Tuesday, April 1, 2014
GM fails to recall cars with faulty ignition switches
In this article, Mary Barra, chief executive of GM, released a statement talking about the company's failure to recall cars that had faulty ignition switches. According to the article, the faulty switches can be linked to 12 deaths. The switches, because of a wiring issue caused airbags to not employ in a crash. GM argues that the company notified owners three years ago regarding the faulty switches, but did not make a recall. What do you think about GM's failure to recall the cars? Do you feel like the company is making an effort to change? Do you think this situation will benefit the company in the future?
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This must have been a rough last few months for Mary Barra. She just took over as CEO, and now she is having to deal with a huge scandal. I think that Barra's comment about GM taking responsibly is very important. People will stop buying GM cars if they don't feel like they can trust the company. The way that this situation is handled could have implications on our economy as well. If this doesn't blow over, and people stop buying GM cars that would be a real blow to our economy. It is in everyone's interest that this situation is handled quickly and gracefully.
ReplyDeleteIt's good to see that Ms. Barra is at least exposing these problems and trying to crack down on the issues that have led to these recalls, but it's still too early to tell if the company is really going to change, or if this is just a bunch of fluff just to keep people happy. Only time will tell to see if GM is truly trying to change, and we will then be able to know if they really have changed or if they were just saying the right thing without carrying out any action.
ReplyDeleteI think that this is unfortunate, because GM took a hit a while back and then they got a bailout from the government. I think that a recall on an issue like this is incredibly important. An airbag that does not open is so dangerous and obviously life threatening. Mary Barra was not in charge when the notifications went out so I feel for her, but whether or not the company will change is something I am unsure of.
ReplyDeleteIt seems like Barra is taking steps in the right direction, but GM should have already made the recalls. Most of the cars which are being recalled are multiple years old. Even though most of them have not been linked to injury, there was so much potential harm which they could have caused.
ReplyDeleteI am glad to see Barra is taking responsibility for the company's mistakes even though she wasn't in charge when they were made. I hope her comments are sincere and the company will try to change so things like this don't happen again. Unfortunately, with a company that is as big and that has been around as long as GM I find it hard to believe that any significant changes will be made.
ReplyDeleteGM made a mistake with not making recalls as soon as they were aware of the faulty switches. 12 deaths is far too many, and some could have been prevented if a recall was made sooner. Mary Barra is in an extremely tough position, but she is handling it well; not many people would take responsibility especially since she is a new CEO. I'm unsure if we will witness major change, but I hope GM can reestablish a reputation which may now be tarnished.
ReplyDeleteTwelve could have very well been a lower number if recalls were made. As bad as the situation is, Barra is handling it well and taking full responsibility which is nice to see. My family has a Chevy van and it was relieving to know our specific vehicle wasn't recalled. Before reading this article I discussed it with my dad and it'll be interesting to follow.
ReplyDeleteGM is going to have to do a lot in order to prove that it is actually changing and moving forth in the right direction. The amount of recalls is actually pretty scary, the article just kept listing more and more models and mistakes that were made in the manufacturing of them. The fact that there are this many problems will probably keep a good amount of people from purchasing from GM. The fact that Barra is being completely open about the situation is good, but I still think this will have a big effect on the company in general.
ReplyDeleteDepending on how Barra responds to the situation will decide whether her company takes a hits with consumers. Consumers, especially when buying a product like a car, need to have trust in the company they are buying from and after the recent scandal many people may not trust GM. However by admitting to the mistakes and so far working to fix them, it seems like Barra is definitely moving in the right direction with her efforts.
ReplyDeleteGM's effort to fix this problem is nothing short of pathetic. When will money stop being valued over human life? By reading the article it seems GM had many opportunities to make the fix, but failed to do so every time. Barra's statement is way too late, 12 deaths to be exact. It's going to take a very long time for people to gain GM's trust again. GM brought this entire situation upon themselves.
ReplyDeleteWhile I agree with everyone that it's good that Barra is taking responsibility, simply notifying the owners was clearly not good enough. Some of those deaths could have been avoided had a recall been made. That being said, the company does seem to be taking a step in the right direction, just based on this article. Maybe it'll be a lesson learned for future events, and GM and other car manufacturers can avoid this kind of situation in the future.
ReplyDeleteI think if a company has a flaw, like GM did, and does not recall their product, they are asking for trouble. Just notifying the owners will not solve the problem. Recalling the cars and fixing them will. As far as I'm concerned, those 12 deaths are on GM's hands. I would very much hope that this company and Mary Barra are making an effort to fix things. Because 12 deaths from a faulty product is 12 too many.Taking responsibility isn't enough. Taking action is.
ReplyDeleteMary Barra has done a very good job handling this situation so far. Like many of my classmates, I agree that this could have been handled earlier and some of the deaths that occurred could have been prevented. It's hard to tell whether or not we will see a major change within the company, but Barra has definitely taken a step in the right direction.
ReplyDeleteGeneral Motors really messed up when they didn't recall these ignition switches in 2008, when their engineers initially discovered the problem. With this new chief executive's policy of transparency it should be interesting to see how they handle this situation. It disturbs me that they aren't taking full responsibility for their mistake and are trying to avoid paying the families who have been affected tragically by their products. Hopefully Barra can stop using the excuse of the old GM and try to fix the new GM.
ReplyDeleteCertain components in cars, like brakes and airbags, are far too important and need to cause a recall when they are faulty. warnings and public statements do not go far enough in protecting the consumer and measures as serious as a recall must be taken. GM should do what toyota did and demonstrate that they care about the quality and functionality of their product to set an example for american car manufacturers.
ReplyDeleteEssentially I agree with what my classmates have said thus far. It is good that GM is starting to take responsibility, and they need to take action and fast. It is not feasible for our economy for people to lose faith in GM. The American people need to have faith in American business and GM did not help anyone, including themselves by not instituting a recall.
ReplyDeleteThe people running GM are a bunch of scumbags. There have been way too many deaths related to cars that should've been recalled. Americans don't trust american businesses and I would never trust GM.
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