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U.S. senators ask federal agency to act on recalled GM cars
[April 29, 2014]
WASHINGTON (Reuters) — Two
Democratic U.S. senators on Monday called on the
Department of Transportation to urge owners of 2.6
million recalled General Motors cars to stop driving
them until they are repaired, which could take months as
dealerships wait for replacement ignition switches. Senators Edward Markey of Massachusetts and Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut, who serve on the Senate Commerce Committee investigating GM regarding its safety problem, wrote Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx urging him to act. |
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"GM has indicated that it could take until
October, 2014, before it can complete all the needed repairs,"
the senators wrote. "Every day that unrepaired vehicles remain
on the road increases the risk of more injuries, deaths and
damage." The recalled autos can stall unexpectedly because of faulty
ignition switches. At least 13 deaths have been linked to the
problem, which also makes power steering and power brakes
malfunction and stops airbags from deploying during crashes. Transportation Department officials were not immediately
available for comment on the senators' request. On April 17, a federal judge refused to order GM to tell
customers to stop driving cars that have been recalled because
of the defective switches. The owners of a recalled 2006 Chevrolet Cobalt had sought an
emergency order directing GM to issue "park it now" notices. The Detroit automaker, which has known about the troubled
ignition switches for more than a decade before ordering recalls
earlier this year, maintains the cars are safe to operate as
long as there are no added keys or fobs hanging from the
ignition switch key. However, the company also acknowledges
increased risk of ignition switch malfunctions when traveling on
rough roads. Senate and House of Representatives committees are probing why
it took GM so long to order the recalls and who within GM
management made the decisions. (Reporting by Richard Cowan; editing by Dan Grebler) [© 2014 Thomson Reuters. All rights reserved.] Copyright 2014 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published,
broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
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