Open Thread: Valukas Report Released By NHTSA

Derek Kreindler
by Derek Kreindler

Today, GM held a press conference regarding the Valukas Report on GM’s Ignition Switch Recalls, featuring CEO Mary Barra, as well as top execs like Mark Reuss and Dan Amman. The only problem was that the report had yet to be released, denying journalists the chance to question GM brass on its findings.

Just minutes ago, the report surfaced online, and we are in the process of reading and analyzing the report. For now, you can download a copy here. Feel free to discuss your own findings in the comments thread. At the press conference, GM also announced the dismissal of 15 unnamed executives, as well as a soon-to-be-detailed compensation program for victims.

Derek Kreindler
Derek Kreindler

More by Derek Kreindler

Comments
Join the conversation
5 of 43 comments
  • Victor Victor on Jun 05, 2014

    If this is what GM does in its domestic market, I don't even want to know what kind of junk they are selling down here and everywhere else. I took my first driving lessons on a Chevrolet Omega 4.1, my first car ever was a Corsa. I will never buy GM again, and that is truly sad.

  • Fourthreezee Fourthreezee on Jun 06, 2014

    This shouldn't be a surprise to anyone who grew up in the 70's, 80's or 90's - For that matter, anyone who comments in these pages who also owns a GM car... I frankly don't take seriously. - Friends don't let friends buy GM cars -

    • Morbo Morbo on Jun 06, 2014

      - Friends don’t let friends buy GM cars - Now that's the truth about cars.

  • David Dennis David Dennis on Jun 06, 2014

    On page 60 of the report, a reviewer drove the Cobalt in 2004 and triggered the ignition switch problem. GM personnel were able to easily reproduce it in testing. It's amazing for me to think that a company would consider this a minor problem, since having the car shut off while operating at normal freeway speed would be very likely to cause driver panic, which in and of itself would be a safety issue. Even I know this, and I have nothing whatsoever to do with car design! It also seems surprising that no paperwork approving the original switch survives, and they apparently went through terabytes of data looking for it. The switch engineer at least did the right thing and fixed the problem on his own. It makes me think there might have been an internal political problem that made it impossible for him to fix the switch in the open. Curious that his fix of the problem made it more difficult for GM to diagnose it ... Very, very strange and unsettling story. Fortunately, any desire I had to buy GM products was eliminated in the 1970s, when I heard they produced deliberately defective cars with astonishing frequency. Fool me once, shame on you, fool me twice, shame on me, etcetera. David

  • Ralph ShpoilShport Ralph ShpoilShport on Jun 06, 2014

    Yay GM! Yay!

Next