General Motors is recalling cars, hesitating to recall trucks

Over the past several months, the employees and operations of auto giant General Motors have been thrust squarely into the public eye. After it was revealed that GM employees were aware of a deadly defect installed in many of its models over the span of a decade and did nothing to address the situation, the media, Congress and the public began viewing the company with intense scrutiny.

One would assume that all the negative press would inspire GM to urgently address any outstanding safety concerns affecting its vehicles. The company has responded in this manner when it comes to its car models. In all, the company has recently recalled a staggering 25.7 million vehicles registered in the United States, according to the New York Times. Most of these vehicles are car models. GM has not responded with urgency to issues allegedly plaguing some of its pickup truck and SUV models.

GM has so-far refused to recall approximately 1.8 pickup trucks and SUVs for safety issues that could cause catastrophic truck accidents. Specifically, several models manufactured from 1999 to 2003 are being affected by corrosion-related brake issues. These issues are severe enough that they can cause affected brakes to fail.

Although the NHTSA has been investigating this issue since 2010, GM has refused to recall affected models. To-date, the agency has received roughly 1,000 complaints related to this defect, including many which report that drivers have narrowly missed colliding with other vehicles and objects as a result of this issue. It is time for GM to take responsibility not just for some of its safety failures but for all of them.

Source: New York Times, “G.M. Resists Recalling Trucks Over Brake Lines,” Christopher Jensen, July 7, 2014