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posted by n1 on Sunday June 08 2014, @06:37PM   Printer-friendly
from the unique-series-of-mistakes dept.

James R. Healey reports that General Motors has fired 15 people who either were incompetent or irresponsible in their actions involving fatally flawed ignition switches that are linked to 13 deaths in crashes where airbags failed to inflate. "A disproportionate number of those were in senior roles or executives," said GM CEO Mary Barra. Two high-ranking engineers previously put on paid leave were among them, said Barra adding that five more employees "one level removed" were disciplined in unspecified ways because they "simply didn't take action."

A far back as 2002, General Motors engineers starting calling it the "switch from hell" but it would take a dozen years, more than 50 crashes and at least 13 deaths for the automaker to recall the ignition switch, used in millions of small cars. GM's own internal investigation never explains how a lone engineer in a global automaker could approve a less expensive part that failed to meet GM standards. Nor does it illuminate why the same engineer could substitute an improved design without changing the part number, a move critics cite as evidence of a cover-up. After the first cars with the switch went on sale, GM heard complaints from customers, employees and dealers. But "group after group and committee after committee within GM that reviewed the issue failed to take action or acted too slowly," the report said. A unique series of mistakes was made," said Barra. And the problem was misunderstood to be one of owner satisfaction and not safety. GM engineers didn't understand that when the switches failed, they cut power to the airbags.

 
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  • (Score: 2) by Dunbal on Monday June 09 2014, @02:10AM

    by Dunbal (3515) on Monday June 09 2014, @02:10AM (#53103)

    If someone died it's manslaughter - culpable homicide. There are really only three types of death - natural, suicide and homicide. Accidents and trauma can fall into either suicide or homicide, usually not intentional. If you did it to yourself it's suicide. If someone else did it to you, it's homicide. Whether your death was caused by someone pulling the trigger of a gun or by a committee designing a faulty switch, if you didn't kill yourself and you didn't die naturally then someone else killed you.

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  • (Score: 2) by sjames on Monday June 09 2014, @06:56AM

    by sjames (2882) on Monday June 09 2014, @06:56AM (#53149) Journal

    You're sitting on your front porch enjoying the clear blue sky. You are struck dead by lightning from an anvil cloud (the literal bolt from the blue people talk about). What shall we call it?

    Generally, accidental is recognized as a manner of death.

    • (Score: 1) by ksarka on Monday June 09 2014, @09:06AM

      by ksarka (2789) on Monday June 09 2014, @09:06AM (#53168)

      This is an example of textbook natural cause of death! You know, caused by nature!

  • (Score: 2) by urza9814 on Tuesday June 10 2014, @02:29AM

    by urza9814 (3954) on Tuesday June 10 2014, @02:29AM (#53532) Journal

    How, exactly, does a bad ignition switch on its own kill someone?

    TFS indicates it's related to airbags failing to deploy. But that's not the ignition switch killing anybody, that's a *car crash* killing someone. Failure to properly install an emergency safety system is NOT murder or manslaughter. Not even close.

    Could probably get them for selling a car without properly installing the airbags though. That's federal law, right? And you can potentially get that for every car sold with the fault switch, not just the ones that someone crashed into something.