Blumenthal Statement On Defect In General Motors Vehicles

(Hartford, CT) – Today, U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) issued a statement on the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's (NHTSA) failure to take action in response to complaints about General Motors vehicles turning off while being driven. The defect has been linked to 13 deaths, and is now resulting in a recall of 1.6 million cars. Substantial evidence of NHTSA’s failure was reported in the New York Times today.

“Repeated failure to detect and stop this potentially lethal defect shows that federal safety watchdogs need a wake up.  Even as more than 260 complaints were made about GM cars dangerously turning off, NHTSA inexplicably failed to spot a trend that apparently caused at least 13 deaths and eventually required massive safety recalls.  This federal regulator is responsible for assuring that reports of adverse events or serious risks in cars are analyzed competently and comprehensively – and defective cars are taken off the road. An investigation is clearly warranted to establish why the safety watchdogs failed to act.

“The focus on federal regulatory inaction does not excuse GM for apparently failing to protect its consumers from fatal known defects – and it should be held accountable.”