GM expands its recall for faulty ignition switches
A couple of weeks ago, General Motors announced a recall involving a faulty ignition switch that could cause accidents.
On Tuesday, the scope of the concern increased drastically as the company announced it affects 82,545 Canadian vehicles and about 1.3 million in the United States.
The ignition in affected vehicles can be inadvertently switched to the accessory or off position when a heavy keychain is used, or if the vehicle leaves the road or experiences some other heavy jarring.
If this occurs, it shuts off the engine and other vital operating systems, potentially including airbags.
The problem has already resulted in 31 accidents, in which there were 13 fatalities of front-seat passengers.
The recall applies to a wide range of vehicles, including 2005-07 Chevrolet Cobalts, Pontiac G5s and Pontiac Pursuits, 2003-07 Saturn Ions, 2006-07 Chevrolet HHRs and Pontiac Solstices, and 2007 Saturn Skys.
GM is being proactive in contacting owners to arrange for repairs, but you can also contact your dealer to verify if your vehicle is affected.
There is a growing controversy over this recall in the United States.
Clarence Ditlow, executive director of the Center for Auto Safety, a Washington advocacy group, told the Detroit News that the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has known about this ignition switch issue since 2007, when it investigated a fatal collision in Wisconsin.
But NHTSA failed to launch an investigation, which could have led to a recall.
“Any crashes, deaths or injuries that occurred after 2007 shouldn’t have happened,” says Ditlow. “The agency shares as much blame as GM.” Ford may end ties with Microsoft and switch to BlackBerry In January, there were rumours that Ford CEO Alan Mulally might be considering a move to take over the top spot at Microsoft, the company that developed Ford’s often-maligned Sync system. Mulally was quick to shoot down the story.
But both Bloomberg and the Detroit News reported this week that Ford might be ditching Microsoft as the supplier for its infotainment systems in favour of BlackBerry QNX.
BlackBerry already supplies its QNX system to Audi and BMW. Adding Ford to that list could prove to be a big step forward for the Canadian company as it tries to reestablish consumer interest in its brand. New seniors driving test may be off to a slow start It isn’t often that my own family leads to automotive news, but it just so happens that my mother-in-law falls into the over-80 age bracket.
You may recall the news a couple of weeks ago that the testing process is changing for drivers 80 and over in Ontario. Instead of a driving test, these seniors will take part in a classroom session and cognitive test, which will determine whether a driving test is required. The new program is set to start on April 22.
With a May 1 birthday, my motherin-law received a letter a couple of weeks ago instructing her to book an appointment for her session. When she called, Margaret was told to call back as they were not yet able to book these sessions.
We found this odd, so I sent an inquiry to the Ministry of Transportation’s media office, and was informed they had just finished training all of the front-line staff, so all should be good. But on Wednesday, Margaret again made the call and was again told they were unable to book the new program yet. Again, I touched base with the MTO to see what was going on. Spokesperson Ajay Woozageer explained there has been a higher volume of calls to the booking number ever since the changes were announced. “This increase is due to our clerks responding to questions about the new program,” he said. “We are aware of this issue and are looking into it. As well . . . we have just finished training all of our front–line staff.” That doesn’t explain why drivers who follow up on the letter sent to them, as requested, are not able to book their appointments. I will report back over the coming weeks as to how Margaret’s experience pans out, since obviously other drivers over 80 could be facing the same issue.