The U.S. automotive industry's eyes are turned to Washington, D.C. today, as General Motors Co. CEO Mary Barra is set to testify before a House of Representatives subcommittee on its delayed recall of millions of vehicles due to faulty ignition switches.
DETROIT, MI- The U.S. automotive industry’s eyes are turned to Washington, D.C. today, as General Motors Co. CEO Mary Barra is set to testify before a House of Representatives subcommittee on the company's delayed recall of millions of vehicles due to faulty ignition switches.
The 2 p.m. hearing – entitled “The GM Ignition Switch Recall: Why Did It Take So Long?” – was called by the House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigation. A webcast of the panel hearing will be available at energycommerce.house.gov.
Witnesses include Barra and National Highway Traffic Safety Administration administrator David Friedman. Both are expected to answer a variety of questions into the ignition switch problem and delayed recall, which has been linked to at least 13 fatalities and 31 accidents.
Committee officials say Barra, who became CEO on Jan. 15, will answer questions regarding what took the Detroit-based automaker so long to recall 2.6 million vehicles, including 2.2 in the U.S.; what prevented GM from identifying the defect sooner; why GM approved ignition switches that did not meet its specifications for torque; and the company’s overall recall processes.
General Motors CEO Mary Barra addresses the media during a roundtable meeting with journalists in Detroit, Thursday, Jan. 23, 2014. (AP Photo/Carlos Osorio)Barra, according to written testimony released Monday, said she doesn’t know why it took the Detroit-based automaker more than a decade to recall the millions of small cars, but she will find out.
Barra said GM will be” fully transparent” with government officials, regulators, and its customers when it does find out why the recall took so long.
The two-page written testimony reiterated numerous steps that Barra and GM have already taken regarding the recall, including dealer loaner cars for affected customers, having former U.S. Attorney Anton Valukas conduct a “thorough and unimpeded” investigation of the actions and appointing a new safety executive.
According to documents submitted to federal officials, GM knew about the faulty ignition switches as early as 2001 but did not recall the vehicles until last month.
"Lives are at stake, and we will follow the facts where they take us as we work to pinpoint where the system failed," said House Energy and Commerce Committee chairman Fred Upton, R-Mich., in a statement.
David J. FriedmanThe faulty ignition switches can move out of the “run” position to the “accessory” or “off” positions, leading to a loss of power. The risk may be increased if the key ring is carrying added weight or if the vehicle goes off road or experiences some jarring event, including rough roads. If the key turns to one of those positions, officials say the front air bags may not work if there's a crash.
The 2.6 million vehicles, including 2.2 million in the U.S., affected by the ignition switch recall include 2003-2007 Saturn Ions, 2007-2010 Saturn Skys, 2005-2011 Chevrolet HHRs, 2006-2010 Pontiac Solstices, and 2005-10 Chevrolet Cobalt and Pontiac G5 models.
In the first three months of 2014, GM has recalled a total of nearly 7 million vehicles worldwide, which is just less than the previous four years combined.
Friedman, who became acting administrator May 15, 2013, is expected to field questions regarding why the vehicle safety watchdog declined to open an official investigation into the recall and what prevented NHTSA from identifying a safety defect in GM recalls relating to airbag non-deployment.
Check back to MLive for more information about the hearing.