Blumenthal Calls On Gm To Provide Accurate Information On Replacement Parts Availability, Timeline For When All Dealers In Need Will Have The Necessary Parts

(Hartford, CT) – In a letter to General Motors (GM) CEO Mary Barra, U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) today called on the automaker to provide the public with accurate information on the number of ignition switch and lock replacement parts shipped and a timeline of when all dealers in need will have the necessary parts. According to an informal survey of 34 GM dealers in Connecticut, 11 of 14 dealers that responded were still having difficulty getting replacement parts. The survey was conducted by the Connecticut Automotive Retailers Association.

Text of the letter is attached and below.

April 15, 2014

Dear Ms. Barra,

In response to numerous news stories last week about GM dealers needing parts to make ignition switch and lock repairs on recalled vehicles, your company committed to supply such parts by the end of last week. The week of April 7th has passed, and many Connecticut GM dealers have told me that the parts still have not arrived.

I have repeatedly called on GM to tell customers that recalled vehicles are unsafe to drive until they can be repaired. Every day that unrepaired vehicles remain on the road increases the risk of more injuries, deaths, and damage – including crashes experienced by drivers without any additional keys or other weight on their ignition switch, as described in the New York Times last week. Again, I call on you to ground these vehicles, as you committed to do at the Senate hearing, if evidence of such crashes came to light.

Now, I call on GM to state how many dealerships have received replacement parts necessary for these repairs, and how soon the remaining parts will be delivered. This information is vital to your customers’ safety – indeed, their lives – in driving your cars. In fact, it is critical to the safety of the public in general, because drivers losing control of their cars can imperil others on the road. The recall is not just a Connecticut issue. It affects drivers, dealers, and the public nationwide. GM owes it to the nation to provide clear and accurate information regarding how many replacement parts it has shipped throughout the country, and when precisely it will commit to having repair parts at every dealership that requires them.

Sincerely,

Richard Blumenthal
United States Senator