GM recall not fast enough in addressing dangerous vehicles, some say
A class action lawsuit was filed Monday against GM in federal court on behalf of 658 people killed in crashes allegedly caused by faulty ignition switches. Meanwhile, the company has recalled more than 2.5 million vehicles. However, we wondered how many have been fixed.
Gerry and Jay Gass say their daughter Lara, 27, was killed March 18 while driving a Saturn Ion with a defective ignition switch.
One of the last messages Gerry Gass sent to her was an email telling her to have a safe trip back to Lexington.
"That's what parents are supposed to do is - protect your children, and...they made it impossible for me to protect her," he said.
But so far, less than a quarter of the nearly 2.6 million vehicles recalled by GM have been fixed. Most remain on the roads with the faulty iginition switch that the company says has led to the deaths of 13 people.
We asked Clarence Ditlow, with the Center for Auto Safety if he believed GM has the parts.
"No, I don't," he said. "If you don't have an adequate stock at every dealership in America, you're not going to get this recall done."
We called more than 30 GM dealerships across the country and were told parts are being ordered on an "individual basis." One dealership said it would take two to three months for the part to arrive.
But a GM spokesman says "there are more parts than they have demand" and "we're dealing with customers who may not be paying attention."
Gerry and Jay Gass are concerned further delays could be deadly, not only for GM vehicle owners but others on the roads as well.
"They need to understand that that car in the other lane coming at them could be a GM recalled car and is literally a scud missile headed right for them."
Federal regulators have the authority to intervene if there are delays in a recall where there is risk of serious injury or death. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration says it has pushed GM to speed up production and will take additional action as warranted.