U.S. Fines General Motors $35 Million for Lapses on Ignition-Switch Defect

[DonViejo]

Source: New York Times

General Motors will pay $35 million in a civil settlement with the federal government over its failure to report in a timely manner a defective ignition switch in 2.6 million smaller cars, the Department of Transportation announced on Friday. In addition, the automaker agreed to make changes to its internal safety practices, the department said in a statement.

The faulty ignition switch, in Chevrolet Cobalts, Saturn Ions and other cars, was prone to turn off, shutting the engine and disabling the air bags. G.M., which was first alerted to the problem more than a decade ago, has linked the defect to 13 deaths.

“Safety is our top priority, and today’s announcement puts all manufacturers on notice that they will be held accountable if they fail to quickly report and address safety-related defects,” Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx said.

Read more: http://www.nytimes.com/2014/05/17/business/us-fines-general-motors-35-million-for-lapses-on-ignition-switch-defect.html?

[Omaha Steve]

1. Workers writing reports were encouraged to avoid using certain words....

From the story: Workers writing reports were encouraged to avoid using certain words and phrases with negative overtones, including “apocalyptic,” “dangerous,” “death trap, “potentially disfiguring,” “rolling sarcophagus,” and “Corvair-like,” as well as more benign phrases like “safety” and “safety related.”