Blow up Chevies

Thinking of buying a brand new Chevy Cruze? It sounds like a good deal. A well sized car with enough room and a good price tag. Not horrible looking, either.

But wait... there might be a problem. GM is recalling around 475,000 cars because they might have the slight problem of catching on fire and exploding.

"Our engineers have found about 30 fires in total, most of them are related to oil or improper parts"

FINAL Q&A for 2011-2012 Chevrolet Cruze Underhood Fires and Potential Missing Rear
Compartment Welds Safety Recalls. (Populations: U.S. 413,148; Canada 61,299; Export
701 [Israel only])


Q1. What is the proposed fix for the underhood fires?
A1. The engine shield, also known as the belly pan, can “catch” oil or other hot fluids that might
drip from the engine. This occurs most often if an oil change is done improperly or improper
parts are used. If these fluids make contact with hot engine parts, such as a manifold or catalytic
converter, and then contact the engine shield, a fire could start and spread. Modifying the shield
will help prevent any liquids from being trapped in the engine compartment. In Cruzes with
manual transmissions, continued driving with a worn clutch may cause extremely hot or burning
hydraulic fluid to leak from the manual transmission vent.  Modifying the shield should also help
prevent the hydraulic fluid from becoming trapped in the engine compartment, where a fire could
start and spread.

Q2. How many fires have occurred?
A2. GM engineers are aware of about 30 fires – most traced to improper oil change procedures
and parts.

Q3. What about the missing welds? How did this happen?
A3. A welding process error in one body shop station created a condition in which up to 249
cars may be missing some welds in the rear of the vehicle.

Q4. So what will you do to cars found missing welds?
A4. The first step is to inspect.  Corrections will be made with mechanical fasteners (bolts and
rivets) if necessary.

Q5. What if a customer with a car missing welds doesn’t want it anymore? Will GM 
repurchase the car?
A5.  We are always happy to work with customers.  We believe the repair more than adequately
addresses the missing welds issue.

Q6. So are these Cruzes safe to drive?
A6.  The Cruze meets or exceeds all federal safety standards. We ask owners to be sure that oil
changes on the Cruze properly follow the procedure outlined in the GM Service Information (SI)
system. We are communicating with dealers, aftermarket oil change shops and certain suppliers
to urge careful following of oil change procedures.
Complete Q&A document here.