GM recalls have been announced on Monday on over 8.4 million more vehicles, bringing the total number of General Motors recalled vehicles to nearly 29 million.
The latest GM recalls are on 1997 to 2005 Chevrolet Malibu sedans, 1998 to 2002 Oldsmobile Intrigue sedans, 1999 to 2004 Oldsmobile Aleros, 1999 to 2005 Pontiac Grand Ams, 2000 to 2005 Chevrolet Impalas and Monte Carlos, and 2004 to 2008 Pontiac Grand Prixs.
The American-based car manufacturer has faced intense backlash after its first round of recalls on faulty ignitions switches earlier this year. At that time, it was revealed that seven people died and numerous more were severely injured after suddenly losing power to their vehicles while driving. The number of deaths attributed to the defect is now at 13.
The problem was caused by a problem with the ignition switch, which could cause cars to turn off mid-operation if their keys were jostled. Families of the victims of fatal crashes caused by the recalled ignition switch have called for criminal charges to be filed against General Motors.
“I think GM needs to be held criminally liable,” Laura Christian said at the time. “No money in the world can make up for what they’ve done.” Christian’s 16-year-old daughter Amber Rose died in a now-recalled Chevrolet Cobalt in 2005. Many families and others believe that General Motors was aware of the problem for a long time and refused to acknowledge the deadly problem.
In April, a Senate committee investigated the car manufacture over claims that they knew about the ignition switch problem for over 10 years but failed to notify the proper authorities. Car manufacturers are required to report safety defects within five days of becoming aware of potential dangerous problems. General Motors was fined $35 million as a result of the investigation.
Currently, the following list of vehicles are all subject to the GM recalls on ignition switches:
1997-2005 Chevrolet Malibu 1998-2002 Oldsmobile Intrique 1999-2004 Oldsmobile Alero 1999-2005 Pontiac Grand Am 2000-05 Chevrolet Impala and Monte Carlo 2004-08 Pontiac Grand Prix 2003-14 Cadillac CTS 2004-06 Cadillac SRX 2011-14 Chevrolet Cruze; 2012-14 Chevrolet Sonic 2013-14 Chevrolet Trax, Buick Encore and Verano 2014 Chevrolet Camaro and Impala, Buick Regal, Cadillac XTS 2007-11 Chevrolet Silverado HD, GMC Sierra HD equipped with an auxiliary battery 2005-07 Buick Rainier, Chevrolet TrailBlazer, GMC Envoy, Isuzu Ascender, Saab 9-7x 2006 Chevrolet TrailBlazer EXT, GMC Envoy XL
Meanwhile, owners of the affected vehicles report long delays in getting their cars fixed. Peggy Cole of Georgia told Channel 2 ‘s Rachel Stockman , “They tell me they don’t have the parts, so I have to wait.”
She showed the station her recall letter, which states, “Parts are not presently available for your vehicle. When parts become available, GM will send you another letter to notify you to schedule an appointment with your GM dealer. The recall will be performed at no charge.”
Meanwhile, Ms. Cole and millions more like her wait, feeling little comfort from GM’s recently released video, assuring customers that their cars are safe to drive if they remove everything but their car key from their keychain.
With the list of recalled vehicles rising what seems like daily, this author is unsure whether she wants to continue driving her Chevy while waiting to see if it ends up on the long list of GM recalls.
