The 2011 Chevy Cruze Eco Image: © GM Corp.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is investigating two separate vehicles with one common (potential) fault: the risk of spontaneous engine fires. First, the agency is looking into the 2011 Chevrolet Cruze, as two owners have suffered total-loss fires of unknown origin. At least one of the fires occurred in a Cruze Eco model, which reportedly tripped a dashboard warning light only after the car was already on fire.
While both Cruze models were a total loss, neither incident resulted in accident or injury to passengers. In addition to cooperating with the NHTSA investigation, GM is launching its own research into Cruze vehicle fires.
The NHTSA is also looking into engine fires in 2010 model year Jeep Wranglers, as some eight incidents have been reported, seven while the vehicle was being driven. As Left Lane News points out, the latest investigation is separate from an earlier NHTSA investigation into a fire risk in 2006-10 Wrangler models.
It’s probably worth pointing out that no vehicle on the planet is as frequently customized by owners as the Jeep Wrangler, and it’s not yet known if modifications may have played a role in the fires.
Should the NHTSA find a safety defect in either vehicle, a recall will likely follow.
Kurt Ernst has been passionate about automobiles and driving nearly his entire life. His early years were shaped working in the family service station, though his real passion was auto racing. After graduating from the University of Colorado, Kurt spent a year club racing with the Sports Car Club of America, before focusing on a business career in marketing and project management. Later, his passion for writing and the automotive hobby found him freelancing for a variety of automotive news sites, including Automotive Addicts and Motor Authority, where his work was syndicated and appeared in several national publications. Recognized as an expert in the automotive field, Kurt joined Hemmings Motor News as an Associate Editor in 2013, and in the years since has progressed to Editor, Hemmings Daily; Managing Editor for Hemmings Motor News, Hemmings Classic Car, Hemmings Muscle Machines, and the Hemmings Daily; and now, Managing Editor, Hemmings Auctions. Kurt was instrumental in organizing the Hemmings Motor News Concours d’Elegance from 2013-2019, and has served as a judge at this event and The Vintage Racing Stable Concours d’Elegance. A Skip Barber Racing School graduate and prolific writer, Ernst is also skilled in copyediting, project management, brand development, and public relations.
