The safety debacle at GM continues today as the beleaguered company said that it is recalling 8.5 million vehicles in North America from the 1997-2014 model years for safety defects that are involved in – so far – seven crashes, eight injuries and three fatalities. The fatal crashes occurred in full-size sedans being recalled for defective ignition switches. The latest safety recalls came after Washington attorney Kenneth Feinberg announced this morning the terms of the GM compensation fund for victims of the ignition switch and failed airbag fiasco that was covered up by GM for more than a decade.
GM said it expects to take a charge of up to approximately $1.2 billion in Q2 for the cost of recall-related repairs announced in the quarter. This amount includes a previously disclosed $700 million charge for recalls already announced during the quarter.
The ignition switch debacle continues as various 1997-2008 model year Cadillac, Chevrolet, Oldsmobile and Pontiac vehicles are added to the list of cars with deadly ignition switches.
Other GM recalls involve fires and melted electrical components on Buick, Chevrolet, GMC, Isuzu and Saab vehicles.
About Ken Zino
Ken Zino, editor and publisher of AutoInformed, is a versatile auto industry participant with global experience spanning decades in print and broadcast journalism, as well as social media. He has automobile testing, marketing, public relations and communications experience. He is past president of The International Motor Press Assn, the Detroit Press Club, founding member and first President of the Automotive Press Assn. He is a member of APA, IMPA and the Midwest Automotive Press Assn.
He also brings an historical perspective while citing their contemporary relevance of the work of legendary auto writers such as Ken Purdy, Jim Dunne or Jerry Flint, or writers such as Red Smith, Mark Twain, Thomas Jefferson – all to bring perspective to a chaotic automotive universe.
Above all, decades after he first drove a car, Zino still revels in the sound of the exhaust as the throttle is blipped during a downshift and the driver’s rush that occurs when the entry, apex and exit points of a turn are smoothly and swiftly crossed. It’s the beginning of a perfect lap.
AutoInformed has an editorial philosophy that loves transportation machines of all kinds while promoting critical thinking about the future use of cars and trucks.
Zino builds AutoInformed from his background in automotive journalism starting at Hearst Publishing in New York City on Motor and MotorTech Magazines and car testing where he reviewed hundreds of vehicles in his decade-long stint as the Detroit Bureau Chief of Road & Track magazine. Zino has also worked in Europe, and Asia – now the largest automotive market in the world with China at its center.
