GM chief extends condolences to families after car recall

General Motors CEO Mary Barra, speaking for the first time about the recall of 1.6m small cars, personally apologised for “everything that has happened” and extended condolences to affected families.

“I want to start by saying again how sorry I am personally and how sorry General Motors is for what has happened,” she said.

“Clearly lives have been lost and families are affected, and that is very serious. We want to just extend our deep condolences for everyone’s losses.”

Ms Barra said it “took too long” to recall the cars that stalled and killed 12 people. She appointed a new safety chief to ensure defects get a more timely resolution. “Our goal is that something like this will never happen again.”

Speaking to reporters at the company’s Detroit headquarters, she said she first learned about an analysis of the stalling cars in December, weeks before she become CEO, and that she was informed of the decision to recall cars on January 31.

GM’s board was notified after the recall was filed. In the future, directors will be informed sooner, Ms Barra said.

The replacement of ignition switches was announced last month, years after customers started complaining that the autos could switch off if bumped or driven with a heavy keyring.

The largest US automaker has determined all the models that used the faulty switch, said Mark Reuss, who runs product development.

The company hasn’t contacted families of those killed in its cars, Ms Barra said, adding that it may do so after concluding its internal investigation, which may take a few months.

Ms Barra said a key step in fixing the GM system for recalls was her announcement that she has created a new global vehicle safety position and promoted a 40-year engineering executive to run it.

Jeff Boyer, who joined GM in 1974 as an intern, will have responsibility for identifying and resolving product-safety issues, Ms Barra said.