Recently, GM has faced a lot of questions from lawyers, Congress, crash victims, and the public at large. It turns out that the company has been making grave mistakes for more than a decade, and the fine folks at NPR have put together a comprehensive timeline relating to the GM ignition switch recall that goes all the way back to 2001.
This history is very enlightening, and can help us all get our facts straight on the issue. However, we can expect plenty of more additions to this timeline, including a recent affidavit from a woman who stated that she received a recall letter with the directive to not use a heavy key chain in the ignition. Despite using a single car key, the ignition still malfunctioned, causing the engine to cut off and her driver to manoeuvre the car to a stop without being able to steer. This was after Barra had repeatedly stated that her staff assured her that the vehicles were safe to drive if all extra keys and items were removed from the key chain.
If you or anyone you know is still driving one of GM’s recalled vehicles, be sure to get the vehicle into a dealership for ignition switch replacement ASAP. Do not attempt to drive the vehicle, even with all other keys and key chains removed.