GM Didn't Warn Customers About Ignition Switch Problems For 11 Years

[Eugene]

Source: Associated Press

GM Didn't Warn Customers About Ignition Switch Problems For 11 Years

DETROIT (AP) — General Motors knew of ignition switch problems with 6.7 million midsize and large cars for 11 years, yet it failed to warn customers with a recall until last month, according to documents posted by federal safety regulators.

The documents, released Friday, show yet again that the Detroit auto giant was slow to correct safety problems on its older models. And it exposes an all-too-familiar pattern of ignition switch troubles in millions of vehicles, some dating to 1997. So far this year GM has issued 54 recalls covering 29 million vehicles, 17 million for ignition problems.

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In a chronology filed with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, GM said a Michigan dealership reported a 2003 complaint from a customer about a Pontiac Grand Am stalling. The customer had about 50 keys and a set of brass knuckles on his ring. GM officials saw the customer demonstrate the engine stall by going over a speed bump, and it told dealers in a voice mail about the problem. GM also issued a service bulletin to dealers warning of the problem, but it didn't recall the cars at that time.

Later that year, GM changed the switch to make it harder to turn on the Malibu, Grand Am and Alero, but still did not issue a recall. Then, in 2004, it fixed the Grand Prix switches in 2004 without changing the part number.

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Read more: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/07/19/gm-ignition-switch_n_5601864.html

[merrily]

1. I think I read that, in the production stage, it would have cost 22 cents to fix.

[exboyfil]

2. 50 keys and a set of brass knuckles

with an impact load event. While the switch had issues, as an engineer I could not anticipate someone hanging that weight off the ignition switch.

[Historic NY]

4. Its like having an anchor....

I had a problem with my 2000 GMC Yukon ignition it turned out to be a wire cut during assembly which caused the large main fuses to short out...Since I was in Canada the dealership there checked it and supplied a couple of replacements to make it home. GM would authorize the repair until I returned to the US...my dealer then took it apart and repaired the switch. I do believe some ignitions had problems with the keys, I found my older worn keys caused problems due to it chip.

[hollysmom]

3. more than that

I remember clearly having my car repaired in 9/11/2001 and being told that I needed to get a different ignition switch because it could not take the weight of a key chain, and I have never had more than one car key and the clicker together since then.

Kind of hard to forget that day.

[leftstreet]

5. DURec