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(USGovernment-News.Com, June 30, 2014 ) Detroit, MI -- The Oliver Law Group P.C. reports that the U.S. Department Of Transportation (DOT) has fined General Motors $35 million for waiting more than decade to respond to complaints about faulty ignition switches in its Saturn Ions and Chevy Cobalts that allegedly caused accidents and at least 13 deaths. Under a pact reached with the federal government on May 16, 2014, GM agreed to have “unprecedented” government oversight, notify the government of any changes to the company’s efforts to make repair parts, and make “significant and wide-ranging internal changes” to reviewing safety issues. The Associated Press (AP) reported the record $35 million fine is the maximum penalty the government can impose, although Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx asked Congress to pass legislation increasing GM’s fine to $300 million.
The AP also reported that David Friedman, the acting administrator of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), discovered a 2009 memo from an auto parts supplier that warned GM that the defective ignition switch would prevent a vehicle’s air bags from deploying. Friedman said the government would have issued a recall in 2009 if it had the memo at that time. The NHTSA has been criticized for not requiring GM to issue a recall even though there were many complaints from vehicle owners.
According to the AP, GM has acknowledged that the company knew as far back as 2001 about the faulty ignition switch problem, which occurred when heavily loaded key rings made the ignition switch slip into the “accessory” or “off” position while the vehicle is in motion. The NHTSA said in its May 16, 2014, statement that GM agreed that it was slow to report the problems with the ignition switch.
[hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_GENERAL_MOTORS_INVESTIGATION?SITE=VALYD&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT, May 16]
GM is currently under investigation by the U.S. Justice Department, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, the U.S. Congress and Senate, and a state attorney general. Reuters reported that GM CEO Mary Barra told a Senate panel and a House of Representatives Energy and Commerce subcommittee in April 2014 that GM is conducting its own investigation that should be completed by June. After GM’s internal investigation is finished, Barra will return to Washington to report the company’s findings and provide answers to questions that she did not know when testifying before the Congressional panel in April. GM has now recalled 2.6 million vehicles that include 2005-2010 Chevrolet Cobalt, 2006-2011 Chevrolet Heritage High Room (HHR) , 2007-2010 Pontiac G5, 2006-2010 Pontiac Solstice, 2003-2007 Saturn Ion, and 2007-2010 Saturn Sky.
[reuters.com/article/2014/05/13/us-gm-recall-congress-idUSBREA4C0U520140513, May 13, 2014]
[gmignitionupdate.com]
Court documents indicate that GM Class Action Lawsuits are rising across the country, including a complaint filed by the Oliver Law Group P.C. on behalf of a Livingston County, Michigan, woman whose 2004 Saturn Ion shut down while she was driving the car. According to the GM Class Action Lawsuit, the woman was able to coast the Saturn off to the side of the road and was not injured. The lawsuit contends that the woman purchased the car in 2013 and is now left with a defective vehicle with a greatly diminished resale value. The lawsuit was filed in the U.S. District Court, Eastern District of Michigan (2:14-cv-11912). Due to the increasing number of GM faulty ignition switch lawsuit filings, the U.S. Judicial Panel of Multidistrict Litigation (JPML) has been asked to transfer all of the cases to the U.S. District Court, Southern District of California for coordinated pretrial proceedings. (In Re: General Motors LLC Ignition Switch Litigation – MDL 2543) The JPML has scheduled a hearing on the motion for May 29, 2104, in Chicago.
Contact Oliver Law Group P.C. To Learn More About Filing A GM Class Action Lawsuit Complaint Involving Defective General Motors Vehicles
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If you have been the victim of a defective General Motors vehicle that was recalled due to a faulty ignition switch, contact the Oliver Law Group P.C. for our free GM Class Action Lawsuit case review by calling 1-800-939-7878 today or visit www.legalactionnow.com.
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