GM expands igniton recall yet again, sees $1.3 billion bill

[blwnsmoke]

 

If you own a General Motors car recalled for a bad ignition, your wait for a repair just grew a little longer.

After recalling 2.2 million vehicles in the United States — with a total of 2.6 million vehicles worldwide — to fix a defective ignition switch that could cause vehicles to shut off without warning, today the automaker announced it would also replace the ignition cylinders for failing to securely hold the keys — and if necessary, cut new keys for the vehicles.

According to documents filed with U.S. auto safety regulators, GM said its executives made the decision to issue a recall on April 3, the same day chief executive Mary Barra testified to Congress. The automaker says it has hundreds of complaints about the issue, with one injury reported from a vehicle that rolled away when the key fell out without the car being in park. GM also advised owners to ensure their cars were in park or, if equipped with a manual, set in reverse with the parking brake on when stopped until repairs can be made.

The cars involved are:

• 2003-2007 Saturn Ion
• 2005-2010 Chevrolet Cobalt
• 2006-2010 Pontiac Solstice
• 2007-2010 Pontiac G5
• 2007-2010 Saturn Sky
• 2006-2011 Chevrolet HHR

The news also caused GM to raise its estimates of recall costs this quarter to $1.3 billion, increasing the chance that the recalls could wipe out all of GM's profits for the first three months of 2014.

Earlier today, GM revealed that it had put two engineers on paid leave following an early review of how it avoided recalling the switches before now, which have been tied to 13 deaths. That announcement came with word that Barra had launched a new internal program encouraging engineers and other GM employees to come forward with safety issues sooner.

“GM must embrace a culture where safety and quality come first,” Barra said. “GM employees should raise safety concerns quickly and forcefully, and be recognized for doing so.”

 

https://autos.yahoo.com/blogs/motoramic/gm-expands-igniton-recall-yet-again--sees--1-3-billion-bill-182948515.html

Edited April 13, 2014 by blwnsmoke