12 votes

GM will recall about seven million US pickup trucks and SUVs from the 2007-2014 model years to replace potentially dangerous Takata air bag inflators

5 comments

  1. [5]
    soks_n_sandals
    Link
    I remember that Honda replaced their airbags some time ago after the Takata fiasco, and I was wondering, "Why did it take so long for GM to do the same?" The answer is in the second line: Of...

    I remember that Honda replaced their airbags some time ago after the Takata fiasco, and I was wondering, "Why did it take so long for GM to do the same?" The answer is in the second line:

    The announcement came Monday after the U.S. government told the automaker it had to recall 6 million of the vehicles in the U.S.

    Of course, GM claims the bags are still safe. It's shocking what it takes for a company to issue a recall - even if necessary. I mentioned Honda, but they are guilty of some major software issues in their vehicles in the last few years. The most egregious issue, in my opinion, is that their dash with speed, tach, etc., would go dark and may or may not restart without having to shut the car off. A "recall", which was mostly just a software update, was issued for 600k vehicles and came after a class-action lawsuit. Not sure the suit ever got resolved, but it also isn't apparent that the software patch fixed the issues.

    8 votes
    1. [4]
      joplin
      Link Parent
      It's really interesting to see how various companies handle this. I have a Honda, and they were very straightforward about it. They sent me mail about it, I brought it in and they fixed it for...

      It's really interesting to see how various companies handle this. I have a Honda, and they were very straightforward about it. They sent me mail about it, I brought it in and they fixed it for free, no questions asked.

      My spouse has a Ford. They sent her mail about it. We called about getting it fixed and they said there was a wait list. We waited and waited and waited for about 2 years, each time being told by several local dealerships there weren't enough airbags. During this time Ford continued to mail us more and more urgent letters encouraging us to GET IT FIXED!. Eventually it came to a head when we took the car in for something else, and I mentioned also getting the airbags fixed while they were doing other stuff, and they laughed and said, "You have to get on the waiting list for that and the list is already very long." I screamed at them that I'd been told for the past 2 years that we were on the @(*#$ waiting list and that if they didn't fix it soon I'd start talking to a lawyer about it. It was magically fixed that day.

      Honda seemed to handle this reasonably. Ford corporate seemed to have their head in the right place, even if their local dealers had their heads up their asses. But GM — Christ, what assholes.

      5 votes
      1. [3]
        soks_n_sandals
        Link Parent
        That's so frustrating. I've heard that recalls come out when the cost to fix is less than the cost to getting sued into oblivion, but I don't know how true that really is in practice. I understand...

        That's so frustrating. I've heard that recalls come out when the cost to fix is less than the cost to getting sued into oblivion, but I don't know how true that really is in practice. I understand that fixing these air bags will be very costly for GM. I have little sympathy for a company that was bailed out over a decade ago and is behaving so squarely in its own interest instead of the interest of safety/consumers.

        2 votes
        1. [2]
          boltsky
          Link Parent
          Sounds like the scene from Fight Club.

          I've heard that recalls come out when the cost to fix is less than the cost to getting sued into oblivion, but I don't know how true that really is in practice.

          Sounds like the scene from Fight Club.

          4 votes
          1. soks_n_sandals
            Link Parent
            Hahaha, of course it is. I haven't seen the film, but no wonder that sentiment seems to pop up everywhere. I just did a bit of digging, and in the US, the Consumer Protection Safety Commission...

            Hahaha, of course it is. I haven't seen the film, but no wonder that sentiment seems to pop up everywhere. I just did a bit of digging, and in the US, the Consumer Protection Safety Commission decides whether recalls are necessary. The company can, of course, voluntarily recall, but is obliged to report safety issues and defects within 24 hours of their notification. So, it seems that the Fight Club scene is just edginess about business practices.

            3 votes