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Delphi Blames GM for Faulty Ignition Switches

A little while back, we reported that the U.S. Senate Commerce Comitee's panel of investigators has summoned Rodney O'Neal, the chief executive officer of Delphi, on Capitol Hill's hot seat to testify alongside GM CEO Mary Barra. Even though his company produced the sub-standard switches knowingly, Rodney put the blame on GM for the mess-up.
Chevy Cobalt Switch Detent Plungers 1 photo
Photo: McSwain Engineering
Testifying in front of Congress on Thursday, Rodney declared that Delphi Automotive PLC manufactured the ignition "switch that GM approved and wanted." In his prepared written testimony, he also singled out that General Motors has approved the final design that included less torque than the original target knowingly. O'Neal concluded by telling that the green light given by General Motors established the final specifications of the defective switches.

So let's make a short recap of it all: Delphi knew about the potential hazard of the switches suffering from insufficient torque resistance, yet they went through with building millions of the damned things when GM said something like: "It's OK, pal, if you want to lose this top dollar contract, we can always look for another ignition switch manufacturer that'll go with our cost-cutting specifications."

From a purely subjective point of view, the blame should be taken by both Delphi and General Motors. No less than 13 deaths and 54 crashes have been officially linked to the glitchy ignition switches, that basically render the airbags and power steering useless if the key slips from "on" to "accessory"/"off." A big company such as Delphi wouldn't have suffered too much financially if it were to cancel the contract, but money is a very enticing force, especially when millions of green dollar bills are just a signature away.

Ray DeGiorgio, the engineer in charge of the faulty ignition switch, has referred to the defective component as early as 2002 as "the switch from hell" according to a report released today. Even though investigators tell in this report that no other GM employee apart from DeGiorgio knew that the switches failed the rotational torque tests, how do you explain that Doug Parks, the Chevy Cobalt's chief engineer, knew about it in 2005? He suggested then: "For service, can we come up with a 'plug' to go into the key that centers the ring through the middle of the key and not the edge/slot? This appears to me to be the only real, quick solution."

Something still doesn't add up, frankly, and we have a feeling that GM higher-ups are manipulating investigations, ultimately trying to pass the collective blame on a single guy. Also, if only DeGiorgio knew about the fault, why did the manufacturer lay off a total of 15 employees and disciplined 5 other?

What ifs aside, GM executives normally give the final OK for a commissioned component and sign contracts with suppliers, so it's pretty clear who's guilty and who's the scapegoat in this picture.
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About the author: Mircea Panait
Mircea Panait profile photo

After a 1:43 scale model of a Ferrari 250 GTO sparked Mircea's interest for cars when he was a kid, an early internship at Top Gear sealed his career path. He's most interested in muscle cars and American trucks, but he takes a passing interest in quirky kei cars as well.
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