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WASHINGTON , District of Columbia - General Motors has told its dealers to stop selling about 33 000 new and used Chevrolet Cruze sedans from model years 2013/14 due to a potential problem with air bags supplied by Japan's Takata.
The bags, apparently liable to explosive rupture that could propel dangerous debris inside a car, have triggered the recall of millions of vehicles worldwide, many of them Toyotas.
In South Africa, Honda and Toyota have issued vehicle recalls. General Motors, however, is not affected here.
GLOBAL IMPACT
GM US spokesman Jim Cain said the automaker had notified US and Canadian automakers to halt Cruze deliveries "until further notice" though sales of unaffected vehicles were set to resume by the end of the week (June 27 2014).
Cain said: "Certain vehicles may be equipped with a suspect driver's air bag inflator module that may have been assembled with an incorrect part."
GM was "working diligently with the supplier of the defective part" to identify affected vehicles.
The decision is more bad news for Takata and could negatively affect Chevrolet.
HUGE RECALL
Japanese automakers on Monday (June 23) recalled nearly three-million vehicles worldwide because of an airbag defect that could pose a fire risk. Honda, Mazda and Nissan were affected.
Takata said its US subsidiary assembled the defective bags and so apologised for the problem and vowied to prevent a recurrence.
Honda's recall involves 13 vehicle models in Japan, among them the Fit (Jazz in South Africa) and Accord.
Front passenger bag inflators could have been assembled with an improperly manufactured propellant component that, Japan's third-largest automaker said, could cause the container of the inflator to rupture in the event of a crash, posing a fire risk or injuring passengers.
Automakers that have issued recalls:
Toyota recall: Over 4000 SA Corollas affected
'Exploding' air bags: Honda SA issues recall
'Exploding' airbags: Nissan Mazda issue recalls
'Exploding' airbags: 2-million Hondas recalled
