Today will likely go down as a turning point in General Motors Co.'s history. The Detroit-based automaker later this morning is expected to release its internal investigation into why the company waited years to recall 2.6 million cars linked to at least 13 deaths and 47 crashes due to faulty ignition switches.
DETROIT, MI- Today will likely go down as a turning point in General Motors Co.'s history.
The Detroit-based automaker this morning is expected to release its internal investigation into why the company waited years to recall 2.6 million cars linked to at least 13 deaths and 47 crashes due to faulty ignition switches.
GM CEO Mary Barra, who has led the company's exhaustive recall efforts this year, is scheduled to deliver the news herself as part of "an update on the ignition switch recall" during a "Global Town Hall Meeting" with employees at 9 a.m. at its Warren Technical Center in Metro Detroit. Nearly 1,000 people are expected to attend the town hall, which also will be broadcast around the globe.
The report is expected to shine light on the culture of the "old" GM, as Barra and her new team of executives try to push the "new" GM forward.
A GM spokesman would not confirm that the report will actually be released at the event, but numerous media outlets have reported that the internal investigation will be released and several executives are expected to leave the company.
The Detroit News, citing people briefed on the matter, reports that the departure of "several ranking executives" will be announced, but how many executives, lawyers and engineers are leaving GM and how many have been fired in connection with the investigation led by former U.S. attorney Anton Valukas is unclear.
General Motors CEO Mary Barra is sworn in on Capitol Hill in Washington, Tuesday, April 1, 2014, prior to testifying before the House Energy and Commerce subcommittee on Oversight and Investigation. The committee is looking for answers from Barra about safety defects and mishandled recall of 2.6 million small cars with a faulty ignition switch thatâs been linked to 13 deaths and dozen of crashes. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci) GM has already suspended two engineers in connection to Valukas' report and numerous executives have retired or opted to leave the automaker, including two senior vice presidents, since the ignition switch recall investigation started.
Shortly after the employee town hall, Barra is scheduled to participate in a morning press conference with media and a conference call with analyst in the early-afternoon.
GM says it plans to livestream the meeting at media.gm.com/businessupdate.
The 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.
According to testimony and documents submitted to a Congress subcommittee, GM knew about the faulty ignition switches in the early-2000s, but did not officially start recalling the vehicles until February of this year.
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.
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Michael Wayland covers the automotive industry for MLive. Email him at MWayland@mlive.com & follow him on Twitter @MikeWayland or Google+.