GM offers incentives to get ignition switches fixed
With more than a million defective small cars still on the road, General Motors has said that it was adding an incentive for owners to have them fixed: $25 gift cards to one of seven retailers, like Applebee’s and Bass Pro Shops.
As of last week, 1.26 million, or 53 percent, of the cars had been repaired, leaving many drivers potentially at risk. The cars have a faulty ignition switch that can suddenly turn off, disabling air bags and power systems like steering and brakes.
The automaker has in part attributed the high number of unrepaired cars to inaction by owners, but dealerships have only recently had enough replacement parts in stock. GM’s supplier had to revive the production of the ignition switch — finishing only in September — and distribute repair kits around the United States.
The New York Times reported on Tuesday that many owners had become increasingly frustrated over the drawn-out timetable for repairs, as dealers have managed wait-lists and drivers have complained to l regulators.
Bill Fox, vice chairman of the National Automobile Dealers Association and a GM dealer in upstate New York, said dealers were taking extra measures to accommodate owners.
“Dealership service centers across the country have been adding staff, expanding service hours and remaining open on holidays to get the work done,” Fox said.
Some owners, particularly of cars in the now-defunct Saturn brand, may not have known where to turn.
“It’s been a bad experience, especially for the Saturn people, who lost their dealerships years ago and were orphans,” said Bill Marter, a service manager at Freehold Buick in Freehold, N.J., where a recent “Recall Saturday,” dedicated to the switch repair, included free food and a rock band. “We wanted to give them a day they’ll never forget.”
Under GM’s new program, drivers whose cars are fixed will have a choice of $25 cards to Amazon, AMC Theaters, Applebee’s, Bass Pro Shops, Red Robin, Starbucks or Walmart. All owners whose vehicles are re- paired in November will be eligible.
“This is simply designed to encourage as many people as possible to get their vehicles repaired as quickly as possible,” said James Cain, a spokesman for GM.
The offer applies only to the owners of the 2.6 million Chevrolet Cobalts, Saturn Ions and other cars that were recalled this year to fix the faulty ignition switch that has been linked to at least 30 deaths. GM has recalled more than 26 million vehicles in the United States this year.
GM is mailing letters to affected owners, encouraging them to act before Dec. 1 to qualify for the $25 reward. If owners cannot get an appointment by that deadline, GM will offer gift cards to those who have their cars repaired through Jan. 1, said Ryndee Carney, a communications manager for the automaker.
Mary Barra, GM’s chief executive, has said she wants to see 100 percent of the af- fected vehicles fixed. The average completion rate of repairs on recalled vehicles in the United States is 75 percent over 18 months, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration; GM’s average rate is 85 percent over two years, Cain said.
Paul Primrose, 68, of Johnson City, Texas, had his blue Chevrolet HHR fixed in October after waiting six months to request the repair. Primrose, who learned of the recall from the news media last spring, said he had not acted sooner because he knew about the shortage of parts. Had GM’s gift card offer existed earlier, he said, he might have been inspired to act faster. “Starbucks would have motivated me,” he said.
“I put off the repair. I took some risk,” Primrose said, noting that he supported GM’s new strategy. “Anything they can do to get people in there is good, and will, hopefully, wind things up sooner and make sure that people are safe. It can’t hurt.”
Other drivers, though, see GM’s offer as too little, too late. Gerard Vaughan, 64, of Austin, said he requested the repair six months ago and was still waiting for his white 2005 Saturn Ion to be fixed.
Vaughan said GM’s latest offer was insufficient. “A $25 gift card? I’m not pleased,” he said. “I don’t really consider it much of an incentive. I’ve already acted, and I’ve been waiting. This is their fault, and I’m looking at other kinds of cars.”
Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., said he felt the strongest motivator for affected drivers to get their cars fixed would be a ban on driving unrepaired cars — a measure GM has vigorously resisted.
“There’s no substitute for telling drivers to park these cars because they are fraught with danger,” Blumenthal said. “GM should issue the kind of strong, stern warning that should get attention. There’s no substitute for that.”