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The first word from General Motors that the Chevrolet Cobalt had a dangerous safety problem came nine years ago, in a letter to dealers warning them that the cars could suddenly stall because of faulty ignition switches.
But it was not until February that GM recalled millions of the Cobalts and other small cars for an ignition defect that it has now linked to 13 deaths.
GM's chief executive, Mary T Barra, has called the company's slow response an "extraordinary" situation. But an analysis by The New York Times of the automaker's recalls since it emerged from bankruptcy in 2009 shows its handling of the ignition problem was not an isolated event: GM has repeatedly used letters, called technical service bulletins, to dealers and sometimes to car owners as stopgap safety measures instead of ordering timely recalls, The Times found.
In the past 15 months alone, GM has announced seven recalls for serious safety problems involving defects in electrical systems, air bags and power steering, among others, that were preceded by numerous bulletins identifying the problems months or years in advance without ordering repairs, according to recall records, regulatory filings and company documents.
In one case, GM issued at least three separate service bulletins beginning in 2005 for power-steering problems in the Saturn Ion, but the company did not issue a recall for the car until last month. During that period, more than 40 percent of the consumer complaints to federal safety officials about the Ion were about steering problems, including instances of drivers losing control of their cars or being unable to maneuver them to the side of the road.
"There's no question that service bulletins have been used where recalls should have been," said Joan Claybrook, a former head of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, the federal agency that regulates auto safety, speaking of the auto industry as a whole. "It's highly inappropriate."
When told of the findings by The Times about GM, Claybrook said, "I'm shocked. I can see it happening occasionally, but not as a routine. Seven is a lot."
Companies send out thousands of technical service bulletins each year. They allow an automaker to tell dealers, and sometimes car owners, about low-level problems like a faulty interior light or air conditioner. They can also act as alerts about issues the automaker does not fully understand and continues to research. But the service bulletins, which are typically directed at dealerships' service departments, are not intended to address serious safety issues, which by law must be handled by recalls monitored by the safety agency.
©The New York Times News Service 2014
