NY Times Article Reports GM ‘Mislead Grieving Families’

An article this week in the New York Times reports that General Motors knew five years ago of the deadly ignition switch defect in its Chevy Cobalt. The article discusses a meeting in May 2009 where GM engineers reviewed data from black boxes that confirmed the deadly defect. The article talks with several families who said that GM rebuffed their tragedies when family members died in accidents involving the now recalled Chevy Cobalt. GM reported 23 accidents that caused 26 deaths to the government’s Early Warning Reporting system, and some of these crashes fit the scenario caused by the faulty ignition. GM has settled confidential lawsuits with some families all the while not informing drivers of the safety issue. GM has confirmed 12 deaths involving the faulty ignition switch.