New GM Recall Of 3 Million Cars Over Ignition Switch Defects

A GM recall has just been announced and will soon pull 3.36 million cars off the road due to a defect in the ignition switches. The GM recall, which was announced this Monday, was prompted by a defective ignition switch that could be bumped out of the “run” position and switch off, possibly causing fatal accidents on the road. If the keys to the ignition switch are too heavy and jostle around, the car could suddenly turn off and stop.

This GM recall picks up where the previous one left off a week ago as reported. The previous GM recall took 2.6 million Chevrolet Cobalts and other cars off the roads because of the same defect. In all, GM has recalled around 20 million cars just this year, more than the total annual car sales in the USA.

The ignition switch is highly vulnerable to slight movements and bumps. GM states that simply bumping the keys with your knees or going over a pothole could cause the ignition switch to turn off.

This most recent GM recall has already been related to eight crashes and six injuries and the ignition switch defect is related to 13 deaths in the United States. It also includes Buick Lacrosse, Chevrolet Impala, Cadillac Deville, and some other car models. However, the Chevrolet Impala is the only one still in production and is sold as the Impala Limited according to The New York Times.

GM has said that:

“The use of a key with a hole, rather than a slotted key, addresses the concern of unintended key rotation due to a jarring road event, such as striking a pothole or crossing railroad tracks.”

This fatal ignition switch issue is similar to one that happened earlier with the Chevrolet Cobalts and several other small cars. This problem resulted in 13 deaths and several other injuries.

Anton Valukas is the chairman of GM’s outside law firm. He has conducted a long investigation on GM’s internal decision making process and has concluded that it has several deep flaws that resulted in this ignition defect.

“Mr. Valukas’ exhaustive report revealed disturbing truths about GM’s systemic and cultural failures that allowed this problem to go undiagnosed for over a decade, but many questions remain unanswered about the recalls and resulting changes within the company.”

The GM recall has been followed up with GM assuring Congress that the company has taken an appropriate response. Hopefully car companies in the future will pay more attention to any defects the cars may have to prevent future accidents.

[Image via Reuters]