Automotive News.
Documents filed yesterday with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) show General Motors inspected a Cruze that reportedly had an “improperly deflated air bag” and briefed NHTSA officialls several times through June. It is assumed the car was involved in the Georgia case but it hasn’t been publicly confirmed by GM.
NHTSA says it was aware of GM’s recall to replace driver-side airbags in order to correct Takata inflators made with an incorrect part, “which can result in the inflator rupturing during deployment and can lead to metal fragments striking occupants and no inflation of the airbag.”
However, General Motors has said in the NHTSA filing that it was recalling certain 2013-14 Cruze sedans because the airbags could fail to inflate or the inflators could rupture during deployment. Takata has analyzed the inflators and indicated it found the cause of the problem a week ago. The issue is not related to other Takata recalls, which have affected mainly Japanese brands.
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