General Motors recalls 15 lakh cars

The US car manufacturer, General Motors (GM), has announced new recalls of 15 lakh vehicles, with their Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Mary Barra publicly admitting that the company failed to catch the faulty ignition switches which are linked to the 12 deaths that were reported over a period of time.

Barra issued a statement saying, “Something went wrong with our process in this instance, and terrible things happened.” She further stated that GM is conducting an intense review of their internal processes and will have more developments to announce in the near future. 

In the last two months, GM has recalled more than 30 lakh vehicles in the United States and other markets. More than 16 lakh vehicles were recalled last month to overcome the faulty ignition switches problem. The latest recalls cover airbag wiring harnesses, brake parts and other components across several models.

The decade-long process that led to ignition-switch recall of older GM models such as the 2005-2007 Chevrolet Cobalt and 2003-2007 Saturn Ion has led to government criminal and civil investigations and lawsuits in the United States and Canada against GM.  

Barra said that GM was working with the supplier of the ignition switches, Delphi Automotive, to add a second production line in order to replace the faulty spare parts. She further added that the customers would receive a detailed notice of the same via mail during the second week of April.

GM also announced the recall of more than 15 lakh newer SUVs, luxury sedans and full-size vans separately. For instance there were reports of engine compartment catching fire in their Cadillac XTS sedans. The company stated that it has not received any reports of accidents or injuries related to the three new recalls.

The Detroit carmaker was hit with the first law-suit related to the ignition-switch recall, on March 14, 2014. Customers complained that their vehicles lost value due to the ignition switch problems. The lawsuit was filed in a Texas federal court.

General Motors had earlier in July 2013, recalled 1.14 lakh units of Chevrolet Tavera in India which were manufactured between 2005 and 2013. The company had initiated the recall to address emissions and specification issues. The company had then stated that the 1.14 lakh vehicles would be repaired free of cost at GMI’s 280 dealer outlets.