General Motors announced today that it will be recalling its best-selling Chevrolet Cruze model for an issue related to the steering column, which may have been installed incorrectly.
The notice does not cover every Cruze manufactured and sold in the U.S., but rather all of the models shipped from the Lordstown, Ohio, manufacturing plant, some 154,000 vehicles. The automaker became aware of an issue where the steering column may have been improperly fitted to the car in some cases. In addition, dealers will also check for a problem with the shift linkage on automatic versions of the Cruze.
"We think very few vehicles in the population have either issue, but we chose to conduct these inspections to give customers additional peace of mind about the quality of the Cruze," said GM’s vice president of global quality Terry Woychowski. "I conducted a quality inspection of the Lordstown plant this week and I am confident we have made the necessary process changes so neither of these conditions happens again."
GM has invested a lot into the Cruze, which is seen by many analysts as the most significant model for the company since it emerged from bankruptcy. Compact and fuel-efficient, the car has been a hit thus far, and was the second-best seller for the company throughout April behind the Chevrolet Silverado.
New models tend to carry inflated price tags, so drivers may want to wait until the used Chevrolet Cruzes begin hitting New Jersey State Auto Auction, where they can find great savings.