GM’s Barra discusses results of ignition switch investigation

Filed under: Hirings/Firings/Layoffs, Recalls, GM

General Motors has reviewed the results of a months-long internal investigation into its ignition-switch problem conducted by former US Attorney Anton Valukas. On Thursday morning, CEO Mary Barra told a group of gathered GM employees that the report was “extremely thorough, brutally tough and deeply troubling.”

Barra told a group of GM employees that the report was “extremely thorough, brutally tough and deeply troubling.”

She said the report highlighted a pattern of incompetence and neglect through multiple areas of the automaker that contributed to the deaths of at least 13 people in accidents attributed to the ignition-switch problem.

As a result of the investigation, Barra said that the company has fired 15 people associated with those failures and disciplined five others. Earlier documents had revealed that GM knew of the ignition-switch problems for more than a decade, but had done nothing to fix the problem.

She also confirmed that General Motors would establish a victims’ compensation fund that would be administered by Ken Feinberg, who was brought aboard the company in response to the problem.

More than a quarter-million cars have been recalled as a result of the flaw, including the Chevrolet Cobalt, Pontiac G5 and Saturn Ion.

“The Cobalt saga was riddled with failure that led to tragic results,” Barra said. “I hate sharing this with you.”

This story will be updated as we continue to get more information from GM as the morning’s town hall meeting carries on. In the meantime, find the official GM press release, and the full text of Barra’s speech, below.

Continue reading GM’s Barra discusses results of ignition switch investigation

GM’s Barra discusses results of ignition switch investigation originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 05 Jun 2014 10:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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