Remember To Get Your GM Car Fixed After a Recall

Earlier this week I read a troubling article relating to the General Motor’s recall, in the Virginia Pilot. Apparently, despite all the publicity relating and congressional hearings on the matter, many GM car owners with faulty ignition switches still have not gotten their car repaired or have made appointments to get their car repaired. In fact only 1.16 Million of the 2.36 Million vehicles affected by the recall, or less than half, have been fixed. Earlier in the year the problem was a lack of replacement switches. However, on October 1st GM announced that they had finally finished manufacturing enough replacement switches, and then some, for all the affected cars.

Now the problem is getting people scheduled to bring their car in and getting it fixed. Luckily GM is being incredibly proactive in getting people in to get their cars fixed. Usually companies during a recall will just send a letter. GM has been contacting people through Facebook, calling them repeatedly, and in some cases even going to the door to get their car and fix it. So far the fatal problem has been implicated in at least 24 deaths however that number is likely to rise as more of the 165 families’ cases are reviewed.

GM recalled 2.6 million small cars including Chevrolet Cobalts and Saturn Ions earlier this year to fix faulty ignition switches that are now blamed for at least 24 deaths nationwide.  USA Today reported that the GM house-cleaning has resulted in 63 other recalls though Aug. 8, 2014.

GM CEO Mary Barra said in a CNBC interview, “We wanted to be substantially complete by the end of the second quarter…That work is done,” she said. “We are substantially complete.”

Cars are not meant to fail this way. The GM debacle is still more regrettable because nothing was done for a decade and even regulators such as the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) failed to take decisive action.

Cooper Hurley Injury Lawyers represent people who have been hurt in auto accidents, including the victims of defective products be it a car or a pill or a device. Call our Virginia product liability attorneys at 757.455.0077.