General Motors Is the Largest Vehicle Manufacturer in Our Country
A company with that much power is sure to be faced with a few lawsuits here and there, and GM is no exception. Most recently, there has been some very public controversy about why their faulty ignition switches were not recalled when problems with it were brought to Management attention back in 2005.
Mary Barra, who is the new Chief Executive of GM, found herself thrown into a whirlwind of questions and court action after a memo was shown as proof of the decision not to redesign the bad switches. This decision was made because a recall would end up costing the company more than they were comfortable with. Barra insists that this decision was not made by her, and that she only knew of the issue a few weeks before the recall began.
She Has Promised the General Public a “New GM” and States that Safety Has Now Taken a Front Seat to Cost Concerns.
Although alterations to the switches’ design was made by an undisclosed engineer in 2006, a new part number was never assigned. This makes the newer switches very difficult to tell apart from a bad one.
The problem with these flawed switches is that a spring in them is not strong enough to keep the car powered on if the car goes over a bump. The ignition will turn off, therefore also turning off the power steering and power brakes, along with any airbags. The automobile is then very hard to control and drive, not to mention unsafe.
A GM recall for these vehicles, which largely includes Saturn Ions and Chevrolet Cobalts, has now been put in order, however this occurred much later (almost ten years) than when the issue was originally realized.
It has been found that 13 people have been fatally wounded in accidents with automobiles thought to have these malfunctioning ignition switches. A New Orleans defective product attorney can help surviving family members recover damages.
If you have experienced issues due to the GM recall, you may be entitled to collect damages. Fill out our free case evaluation form to see if you are eligible for a potential lawsuit. An experienced attorney at Morris Bart will assist you in the evaluation process. Initial consultations are FREE. Click here to see more about our office locations throughout Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, and Arkansas. Call us at 1-800-537-8185 today.
