General Motors has been in the headlines quite a bit since early this year, a sign that the auto manufacturing company is probably feeling the pressure — and they should be.
An ignition switch fault in one of GM’s cars is linked to 12 deaths and 46 accidents that involved injury in the United States. The automaker is being investigated for hiding from consumers the fact that this ignition switch could cause fatal accidents.
On May 16, GM announced five separate recalls that totaled three million vehicles, according to an article from USA Today. These huge recalls are, according to GM, its “continuing effort to quickly address emerging safety issues.”
GM is trying to build the trust back up with consumers with transparency, and prevent any more charges and investigations — that is clear. These latest recalls bring the total to 29 so far this year (some of those recalls have involved fewer than 100 vehicles.)
GM will make sure not to miss any more “red flags” in regards to safety, it even seems as though they’re recalling for “yellow flags.” Other car companies have also been on a recall rampage, likely in an attempt to avoid the scandal GM has gotten themselves in to,
The new point of view for automakers across the country is: “Let’s just do a recall on this and fix it right, and fix it fast.”
With GM’s newest recall, there have been 18 crashes due to the problems, but no fatalities. Some of the vehicles included in the recall are the Buick Enclave, Chevrolet Traverse, Pontiac G6, and the Saturn Aura.
On the bright side, experts say that all the recalls from GM and other companies doesn’t necessarily mean that cars are any less safe than in the past. The number of annual motor vehicle traffic fatalities fell 8% this past decade, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA).
Even with reassuring statistics like that, it is important to know about recalls from auto manufacturers. Car companies aren’t perfect, clearly, and sometimes people are put at serious risk due to a car malfunction that could have been prevented.
If you have been injured in a car accident in St. Louis that could have been caused by a malfunctioning vehicle, don’t hesitate to contact us directly with questions about your particular situation.