Amid probes from legislators, regulators, lawyers and criminal investigators into how General Motors managed to get away with allowing more than a million vehicles to hit the road with defective ignition switches tied to at least 13 deaths, the car maker has finally begun shipping out kits to its dealerships so they can start fixing the problem. [More]
general motors
GM Asks Bankruptcy Court To Block Ignition-Related Lawsuits
By 4.22.14
A few weeks back, new General Motors CEO Mary Barra hedged on whether her company would hide behind the shield of its 2009 bankruptcy in order to block lawsuits tied to the ongoing ignition-related recalls, telling lawmakers only that “we have civic responsibilities as well as legal responsibilities.” In the weeks since, GM has made it very clear that it will do everything it can to use its own financial incompetence and ineptitude to put up a wall against these lawsuits. [More]
Why Every Driver Should Care About The GM Ignition Recall
By 4.21.14
The massive ongoing recall of General Motors vehicles with faulty ignition switches (and the dozen years the company spent not issuing a recall) has made headlines, launched lawsuits, angered legislators, but many consumers who don’t own a recalled car have shrugged and said, “Glad I don’t drive one of them.” [More]
Court Denies Bid To Keep Recalled GM Cars Off Road
By 4.17.14
A U.S. District Court judge in Texas has put the brakes on an attempt to compel General Motors to tell owners of recalled vehicles to keep their cars parked pending repairs. [More]
GM Test Drivers Knew Of Ignition Problem In 2006
By 4.17.14
Another data point on the General Motors ignition recall timeline has been filled in with the latest revelation that test drivers for the car maker’s Cadillac division spotted the problem eight years ago, possibly leading to a hush-hush design tweak in the switch. [More]
GM Asks Courts To Stop Ignition-Switch Lawsuits Because It Hasn’t Been GM Since 2009
By 4.16.14
The investigation into GM’s massive manufacturing defect, cover-up, and long-delayed recall is still ramping up, but the lawsuits are already well under way. Or at least, they’re trying to be — but those lawsuits might be over before they start. GM is now relying on their bankruptcy, bailout, and restructuring to claim protection for any errors, small and large, that the company made prior to 2009. Including an error that’s killed at least thirteen peopler. [More]
GM Puts Engineers Tied To Ignition Recall On Leave
By 4.10.14
In the middle of an investigation into why General Motors allowed vehicles with defective ignition switches to not only hit the market, but continue to be sold and driven for years while at least 13 people died, the carmaker has placed to engineers directly involved with this issue on paid leave. [More]
GM Unsure If Or How To Compensate Ignition-Switch Victims, Could End Up Facing Criminal Case
By 4.7.14
Roughly 7 million cars and trucks recalled, at least 13 confirmed deaths tied to one faulty part, and a decade-long cover-up all adds up to one surefire thing: GM is getting dragged to court. But which court? In the midst of all the pending suits, shouting senators, Capitol Hill hearings, and other legalese, there’s still one big question up in the air for General Motors: is this mess only going to cost them money, or did they screw up badly enough to face criminal charges, too? [More]
GM Adds 971,000 Vehicles To Ignition Recall, Confirms 13th Death Tied To Defect
By 3.28.14
Not a good way to end the week for General Motors, which not only added 971,000 vehicles to the ignition-related recall that had already been issued for 1.6 million cars, it also confirmed that the defect is indeed tied to 13 deaths. [More]
GM Asks Dealers To Stop Selling Chevy Cruze, Won’t Say Why
By 3.28.14
In the midst of a recall scandal involving ignition problems that have resulted in the deaths of at least a dozen people, General Motors has another publicity mess on its hand. The carmaker has told its dealers to stop selling certain Chevy Cruze models but isn’t publicly stating a reason for the halt. [More]
GM Knew Chevy Cobalt Ignition Could Turn Itself Off, Released Car Anyway
By 3.25.14
If you’re a carmaker and you find out the vehicle you’re about to release had an ignition-switch issue that could not only stop the car’s engine but render the power steering, air bags, and power brakes useless, you probably wouldn’t release that car. It’s a shame you weren’t a General Motors executive 10 years ago. [More]
Senator Asks Justice Department To Hold GM Responsible For Ignition Fire Lawsuits
By 3.24.14
Earlier this year, GM issued a massive recall of nearly 1.4 million vehicles due to problems with the ignition switch. GM apparently knew about those problems — which have caused several fatalities — for up to thirteen years before issuing the recall, and reportedly also ignored piles of consumer complaints in that timeframe. Consumers’ entirely predictable lawsuits against GM have already begun, but those lawsuits are facing a big potential snag. [More]
Comcast, Abercrombie, Chase Victorious In First Day Of Worst Company Competition!
March 19, 2014
The 2014 Worst Company In America competition got off to a big start today with readers turning out in droves to vote on the tournament’s first three match-ups that saw a former Golden Poo champ flexing its muscle, a tournament mainstay making its case for the WCIA title, and the year’s first upset. [More]
GM Announces Three Additional Recalls Affecting 1.5 Million Vehicles
By 3.17.14
General Motors Co announced three new recalls affecting 1.5 million vehicles for airbag deployment and other issues. The announcement comes on the same day it was revealed that the company faces its first class action lawsuit tied to February’s massive recall of vehicles for ignition problems. The company will also take a $300 million charge against earnings to pay for repairs as part of an initiative to be more responsive to problems with its vehicles. [More]
First Class-Action Suit Filed Over Botched GM Recall Tied To At Least 12 Deaths
By 3.17.14
When a carmaker recalls more than a million vehicles over an ignition problem that could cause a car to stall and crash without the airbags deploying, a lawsuit is likely. Throw in the fact that the car company knew about the defect for a dozen years, received numerous complaints from customers and dealerships, and is tied to anywhere from 12 to more than 300 deaths, and you have the beginnings of a lawsuit bonanza. [More]
Review Claims GM Defect May Be Tied To Up To 303 Deaths
By 3.14.14
While data provided by General Motors and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration links at least 12 deaths to an ignition switch defect in Chevy Cobalts, Pontiac G5s, Saturn Ions and other vehicles, an independent review claims that the actual number of fatalities tied to this defect could be as much as 25 times that number. [More]
GM Knew Of Faulty Ignition Switches In 2001; NHTSA Says “Data Was Inconclusive”
By 3.13.14
The number of questions about General Motors’ recent recall of more than 1 million vehicles with potentially defective ignition switches continues to grow with the recent revelation that the automaker first learned of problems with the part more than a dozen years before issuing the recall that is now tied to at least a dozen deaths. [More]
GM Offers Owners Of Recalled Vehicles $500 Off Of New GM Purchase
By 3.12.14
Some owners of cars involved in the recent mass recall of GM vehicles with faulty ignition switches will no doubt remain loyal to the car company when it comes time to purchase their next vehicles. But others are no doubt considering looking elsewhere, especially as it becomes more apparent that GM took great lengths to avoid this recall for seven or eight years. In an effort to placate the former group and hold on to the latter, GM is offering $500 credit toward the purchase of a new GM vehicle. [More]
