General Motors has announced another six recalls – mostly ignition switch-related – totalling 8.45m 1997 to 2014 vehicles, of which 7.6m are in the United States.
The automaker said it would book a US$1.2bn charge in the second quarter for the recalls, including the $700m hit announced earlier.
Go deeper with GlobalData
The majority of vehicles – just over 6.8m in the US – are large sedans made between 1997 and 2008 being recalled to fix “unintended ignition key rotation”: 1997-2005 Chevrolet Malibu; 1998-2002 Oldsmobile Intrigue; 1994-2002 Oldsmobile Alero; 1999-2005 Pontiac Grand Am; 2000-2005 Chevrolet Impala and Monte Carlo; and 2004-2008 Pontiac Grand Prix.
Also being recalled are 554,328 much newer models – the 2013-2014 Cadillac CTS and 2004-2006 Cadillac SRX.
The remaining recalls are to check for minor electrical glitches, mostly in wiring or connections and, with just 106 vehicles involved, the torquing of a fastener.
Among these recalled vehicles, GM said it was aware of seven crashes, eight injuries and three fatalities. The fatal crashes occurred in the older model full-size sedans recalled for inadvertent ignition key rotation.
How well do you really know your competitors?
Access the most comprehensive Company Profiles on the market, powered by GlobalData. Save hours of research. Gain competitive edge.
Thank you!
Your download email will arrive shortly
Not ready to buy yet? Download a free sample
We are confident about the unique quality of our Company Profiles. However, we want you to make the most beneficial decision for your business, so we offer a free sample that you can download by submitting the below form
By GlobalDataThe fatalities occurred in two crashes involving Impalas in which the air bags failed to deploy, a GM spokesman told the Wall Street Journal.
“There is no conclusive evidence that the defect condition caused those crashes,” GM said in a statement.
GM told the WSJ dealers would fix the ignition problem by converting the slot on the vehicles’ key head to a small hole, reducing the potential for swinging key chains to move the ignition out of the run position while the cars are being operated.
The proposed fix is the same one the company once considered using to repair older model Chevrolet Cobalt compact cars and other small cars, which later were found to have a defective ignition switch that when jarred could turn off power to air bags, power steering and power brakes, the WSJ noted.
The latest recalls boosts to about 29m the number of cars and trucks that GM has recalled in North America this year – a tally greater than the company’s combined US sales for the years 2005 to 2013, the paper added.
In February, GM started recalling subcompact vehicles to replace ignition switches. This was expanded greatly in March after the automaker discovered the switch had been modified in the mid-2000s but the part number was not changed so there was no way of telling which switch was in which cars.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration told the WSJ the ignition defects in the latest round of cars “can result in the air bag not deploying in the event of a crash. Until this recall is performed, customers should use only the ignition key with nothing else on the key ring when operating the vehicle”.
GM spent $1.3bn in the first quarter to cover recall costs. The updated second-quarter charge, previously put at $700m, brings the total charges for recall repairs to $2.5bn this year, the WSJ said.
Accoding to the WSJ, the GM spokesman declined to say whether the latest recall brings to an end the company’s review of safety problems with older model vehicles. Last week, chief executive Mary Barra signaled more recalls were possible as the company continued to conduct an internal review.
“We undertook what I believe is the most comprehensive safety review in the history of our company because nothing is more important than the safety of our customers,” Barra said in a statement. “Our customers deserve more than we delivered in these vehicles. That has hardened my resolve to set a new industry standard for vehicle safety, quality and excellence.
“We have worked aggressively to identify and address the major outstanding issues that could impact the safety of our customers,” Barra added. “If any other issues come to our attention, we will act appropriately and without hesitation.”
GM said it had made changes to every process that affects the safety of its vehicles and the company has acted or will act on all 90 of the recommendations put forward by former US attorney Anton Valukas in his independent report to the company’s board of directors.
The company on Monday said it had offered at least US$1m to families of those who died as a result of defective ignition switches in its cars. The automaker said it also would give another $300,000 for each surviving spouse and dependent, in addition to a sum of money that will be determined by the victims’ earning potential.
The automaker again warned drivers of unrepaired cars recalled for an ignition key change to remove all items from their key ring, leaving only the vehicle key, and to always use seat belts. The key fob, if present, should also be removed from the key ring.
