LONDON: General Motors Co ordered half a million replacement ignition switches almost two months before it alerted federal safety regulators of the issues that prompted a recall of millions of vehicles.
The email exchanges, which took place in mid-December 2013 between a GM contract worker and Delphi, indicate GM placed an “urgent” order for 500,000 replacement switches on Dec. 18, a day after a meeting of senior executives. GM announced its recall in February 2014.
GM has faced criticism for waiting 11 years to begin recalling millions of cars with ignition-switch problems that have been linked to fatalities. The switch in question can slip out of position, stalling the vehicle and disabling air bags. The defect led to the recall of 2.6 million vehicles earlier this year.
So far, 61 claims have been deemed eligible for compensation, including 30 deaths and 31 injuries.
A federal judge in Manhattan has set Jan. 11, 2016, for the first trial in consolidated litigation against General Motors over a series of safety issues, including a faulty ignition switch.
