Category Archives: recalls

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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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Jeff Boyer New Vehicle Safety Chief at GM

Boyer, a GM lifer who has spent nearly 40 years in engineering and safety positions at GM, now has global responsibility for the safety development of GM vehicle systems, confirmation and validation of safety performance, as well as post-sale safety activities, including recalls. Continue reading

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GM Recalls More Vehicles, Some for Airbag Failures

GM did not provide a timeline explaining how long it has known about the latest safety defects. U.S. regulations only give a manufacturer five days after it discovers a safety problem to submit a recall plan to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, something GM did not do in the now notorious ignition switch recall which saw GM first deny a safety defect existed, and then issue a recall as well as an apology, and then expand the recall to cover more cars. Continue reading

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CAS Says GM Ignition Switch Airbag Failure Caused 303 Deaths

These explosive allegations from an organization that is funded by product liability lawyers is the latest negative development in the ongoing GM ignition switch controversy, which has seen GM first deny a safety defect existed, and then issue a recall, as well as an apology, and then expand the recall to cover more cars. Continue reading

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Where’s the Independent Investigation of NHTSA for Failure to act on Deadly GM Ignition Switches and Air Bag Failures?

In AutoInformed’s view, the circumstances cries out for an independent investigation and an independent prosecutor dealing with both involved parties, one that is immune to political maneuvering and internal politics at NHTSA and GM. Continue reading

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NHTSA Opens Investigation into GM Ignition Switch Recall Delay. 13 Deaths Attributed to Defective Design So Far

At least 13 deaths and 31 wrecks are alleged from the safety defect that GM has known about since 2004, even as it refused to recall the vehicles, according to a timeline GM released early this week. GM knew of 10 accidents where Cobalts were in front-end crashes but the air bags did not inflate in 2007. GM even went so far as to approve a redesign of the switch in 2005, but never put a revised version into production for reasons that remain uncertain. Continue reading

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Buyer Beware – Millions of Used Cars have Open Recalls

Carfax today released new data claiming online shoppers may have unknowingly purchased more than 3.5 million used cars with unfixed recalls in 2013. Continue reading

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Honda Recalls New Fit and Vezel Hybrids

It is the third recall on this new transmission, and part of a growing number of software caused recalls in the industry. Honda claims that each recall was due to a different cause Continue reading

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CounterFeit Chinese Pedal Causes Aston Martin Global Recall of All 2007 and Later Sports Cars

Aston specified a certain DuPont plastic, but got counterfeit parts from China instead. Testing conducted by Aston Martin has now revealed multiple failures and that includes cars already repaired with the bogus gas pedal. Aston now says it is bringing the molding back to the UK as soon as possible. Continue reading

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