General Motors has another faulty product, only this time it’s a website, not a vehicle, federal safety regulators say.
Owners of GM vehicles were told they could use the company’s vehicle identification number (VIN) lookup site to determine whether their vehicle contains a faulty ignition switch or other defect, but the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) said in a statement issued Aug. 1 that it “determined that owners of some recalled GM vehicles are receiving incorrect and misleading results,” according to a report by USA Today.
In an emailed statement to CBS News, GM said, “We are making the necessary changes to our website so customers can identify individual VIN numbers. We have made substantial progress to resolve this issue and expect it to be fully corrected this week.”
Customers who have questions about their vehicles are advised to call the customer care numbers listed on the GM ignition recall website.
Site Said ‘No Recall’? Check Again
NHTSA says people who have used GM’s website and found no recall should try again.
Problems with GM’s online system were brought to NHTSA’s attention by Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.), who has been critical of GM, accusing the company at Senate subcommittee hearings of covering up an ignition switch problem that has been linked to 13 deaths and 54 crashes.
The Detroit-based automaker is being investigated for its lack of timeliness in its February and March recall of 2.6 million small cars, including 2.19 million in the U.S., with ignition switches that can disable the engine, affect steering and brakes and make airbags inoperable while the vehicle is in motion.
GM documents reveal the company knew about the problem as early as 2001 but waited years to do anything about it.
Recall Sets Single-Year Record
GM has recalled nearly 29 million North American vehicles in 2014, a single-year record for most cars recalled in the United States. It plans to have enough ignition switches to repair all 2.6 million vehicles by October.
A victims’ compensation fund created by GM and administered by attorney Kenneth Feinberg was set up to compensate victims of the faulty ignition switches. As part of its second quarter earnings review, GM said it expected to spend $400 to $600 million on the fund. Previously, GM had implied that the fund would have no cap.
The Detroit News reports that through Monday, 93 applications for awards had been filed. Detroit News also notes that GM is facing 95-class action suits related to this year’s 60 separate recalls in addition to 100 cases – including personal injury cases – that have been consolidated in a New York federal court.
General Motors has another faulty product, only this time it’s a website, not a vehicle, federal safety regulators say.
Owners of GM vehicles were told they could use the company’s vehicle identification number (VIN) lookup site to determine whether their vehicle contains a faulty ignition switch or other defect, but the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) said in a statement issued Aug. 1 that it “determined that owners of some recalled GM vehicles are receiving incorrect and misleading results,” according to a report by USA Today.
In an emailed statement to CBS News, GM said, “We are making the necessary changes to our website so customers can identify individual VIN numbers. We have made substantial progress to resolve this issue and expect it to be fully corrected this week.”
Customers who have questions about their vehicles are advised to call the customer care numbers listed on the GM ignition recall website.
Site Said ‘No Recall’? Check Again
NHTSA says people who have used GM’s website and found no recall should try again.
Problems with GM’s online system were brought to NHTSA’s attention by Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.), who has been critical of GM, accusing the company at Senate subcommittee hearings of covering up an ignition switch problem that has been linked to 13 deaths and 54 crashes.
The Detroit-based automaker is being investigated for its lack of timeliness in its February and March recall of 2.6 million small cars, including 2.19 million in the U.S., with ignition switches that can disable the engine, affect steering and brakes and make airbags inoperable while the vehicle is in motion.
GM documents reveal the company knew about the problem as early as 2001 but waited years to do anything about it.
Recall Sets Single-Year Record
GM has recalled nearly 29 million North American vehicles in 2014, a single-year record for most cars recalled in the United States. It plans to have enough ignition switches to repair all 2.6 million vehicles by October.
A victims’ compensation fund created by GM and administered by attorney Kenneth Feinberg was set up to compensate victims of the faulty ignition switches. As part of its second quarter earnings review, GM said it expected to spend $400 to $600 million on the fund. Previously, GM had implied that the fund would have no cap.
The Detroit News reports that through Monday, 93 applications for awards had been filed. Detroit News also notes that GM is facing 95-class action suits related to this year’s 60 separate recalls in addition to 100 cases – including personal injury cases – that have been consolidated in a New York federal court.