GM blames recall on Toyota supplier

Financial Times ^ | 3-2-2010 | Bernard Simon in Toronto

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General Motors has blamed a supplier partly owned by Toyota for a faulty car part that led to the recall of 1.3m Chevrolet and Pontiac cars in North America.

Bob Lutz, GM’s vice-chairman, on Tuesday told the BBC in Geneva that the supplier – separately identified as JTEKT, a joint venture between Toyoda Machine Works and Koyo Seiko – had not met “all requirements for reliability and durability”...

...GM announced that it was recalling 1.3m cars in North America due to a power steering problem linked to 14 crashes.

US regulators opened a probe in January into 905,000 Cobalt models in the US after receiving more than 1,100 complaints of power steering failures.

GM said the vehicles could still be “safely controlled” but greater effort might be needed under 15mph. Drivers would see a warning light and hear a chime if the steering failed.

JTEKT is based in Japan but has five manufacturing plants in the US. A call for comment to the company’s US head office in Michigan was not returned.

[highlander_UW]

Well, since the American public owns GM we should call for a vote so we can vote out the president of GM. /s

[FourPeas]

Obama Motors blames someone other than themselves. Nothing to see here.

[OrangeHoof]

The problem in the power steering is a tweak made after the government takeover. All GM cars now must veer sharply to left but try to convince you they are actually driving right down the middle.

[adamjeeps]

Didn't the airlines go through the same problems when they went to “fly-by-wire”? Isn't that what vehicles now do? I mean you have a computer telling the engine how much gasoline to intake instead of a cable opening the throttle. You may have a computer telling the brakes what to do? All to maybe save 1/2 of a mile per gallon?