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May 19, 2014

GM Fined $35 Million for Hiding Safety Defect 
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The auto giant General Motors has been hit with a $35 million fine over
its concealment of a safety defect linked to hundreds of deaths. GM
began recalling millions of vehicles this year, despite knowing of a
faulty ignition switch in its vehicles at least a decade earlier. The
Transportation Department fined GM on Friday as part of its probe into
the defect, one of several investigations under way by government
agencies and Congress. Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx said GM's
silence caused deaths.

Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx: "We know no one is perfect, but
what we cannot tolerate, what we will not accept, is that a person or a
company who knows danger exists and says nothing. Literally, silence can
kill. What we now know is that GM knew about this issue years before
this past February. Since at least November of 2009, GM has had
information linking ignition switch problems with airbags failing to
deploy. They had that information and they told no one."

GM recalled another 2.7 million vehicles last week, bringing the total
this year to 12.8 million.

 

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