General Motors is expanding the ignition switch recall yet again, this time with a massive 7.6 million vehicle base in the US.
General Motors added 7.6 million more cars in its latest recall due to the ignition switch problem that has caused dozens of accidents and at least 13 deaths. GM is now heading the list for highest single-year recalls with 25.7 million vehicles being called back.
GM's ignition switch recall kicked off with 2.6 million small cars in February due to the problem with the ignition switches that unexpectedly slip from "run" to "accessory" mode, shutting off the engines and all related operations such as power steering, power brakes and airbags. The car maker is under investigation by the Justice department and both house of Congress for its act of delaying the recalls after knowing the problem for more than 10 years. But the company is now stepping up its pace in addressing any safety concerns.
"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," GM CEO Mary Barra said in a press release, Monday. "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."
The car maker had a total of 29 recalls involving 13.8 million vehicles as of early June. GM added two more big-scale recalls, involving 3.4 million Buick, Cadillac, Chevrolet, and GMC vehicles and Monday's 7.6 million vehicles. The recalls are mainly due to ignition switch flaw among other problems.
The GM recalls not only created chaos in the automobile industry, but also internally with 15 top employees being fired. An investigation found a lack of urgency in the engineering and legal departments led GM to take more than a decade to recall the faulty Cobalts and other models, Bloomberg reports.
In its press release, GM said it is aware of seven crashes, eight injuries and three fatalities. The death causing accidents were in the old model full-size sedans due to unintended ignition key rotation. The company also expects to take a charge of up to $1.2 billion for recall-related repairs announced in the second quarter.
