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A recent recall by General Motors Co (GM) has recently been expanded to more than double it's size.
The recall of 778,562 vehicles two weeks ago only affected the company's 2005-2007 Chevrolet Cobalt and 2007 Pontiac G5 compact cars. The reason for the recall is due to heavy key chains or sudden impacts causing the ignition switch to move out of the 'on' position, shutting off the engine, power systems and also disabling the air bags.
The new recall notice now affects more than 1.6 million vehicles world-wide. It now includes 2003-2007 model year Saturn Ions, 2006-2007 Chevrolet HHRs and 2006-2007 Pontiac Solstice and Saturn Sky vehicles. This new notice comes about as the number of reported incidents involving frontal crashes with the ignition switch in the 'accessory' or 'off' position, and frontal air bag problems rise to 31, involving 13 front-seat fatalities.
The President of General motors who own brands such as Citroen and Peugeot rival Vauxhall, Alan Batey, commented, “We are deeply sorry and we are working to address this issue as quickly as we can.” He then went on to ask owners to use only one key on their key rings.
Executive director of customer advocate group Centre for Auto Safety, Clarence Ditlow, commented, “The only question now is will [regulators] hit GM with the maximum civil fine or go after them for criminal penalties. It was clearly a safety defect and GM knew about it [earlier]. They are doing the right thing but they are doing it too late. I also question NHTSA here, they have evidence and they did nothing about it until now.”
Did GM know about the problem that caused the recall?
In 2004 GM employees first identified and then replicated the ignition problem, according to a chronology of events filed by GM to NHTSA on Monday. A year later, a GM engineer proposed it redesign the key head from a slot to a hole configuration. The proposal was initially approved and then canceled with no reason cited, GM said. A notice was issued to dealers in December 2005 warning that the ignition could shut off if a key ring was too heavy.
In April 2006, a GM design engineer responsible for the ignition switch signed a document approving changes to the switch by a supplier, according to the auto maker. "At some point in 2007 it is believed the ignition was changed. However, in 2009 it was again recommended that the ignition be changed from a slot to a hole which was finally done in the 2010 model year," GM reported to the safety regulator.
“The chronology shows that the process employed to examine this phenomenon was not as robust as it should have been,” Mr. Batey said. “Today's GM is committed to doing business differently and better. We will take an unflinching look at what happened and apply lessons learned here to improve going forward.”
What is GM doing to sort the issue?
During the recall, GM has announced that it will notify all affected customers and perform repairs at no charge for them, they are also informing dealers to work with customers on an individual basis to minimise any inconveniences.
