GM recalls Chevy Cruze for axle problem

GM has explained Thursday's mysterious notice to dealers to stop delivering Chevrolet Cruze compacts with 1.4-liter turbo engines: GM has recalled those Cruze models for a potentially defective right front axle shaft that "can fracture and separate without warning" while underway.

GM said its warranty data shows at least several dozen vehicles have had the problem, but it is not aware of any related crashes or injuries.

The company says that if the half-shaft breaks while driving, brakes and steering would continue to function but the car would lose power to the wheels without warning and coast to a stop.

The recall covers about 172,000 Cruze 1.4 turbo sedans from the 2013 and 2014 model year.

It includes the 3,031 Cruze with the 1.4 engine and manual transmissions from the 2013 and 2014 model year that were recalled in September for the same problem, which was blamed then on the supplier. Their replacement shafts will be repaired again.

When GM issued the stop order on Thursday, it did not give more details and left dealers scrambling for answers for Cruze buyers who want to know why the can't get their cars immediately.

The delivery halt means dealers can sell the cars, but can't hand them over to buyers until the recall issue is fixed.

In addition to the Cruze recall, GM also recalled in the past few days about 172,000 of its newest pickup trucks and SUVs for a loose oil line that could be a fire hazard and added 907,700 vehicles to its recall for defective ignition switches.

The latest recalls come as GM CEO Mary Barra is scheduled to testify before Congressional committees on Tuesday and Wednesday to explain GM's actions in its expanded switch recall of 2.53 million vehicles.

In those cars, faulty ignition switches can shut off the engine and disable the airbags. GM says it knows of 31 accidents and 12 deaths linked to the switches.

The cars recalled for the switch are the 2005-10 Chevrolet Cobalt, 2007-10 Pontiac G5, 2003-10 Saturn Ion, 2006-11 Chevrolet HHR, 2006-10 Pontiac Solstice and 2007-10 Saturn Sky.

GM says its engineers say the cars are safe to drive if drivers use only the ignition key with nothing attached, not even the key fob.