GM Recalls: GM VP Knew of Switch Problem in 2005, Delphi Investigation & New Numbers
June, 2014
Bloomberg reports Barra Confidante knew in 2005
“A top product-development executive still working at General Motors Co. (GM) was, as an engineer, involved in deliberations about a deadly ignition flaw kept from the public, newly released documents indicate.
Doug Parks, a vehicle chief engineer for the Chevrolet Cobalt in 2005, was involved in the debate over whether it was worth the cost to redesign a faulty ignition switch that had been installed on millions of cars, according to company e-mails and documents released yesterday by congressional investigators. He would later become vice president of global product programs under Mary Barra, now GM’s chief executive officer.
Barra, who rose from product development to become CEO in January, has tried to manage the fallout over the delayed switch recall by assuring lawmakers that GM’s corporate culture regarding safety has changed. While GM has ousted 15 people over the switch defect and two other senior engineers involved retired, Parks remains.”
See http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2014-06-26/gm-documents-show-engineer-went-against-company-panel.html
NY Times reports Senate Investigating Delphi
“Senate investigators are widening the scope of the inquiry into General Motors’ decade-long failure to recall cars with a defective ignition switch to also focus on the supplier that made the flawed part.”
NY Times also publishes Graphic showing that in North America in 2014, the total number of GM Recalled vehicles currently = 20,013,649. Now NHTSA needs to publish numbers of vehicles still repaired on the roads endangering Americans. NHTSA also needs to publish the data it has on Recalls by each automaker. See NY Times Graphic on GM at:http://graphics8.nytimes.com/packages/pdf/Recalls-Running-Total.jpg?action=click&contentCollection=Business%20Day&module=RelatedCoverage®ion=Marginalia&pgtype=article
These reports hold promise of more safety progress as the public learns more about the enormity of the problem and the focus moves up the chain of command. Hopefully America will do as well with these “Safetygate” investigations as we were able to do with Watergate.
Lou