Report: GM Ignition Switch Issues First Appeared in 2001
GM Offering Owners of Affected Vehicles $500 Rebate
General Motors may have learned of the ignition switch issue plaguing six different vehicles from the mid-'00s as early as 2001, according to a new report. As part of the NHTSA investigation into the timing of GM's ignition switch recall, the automaker submitted documents that disclose it first learned of potential problems three years before it previously said.
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The first signs of GM's ignition woes appeared back in 2001 during the development of the Saturn ION. During pre-production, engineers reported that the ignition switch had "low detent plunger force," reportsAutomotive News. The problem was initially fixed by using a more robust Delphi-supplied ignition switch, though that switch too would have problems.
The next time the issues popped up were in 2003. Back in '03, a service technician reported that a Saturn Ion had stalled while driving. The tech noted that "the owner had several keys on the key ring," and that "the additional weight of the keys had worn out the ignition switch. "
Previously, GM had stated that it first became aware of the issue in 2004, when the Chevrolet Cobalt first went on sale.
The ignition switch recall affects some 1.6 million vehicles worldwide. The vehicles affected include the 2003-2007 Saturn ION, 2005-2007 Chevrolet Cobalt, Pontiac G5 and Chevrolet HHR, and the 2006-2007 Pontiac Solstice and Saturn Sky. The subpar ignition switches could cause the vehicles to switch off while in motion, causing a crash. GM says 31 frontal car crashes are attributed to ignition switch issue. GM also reports 12 deaths from the problem - it had previously reported 13 casualties, but has since said it counted one victim twice.
With so many vehicles affected, GM's got its work cut out for it when it comes to doing right by its customers. To that affect, theDetroit Newssays GM announced that it'd be offering owners of affected vehicles $500 towards the purchase or lease of a new GM vehicle. The deal runs through the end of April.
Source: Automotive News (subscription required), Detroit News
I generally like writing—especially when it’s about cars—but I hate writing about myself. So instead of blathering on about where I was born (New York City, in case you were wondering) or what type of cars I like (all of ’em, as long as it has a certain sense of soul or purpose), I’ll answer the one question I probably get most, right after what’s your favorite car (see above): How’d you get that job? Luck. Well, mostly. Hard work, too. Lots of it. I sort of fell into my major of journalism/mass communication at St. Bonaventure University and generally liked it a lot. In order to complete my degree senior year, we had to spend our last two semesters on some sort of project. Seeing as I loved cars and already spent a good portion of my time reading about cars on sites such as Motor Trend, I opted to create a car blog. I started a Tumblr, came up with a car-related name (The Stig’s American Cousin), signed up for media access on a bunch of manufacturer’s websites, and started writing. I did everything from cover new trim levels to reviewing my friends’ cars. I even wrote a really bad April Fool’s Day post about the next Subaru Impreza WRX being Toyota-Corolla-based. It was fun, and because it was fun, it never felt like work. Sometime after my blog had gotten off the ground, I noticed that Motor Trend was hiring for what’s now our Daily News Team. I sent in my résumé and a link to my blog. I got the job, and two weeks after graduation I made the move from New York to California. I’ve been happily plugging away at a keyboard—and driving some seriously awesome hardware—ever since.
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