GM recalls another 7.6 million cars

General Motors has announced the latest in a string of safety recalls, this one including the Chevrolet Cruze, Sonic, Trax, Camaro, Malibu, and Trailblazer. The vehicles are US-market cars and trucks and the fault mainly involves an ignition key that can inadvertently rotate and shut off the engine. Seven crashes, eight injuries and three fatalities have been recorded.

The company announced today it will conduct six new safety recalls in the United States involving about 7.6 million vehicles from the 1997 to 2014 model years.

“We undertook what I believe is the most comprehensive safety review in the history of our company because nothing is more important than the safety of our customers,” said GM CEO Mary Barra. “Our customers deserve more than we delivered in these vehicles. That has hardened my resolve to set a new industry standard for vehicle safety, quality and excellence.”

Among these recalled vehicles, GM is aware of seven crashes, eight injuries and three fatalities. The fatal crashes occurred in older model full-size sedans being recalled for inadvertent ignition key rotation. There is no conclusive evidence that the defect condition caused those crashes.

“We have worked aggressively to identify and address the major outstanding issues that could impact the safety of our customers,” Barra said. “If any other issues come to our attention, we will act appropriately and without hesitation.”

GM has made changes to every process that affects the safety of its vehicles, and the company has acted or will act on all 90 of the recommendations put forward by former U.S. Attorney Anton Valukas in his independent report to the company’s Board of Directors.

GM expects to take a charge of up to approximately $1.2 billion in the second quarter for the cost of recall-related repairs announced in the quarter. This amount includes a previously disclosed $700 million charge for recalls already announced during the quarter.

Until the ignition recall repairs have been performed, it is very important that customers remove all items from their key ring, leaving only the vehicle key, and always use their seat belts. The key fob, if present, should also be removed from the key ring.