|
 The automaker told Reuters it had raised the number of crashes
associated with faulty ignition switches but stood by its count for
the number of fatalities.
GM recalled 2.6 million older models, including Chevrolet Cobalt and
Saturn Ion, to replace defective switches that can cause engines to
shut off while driving, leading to a sudden loss of power steering,
power brakes and the failure of air bags to deploy in a crash.
GM has linked the switch to 13 deaths in cars built and sold between
model years 2003-2010. It has never fully explained how it arrived
at the figure.
Spokesman Jim Cain on Friday said that GM recently informed
regulators that it had identified about a dozen more crashes
connected with the ignition switch in addition to the previous 35 in
had counted.
In response to a query from Reuters, the National Highway Traffic
Safety Administration (NHTSA) on Friday said, "The final death toll
associated with this safety defect is not known to NHTSA, but we
believe it's likely that more than 13 lives were lost."
The agency added: "GM would be in the position to determine
additional cases related directly to this defect based on lawsuits,
incident claims and additional data reported directly to the
automaker from its customers, dealerships, insurance companies,
safety groups and other sources."
Cain responded, "To the best of our knowledge, there have been 13
fatalities that may be related to the ignition switch defect. That's
after a thorough analysis of the information available to us. If we
come across new information, of course, we will share it with the
agency. We're totally focused on fixing all of the cars as quickly
as we can."
[to top of second column] |
Cain said GM determined the fatalities "by assessing the detailed
information in the claims data available to us," including
information in lawsuits and complaints.
The determination also was based on "engineering expertise in both
air bag deployment and electrical systems," he added.
In March, the independent Center for Auto Safety, a Washington-based
watchdog group, said its research had determined that 303 people had
died when airbags failed to deploy in the recalled GM cars.
When the CAS research was released, GM said that the group's report
was based on "raw data" and "without rigorous analysis, it is pure
speculation to attempt to draw any meaningful conclusions."
GM also has not identified the fatal victims from recalled cars.
NHTSA said it "has been assisting families by identifying whether or
not their loved ones are in the number counted by GM."
(Reporting by Paul Lienert in Detroit; Editing by Peter Henderson)
[© 2014 Thomson Reuters. All rights
reserved.] Copyright 2014 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published,
broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
 |
