Category Archives: recalls

More Air Bag Recalls at 7 Makers from Takata Inflators

Seven more automakers are now affected by additional recalls of airbags made by Japanese giant supplier Takata. More could be on the way. Continue reading

Posted in litigation, recalls, safety | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

GM CEO Mary Barra, Lawyer Anton Valukas to Testify Tomorrow on Internal Report over the Ignition Switch Recall Debacle

If you thought the first round of Congressional hearings was tough on GM and its CEO Mary Barra – particularly in the Senate – wait until tomorrow when The House Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations holds a sequel called, “The GM Ignition Switch Recall: Investigation Update.” Continue reading

Posted in litigation, recalls, safety | Tagged , , , , | 3 Comments

GM to take $700 Million Charge for Q2 Safety Recalls

GM said today in an SEC filing that it expects to take a charge of up to $700 million in the second quarter for the cost of recall-related repairs announced. This amount includes a previously disclosed $400 million charge for recalls announced May 15 and May 20. Continue reading

Posted in financial results, recalls | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

More than 3 Million GM cars under latest Ignition Switch Recall

GM claimed the use of a key with a hole, rather than a slotted key, addresses the concern of key rotation due to a common road event, such as striking a pothole or crossing railroad tracks. Continue reading

Posted in litigation, recalls | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

The Worst is yet to be on GM Ignition Switch Debacle

While the GM Town Hall meeting last week and the following press conference were devastating demonstrations of the complete failure of product development, legal and management executives at GM, the worst is yet to come in the deadly GM ignition switch disaster. It truly is the “switch from hell” as the GM engineer in charge of it said. Continue reading

Posted in litigation, recalls, safety | Tagged , , | 5 Comments

Center for Auto Safety Blasts Valukas Report as Whitewash

In a completely predictable move, the Center for Auto Safety, aka CAS, has called the internal GM investigation (the Valukas Report) into defective ignition switches that are responsible for at least 13 deaths, “little more than an elaborate whitewash that buys into GM’s arguments that it was a bunch of incompetent engineers, lawyers and mid-level managers who were fired as a result.” Continue reading

Posted in litigation, recalls, safety | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

AAA Want More Federal Oversight on US Auto Safety Matters

The largest motoring organization in the US, AAA, has called for more Federal government oversight of auto safety issues, a likely outcome of the Cobalt ignition switch debacle. The organization with 54 million members said it, “believes that GM’s promise of reform should be supplemented with greater federal oversight of the recall system.” AAA added, “A systemic reluctance to raise and react to critical safety concerns at GM reflects an ingrained culture that could require years to fully eradicate.” Continue reading

Posted in litigation, recalls, safety | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Four More GM Recalls – Ignition Switch and Airbag Defects

A beleaguered General Motors is now conducting three safety recalls and one non-compliance recall on about 100,000 vehicles in the US. And – Yes – the safety defects involve ignition switch and airbag deployment defects on some of its most popular vehicles. Continue reading

Posted in litigation, recalls, safety | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

GM Probe on Deadly Cobalt Ignition Switches Clears Top Management as 15 Engineering, Legal, Policy Heads Roll

GM CEO Mary Barra said the Valukas findings were “extremely thorough, brutally tough, and deeply troubling. Overall the report found that, from start to finish, the Cobalt saga was riddled with failures which led to tragic results for many.” Continue reading

Posted in litigation, recalls, safety | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

GM Expands Shift Cable Recall from 56k to 1 Million

This latest GM recall – and by no means the last coming this year – is its another reputational hit in a safety defect / cover-up fiasco that came to light with the ignition switch recall made public in February of 2104. Thus far, GM sales have not been measurably affected. Continue reading

Posted in recalls | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

GM Recalls another 2.4 Million Vehicles for Safety Defects

The beleaguered General Motors Company announced four new recalls of 2.4 million cars, trucks and sport utility vehicles, for a staggering year-to-date total 13.5 million recalled vehicles, clearly the largest in the company’s history. Continue reading

Posted in recalls, safety | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Safety Recalls Galore! The Toyota and GM Effect Has Industry Scrambling as BMW, Honda, Mazda, Mercedes and Saturn Join the Defect Parade

A reinvigorated NHTSA – called the lapdog of the auto industry during the Toyota hearings – along with automakers who are now all too well aware of the large fines – civil and criminal – and lawsuits that derive from stonewalling safety defects has resulted in a seemingly unending list of recalls that occur almost daily. Continue reading

Posted in recalls, safety | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

While Under NHTSA Investigation, Three New GM Recalls

Already enmeshed in safety investigations and employee resignations over failing to recall defective ignition switches, there are now three new GM recalls. Continue reading

Posted in litigation, recalls | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Asleep at the Switch! Head of NHTSA Friedman, GM CEO Barra Duck Tough Questions at House Hearing

The ‘we’re still looking at it’ excuse was particularly lame in front of grandstanding Congresspersons, many of whom were clearly ignorant of the technicalities surrounding the issue. Lost in the hype is the fact that people die from airbag deployment if they are not wearing a seatbelt and as a result are moving forward during the explosion. Continue reading

Posted in litigation, recalls, safety | Tagged , , , | 3 Comments

Bad Software Causes Million-Vehicle Nissan Airbag Recall

The safety defect is caused by software that thinks the passenger seat is empty when it is occupied. Failure of the airbag to deploy during a crash of sufficient intensity could increase the risk of injury to the passenger. It is the latest example of how computer programming of electronics is a growing problem in not only safety matters but also hurting customer satisfaction ratings. Continue reading

Posted in recalls | Tagged , , | Leave a comment