GM blames 'incompetence and neglect' for fatal ignition switch flaws

Bill Pugliano/Getty Images

GM blames 'incompetence and neglect' for fatal ignition switch flaws
(Image credit: Bill Pugliano/Getty Images)

General Motors CEO Mary Barra on Thursday said an internal review found no evidence of a cover-up in its decade-long failure to recall millions of vehicles with faulty ignition switches, instead blaming the oversight on sheer "incompetence and neglect." Barra added that 15 employees have been dismissed for misconduct or for failing to act sooner.

The automaker concedes 13 deaths and another 47 accidents were the result of the glitchy switch. In one astonishing case, a woman was blamed for her fiancé's death following a 2004 car crash, only to learn this year that the defective switch actually caused the accident.

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE
https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516.jpg

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up
To continue reading this article...
Continue reading this article and get limited website access each month.
Get unlimited website access, exclusive newsletters plus much more.
Cancel or pause at any time.
Already a subscriber to The Week?
Not sure which email you used for your subscription? Contact us
Jon Terbush

Jon Terbush is an associate editor at TheWeek.com covering politics, sports, and other things he finds interesting. He has previously written for Talking Points Memo, Raw Story, and Business Insider.