In the last two months, General Motors has recalled more than 2.5 million vehicles worldwide after linking defective ignition switches in similar cars to airbag failures — and to 13 deaths and 31 crashes. And there are indications GM approved the switches in 2002 even though it knew they did not meet specifications.
Family members who lost loved ones in those crashes, including Christian, turned a spotlight Tuesday on the human side of GM's deadly mistake. They held a press conference at the U.S. Capitol in advance of a House subcommittee hearing on what high-ranking GM officials knew and when they knew it.
The family members, many holding photos of their loved ones, said they were concerned about other families who may be harmed while driving GM cars that have not been recalled. And they pressed Congress to tighten rules to ensure that flawed vehicles are quickly recalled.
Christian used her time at the microphone to press Congress for legislation that would compel car companies to be more transparent about problems with their vehicles.
STORY: Questions stalk GM chief
STORY: GM takes case to Capitol Hill
STORY: Victims speak
"Corporate executives made a decision that fighting the problem was cheaper and easier than fixing the problem," said Christian, who is among those who say GM had plenty of warning over the years to recall the vehicles and fix the switches.
"Please help us pass legislation to make sure that this never happens again," Christian said.
Kelly Erin Ruddy was 21 when she burned alive in a car crash in 2010. Her mother, Mary Ruddy, said Kelly knew something was wrong with the car. Three months after the crash, the car was recalled for a power steering issue. She said GM "dismissed us."
"I kept thinking that my heart is so broken, but the one thing I! will see to is that this will never happen to another family," Ruddy said. "That's why we are here. It's the final thing we can do for Kelly."
Ken Rimer, whose stepdaughter, 18-year-old Natasha Weigel, died after a 2006 Cobalt crash, said GM knew years ago that it had made a big mistake. "Rather than fixing the problem, they chose to keep producing the Cobalt, with the ill-fated ignition switch, and selling it to an unsuspecting public," Rimer said.
Samantha Denti, of Toms River, N.J., survived the problems that plagued her 2005 Chevy Cobalt.
"I was your typical 20-year-old," she said, talking about how much she loved her car and the freedom it signified. But she said that one day she was driving and "all of the sudden my car went from 45 miles per hour to zero." Months later that same thing happened again.
With just a single ignition key and a house key on the key chain, it happened again.
"This car was surely a death trap," Denti says. "Driving this car was like playing a game of Russian roulette."
MORE: GM recalls 1.3M vehicles to fix power steering
Some members of Congress also took part in the press conference.
"Two dollars. That's how little this ignition switch could have cost to repair," said Sen. Ed Markey, D-Mass. "Two dollars that could have saved priceless lives. That was apparently $2 too much for General Motors.
"This recall is a decade late and dozens of lives and injuries short," he said. Markey joined Christian and others in urging Congress to pass a bill to require more transparency from car manufacturers and the traffic and safety departments.
On Monday night, General Motors CEO Mary Barra met with the families of several people who died in crashes involving the recalled vehicles. According to people there, she cried at one point, as families showed her pictures of the victims and told their stories.
Christian said she wanted to meet with Barra, "so she could not turn away from the human side of this." She said Barra ! said she ! was sorry many times during the meeting at GM's Washington offices.
Renee Trautwein was unimpressed. Trautwein's daughter Sarah was killed in 2009 after losing control of her 2005 Chevy Cobalt.
"It was a waste of time," Trautwein said of the meeting with Barra. "I think she was doing it for PR. Nothing came out of it."
The family only learned of the recall a few weeks ago.
"People are not aware," Trautwein said. "How many recalls do we hear of every day? No one takes it seriously."
She said her daughter loved the University of South Carolina, her cats and her dogs. "She left me with a grand pup," Trautwein said. "Sarah was the love of my life. She was bubbly and happy and beautiful.
"Since we found out about the recall, we are all in a whole new mourning process. "
In her testimony filed in advance of Tuesday's hearing, Barra promises the U.S. House Energy and Commerce Committee's Subcommittee on Oversight, "When we have answers, we will be fully transparent with you, with our regulators and with our customers."
The fault that triggered the recall allows the ignition switch to slip unexpectedly from the normal "run" position into "accessory." That shuts off the engine and kills power to a number of systems, usually including airbags.
GM's own chronology says the problem first was noticed at GM in 2001.The recall has emerged in three stages:
• Feb. 7, GM recalled 778,562 of its 2005-2007 Chevrolet Cobalts and 2007 Pontiac G5s, 619,122 in the U.S. to replace the switches.
• Feb. 25, it expanded that by another 842,103, to include 2003-2007 Saturn Ion, 2006-2007 Chevy HHR, 2006 Pontiac Solstice, 2007 Saturn Sky. Of those, 748,024 are U.S.-market vehicles.
• March 28, it again expanded the universe of recalled cars, this time by 873,288 U.S. models, to include newer versions of the already recalled vehicles that had the redesigned – safer – switches from the factory, but might have gotten a faulty switch during repairs. Only a! bout 5,00! 0 of those are likely to have gotten a bad switch, but GM can't tell which 5,000 because some old and new switches have the same part number.
According to a timeline the automaker has filed with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration in connection with the recall, GM first noted a problem with the ignition switch moving out of "run" in 2001, during development of the 2003 Saturn Ion.
An unidentified mechanic reported the problem in 2003 on a customer's car. And in 2004 a GM engineer finalizing the new 2005 Chevy Cobalt experienced the switch problem.
A new switch design was approved in 2006, the timeline says, but without a new part number. If that was done to fix a safety problem, but federal safety officials weren't told, it could be a violation of federal law. GM did not recall the cars in 2006 to install the redesigned part.
On March 18, in her first interview since taking over as CEO in January, Barra acknowledged, "Clearly, this took too long." Pledging to ensure there's never a repeat, Barra said, "We will fix our process."
She hired a global safety chief with access to her and other top executives, a first for GM and rare in the car business. And the automaker began to accelerate its own product and safety reviews.
Since then, GM has recalled:
• Full-size GMC and Chevrolet full-size commercial vans because they don't provide a front passenger enough protection from head injuries.
• An array of crossover SUVs because seat-mounted side airbags might fail.
• Cadillac XTS sedans because an obscure brake system flaw ignited two of them at dealerships.
• A number of small and mid-size cars – including some that were recalled for switch problems -- because they also could have faulty steering. That recall also includes some cars previously repaired, but possibly with faulty parts.
• Its Cruze sedan -- its best-selling car -- for axles that can break.
• All its newest pickup trucks and full-size SUVs for a! n oil lin! e that can leak and create a fire risk.
Spangler writes for the Detroit Free Press. Contributing: John Bacon
No comments:
Post a Comment