![Enter the Bizcommunity Loeries tote bag design competition and win 2 x VIP Loeries tickets](https://biz-file.com/c/2408/747649-64x64.jpg?1)
Subscribe & Follow
Jobs
- ARC Panel Workshop Manager Cape Town
- ARC Strip and Assembler Cape Town
- Buyer Learnership Vereeniging
- Junior Bookkeeper Ekurhuleni
GM has known about steering problems since 2011
![Mary Barra, Chief Executive of GM was apparently informed about steering problems affecting GM cars in 2011. Image: LinkedIn](https://biz-file.com/c/1404/191951.jpg)
US lawmakers published an internal email, dated 3 October 2011, from a GM engineer to Barra, who was at that time head of product development GM.
The email includes a New York Times article of the same date about the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's (NHTSA) investigation of steering problems with the Saturn Ion, the Chevrolet Cobalt and the Pontiac GS that led to 13 deaths in the US.
The newspaper said the NHTSA should have included the Ion in GM's 2010 recall of certain vehicles with steering problems.
"During the initial Cobalt case, the Ion data did not justify being included. This situation has been evolving," said Engineer Terry Woychowski in the email.
The document did not show whether Barra, who became GM's chief executive in January, had responded.
More than two years later, on 31 March, GM recalled 1.5m cars worldwide for a steering problem, including the 2004 to 2007 models of the Ion and the 2010 Cobalt.
2.6m vehicles recalled
The same Cobalt and Ion cars are among the 2.6m cars GM recalled in February and March this year for an ignition switch problem that can prevent airbags from deploying.
GM, the largest car manufacturer in the US, was aware of the ignition switch problem more than a decade before the recall.
The email was among a trove of documents released by the House of Representatives's Energy and Commerce Committee. The House and the Senate are investigating why GM took so long to recall the cars with defective ignition switches.
The note refers to a Saturn Ion steering problem, an issue completely separate from the ignition-related problems," GM spokesman Alan Adler said in a statement.
"The email in no way contradicts Barra's previous statements or testimony before the House or Senate subcommittees," Adler added.
In her testimony before Congress on 1 and 2 April, Barra said that she was not aware of the ignition switch problem until December. Lawmakers did not ask her if she knew about other defects in different GM models.
Source: AFP via I-Net Bridge
Source: I-Net Bridge
![](https://biz-file.com/b/1206/36520.gif?3)
For more than two decades, I-Net Bridge has been one of South Africa’s preferred electronic providers of innovative solutions, data of the highest calibre, reliable platforms and excellent supporting systems. Our products include workstations, web applications and data feeds packaged with in-depth news and powerful analytical tools empowering clients to make meaningful decisions.
We pride ourselves on our wide variety of in-house skills, encompassing multiple platforms and applications. These skills enable us to not only function as a first class facility, but also design, implement and support all our client needs at a level that confirms I-Net Bridge a leader in its field.
Go to: http://www.inet.co.za![](https://cdn.bizcommunity.com/f/2408/Loeries-Tote-bag-competition.gif)
![](/res/img/s.gif)