[ad_1]
GM (General Motors), the largest auto company in the United States. Yunhap news
General Motors (GM), the largest auto company in the United States, is recalling 7 million SUVs and trucks. It is due to a defective airbag.
According to Reuters, on the 23rd (local time), the US Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) ordered the recall of a GM vehicle equipped with an air bag inflator manufactured by Takata. Takata is now a bankrupt auto parts maker and GM insisted that “it is not necessary to withdraw from the market”, but the Highway Traffic Safety Administration did not accept it.
The Takata airbag malfunctions over time due to heat and humidity, resulting in defects such as excessive expansion, raising concerns that metal fragments will protrude from the airbag in the event of an accident. vehicle, threatening the lives of drivers and passengers. Since 2009, 18 people have died in the United States alone, and Takata, the airbag maker, ultimately went bankrupt.
Honda Motor Corp. killed 15 more and Ford killed two. A person at BMW also died from airbag fragments. There were no GM deaths. Consequently, GM insisted that its design is different from other cars, so there is no problem with passenger safety. GM has already recalled 800,000 vehicles equipped with Takata air bags, but in the case of the GMT900, it refused to recall it, saying it has different air bags than the recalled vehicle.
However, the Highway Traffic Safety Administration did not accept GM’s claim. The Office of Road Traffic Safety said: “As a result of a lengthy experiment, it was concluded that GM’s inflator, like the Takata one, is at risk of explosion if exposed to high temperatures and humidity for a long time.
Vehicles subject to recall include Cadillac Escalade, Chevrolet Avalinch, Silverado, Serverburn, Tahoe, GMC Sierra, Yukon, etc., which were produced from 2007 to 2014. This is the largest recall ever made in the United States and already 63 million airbags have been replaced.
GM issued a statement that day, saying: “The recall order is a decision based on facts and science,” but said: “We will nevertheless accept the decision of the Highway Safety Administration and take the necessary action.”
GM will have to pay $ 1.2 billion in retirement. Vehicles subject to recall can be repaired at a GM dealer with no replacement costs. GM will notify the vehicle owner by mail, which can be found on the company’s website.
Reporter Kim Jung-eun [email protected]
Ⓒ Hankyung.com prohibits unauthorized reproduction and redistribution
