Photo: General Motors
GM’s ignition switch-related recall, which was linked to 13 deaths so far (a recent study claims 303 have been killed), is the hot topic this spring, with the manufacturer being subjected to many investigations.
About 1.6 million vehicles have been recalled globally and their owners advised to avoid driving the affected vehicles until a GM dealer can inspect them. If leaving the car in the driveway is not an option, the automakers recommends consumers stop using heavy key rings to prevent jarring.
In fact, CEO Mary Barra says that the recalled vehicles are actually safe to drive as long as don’t have anything heavy attached to your key ring. “If you have just the ring with the key, it is safe to drive,” she told reporters during a press conference at GM’s headquarters earlier this week.
She added that she spoke to company safety engineers, asking them “would you let your wife drive this car?” “And they said yes,” she responded, according to The New York Times.
The problem with these vehicles is that the ignition switch may move out of the run position due to the weight of the key ring and road conditions, turning off the engine and preventing the air bags to deploy in the event of a crash.
In the US, about 1.3 million units of the 2005-2007 Chevrolet Cobalt, 2007 Pontiac G5, 2003-2007 Saturn Ion, 2006-2007 Chevrolet HHR, 2006-2007 Pontiac Solstice and 2006-2007 Saturn Sky have been recalled. In Canada, GM recalled the 2005-2006 Pontiac Solstice, while its European arm, Opel, recalled the 2007 GT.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and the US House committee have launched separate investigations at General Motors.
A couple of days ago, the Detroit-based company named Jeff Boyer as its new vice president of Global Vehicle Safety. The new position was created shortly after GM announced three separate recalls consisting of 1.5 million SUVs, vans and sedans.
Story via NewYorkTimes
In fact, CEO Mary Barra says that the recalled vehicles are actually safe to drive as long as don’t have anything heavy attached to your key ring. “If you have just the ring with the key, it is safe to drive,” she told reporters during a press conference at GM’s headquarters earlier this week.
She added that she spoke to company safety engineers, asking them “would you let your wife drive this car?” “And they said yes,” she responded, according to The New York Times.
The problem with these vehicles is that the ignition switch may move out of the run position due to the weight of the key ring and road conditions, turning off the engine and preventing the air bags to deploy in the event of a crash.
In the US, about 1.3 million units of the 2005-2007 Chevrolet Cobalt, 2007 Pontiac G5, 2003-2007 Saturn Ion, 2006-2007 Chevrolet HHR, 2006-2007 Pontiac Solstice and 2006-2007 Saturn Sky have been recalled. In Canada, GM recalled the 2005-2006 Pontiac Solstice, while its European arm, Opel, recalled the 2007 GT.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and the US House committee have launched separate investigations at General Motors.
A couple of days ago, the Detroit-based company named Jeff Boyer as its new vice president of Global Vehicle Safety. The new position was created shortly after GM announced three separate recalls consisting of 1.5 million SUVs, vans and sedans.
Story via NewYorkTimes
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