It all started on an unfortunate day back in February. General Motors announced it’s recalling 1.3 million cars assembled between 2002 and 2007 for a potential fault with the ignition switch assembly. Fast forward to the present moment and the recall tally has surpassed a whopping 30 million vehicles.
As if that wasn’t enough of a mess-up for a big automotive company, then the 30-plus approved death claims related to crashes involving automobiles with glitchy ignitions is a pretty big one. When asked by lawyers and safety advocates about how things got this sour, General Motors blatantly blamed ignition switch supplier Delphi Automotive.
To make a long story short, GM were the ones that forced Delphi to make a lot of sub-standard ignition switches. Why so? Because a few cents saved through cost-cutting multiplied hundreds of thousands of times equals more money for a then cash-stripped General Motors. Furthermore, it was proven that the American automaker knew about the life-threatening risks of equipping cars with half-assed assemblies.
By providing incriminating evidence in the case, Delphi Automotive will be dropped as a defendant in the pending litigation. In plain English that's a “suck it, GM!” Thanks to this, lawyers that’ve sued GM are going to gain access to documents and permission to interview Delphi employees as part of the deal.
The supplier may have its fair share of guilt because it accepted to make those switches knowingly those parts are not compliant safety-wise, but let’s not forget who’s the bigger of the bads in this story.
To make a long story short, GM were the ones that forced Delphi to make a lot of sub-standard ignition switches. Why so? Because a few cents saved through cost-cutting multiplied hundreds of thousands of times equals more money for a then cash-stripped General Motors. Furthermore, it was proven that the American automaker knew about the life-threatening risks of equipping cars with half-assed assemblies.
The scandal is still in full bloom
According to a recent report from AutomotiveNews, it took them a heck of a long time, but finally, someone at Delphi Automotive decided to offer lawyers and safety advocates hard evidence related to GM recall campaigns. Apparently, Delphi Automotive’s change of heart was made for a single reason.By providing incriminating evidence in the case, Delphi Automotive will be dropped as a defendant in the pending litigation. In plain English that's a “suck it, GM!” Thanks to this, lawyers that’ve sued GM are going to gain access to documents and permission to interview Delphi employees as part of the deal.
The supplier may have its fair share of guilt because it accepted to make those switches knowingly those parts are not compliant safety-wise, but let’s not forget who’s the bigger of the bads in this story.