GM Recalls: How GM Silenced a Whistle-Blower on Dangerous Defects
June, 2014
Dear Care for Crash Victims Community Members:
Bloomberg reports: “It was close to 3 a.m. on June 6 when Courtland Kelley burst into his bedroom, startling his wife awake.General Motors (GM), Kelley’s employer for more than 30 years, had just released the results of an investigation into how a flawed ignition switch in the Chevrolet Cobalt could easily slip into the “off” position—cutting power, stalling the engine, and disabling airbags just when they’re needed most. The part has been linked to at least 13 deaths and 54 crashes…. “The “Valukas Report,” named for former U.S. Attorney Anton Valukas, who assembled it at GM’s request from interviews with 230 witnesses and 41 million documents, blamed a culture of complacency for the more than decade-long delay before the company recalled millions of faulty vehicles. It described employees passing the buck and committees falling back on the “GM nod”—when everyone in a meeting agrees that something should happen, and no one actually does it. On page 93, a GM safety inspector named Steven Oakley is quoted telling investigators that he was too afraid to insist on safety concerns with the Cobalt after seeing his predecessor “pushed out of the job for doing just that.” Reading the passage, Kelley felt like he’d been punched in the gut. The predecessor Oakley was talking about was Kelley.”
See also article on GM power over the past decade athttps://www.careforcrashvictims.com/assets/CFCV-MonthlyReport-March2014-2%20.pdf
Lou
