Ignition switch recall engulfs GM, according to The Detroit News.
One month after General Motors Co. announced a seemingly routine recall for older cars for ignition switch problems, the callback of 1.62 million cars linked to 12 deaths and 31 crashes in which air bags failed to inflate has grown into the biggest crisis the Detroit automaker has faced in years.
GM now faces a criminal investigation, looming hearings in Congress, scrutiny from federal regulators and mounting negative publicity over the question of whether GM recalled the cars in a timely manner. News reports have featured tearful stories of people killed in now-recalled cars. Tuesday, GM staffers are scheduled to brief House Energy and Commerce aides from both political parties on events leading to the recall.
The automaker has apologized for its handling of the recall and hired two outside law firms to investigate the company’s response to ignition switch problems that were spotted as early as 2001 on a preproduction Saturn Ion. Its stock price fell 9.6 percent this week.
