General Motors Co. (GM) has recalled 2013 and 2014 models of the Chevrolet Cruze with 1.4 liter engines because of an issue with the right front axle shaft.
GM said the axle shaft "can fracture and separate without warning" while being used, according to USA Today. The company added that its warranty shows over a few dozen vehicles had this issue, but it has not received any information about crashes or injuries.
GM said that if the half-shaft breaks while driving, the brakes and steering wheel would keep working but the car would lose power to the wheel without warning and moves to a slow stop.
The company said 20,000 1.4 liter gasoline-turbo vehicles, or almost one-third of Cruze inventory at dealers, will be affected by the recall, Bloomberg reported.
Almost 172,000 2013 and 2014 Cruze 1.4 turbo sedans are covered in the recall. The recall also includes 3,031 2013 and 2014 Cruze with 1.4 engine and manual transmissions that were recalled for the same problem in September. The replacement shafts in those cars will again be repaired, USA Today reported.
GM issued the order to stop selling the vehicles on Thursday, but didn't reveal any more details about the decision. Dealers will still be able to sell cars, but they can't give them to customers until the recall problem is fixed.
GM CEO Mary Barra is set to testify next week before members of the U.S. House and Senate about the company taking over 10 years to fix vehicles after receiving complaints from customers about malfunctioning ignition switches, Bloomberg reported.
"The timing of this stop-sale order might appear unfortunate given the publicity surrounding GM's ignition switch recall, but it actually illustrates a new approach by the automaker," said Karl Brauer, senior analyst at car information company Kelley Blue Book. "Rather than waiting for a full understanding and planned fix for the Cruze, GM is apparently stopping sales at the first sign of a problem to remove the potential of endangering customers."
