Issues
GM ignition-switch flaw reported to U.S. 7 years ago – 2/21/14
An ignition-switch problem that prompted General Motors Co. to recall almost 800,000 cars last week was identified in a 2007 report to U.S. regulators who then stopped short of ordering a defect investigation.
GM, the largest U.S. automaker, said six crash deaths may have resulted from faulty switches causing engines and air bags to turn off.
“Any crashes, deaths or injuries that occurred after 2007 shouldn’t have happened,” said Clarence Ditlow, executive director of the Center for Auto Safety, a Washington-based advocacy group. “The agency shares as much blame as GM.”
G.M. Recalls Some Cars, but Not All, With Ignition Switch Problem – 2/20/14
General Motors in 2006 sent dealers a technical service bulletin warning that because of an ignition problem, a heavy key chain hanging from the ignition could turn off the engine on six models. But only two of those models were covered in last week’s recall of 778,000 vehicles in the United States and Canada for the problem that the automaker now says could keep air bags from deploying in a crash.
7 Years Before Recall, Crash Investigator Raised Concern Over Switched-Off G.M. Air Bags – 2/21/14
In 2007, about seven years before General Motors’ recent recall of 778,000 small cars because a jolt or a heavy key ring could turn off the engine and disable the air bags, an investigator for the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration raised the possibility of such danger after researching a crash that had killed two teenagers.
The investigator also noted the existence of a 2005 technical service bulletin – which was updated in 2006 – in which G.M. warned dealers that it was possible the engine could be accidentally turned off because of a problem with the ignition.
Lawsuit: GM knew of Cobalt ignition problem
Ignition switch problem can shut off engine while driving, and it can cut off the driver’s power steering and brakes, as well as safety systems such as airbags and anti-lock brakes
General Motors Recalls 778,000 Small Cars for Ignition Switch Problem
General Motors is recalling about 619,000 small cars in the United States because either a heavy key ring or a “jarring event” such as running off the road could cause the ignition to shut off and possibly prevent the air bags from deploying in a crash, the automaker said in a report posted today on the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s website. The vehicles affected by the recall are the 2007 Pontiac G5 and the 2005-7 Chevrolet Cobalt.