U.S. Transport Secretary asked the department’s inspector general on Friday whether the report of ignition problems in recalled General Motor cars that caused 12 deaths and 31 accidents had been investigated properly by the government auto safety agency.
In the month of February GM recalled a total of 1.6 million 2005-2007 Chevrolet Cobalts, 2003-2007 Saturn Ions and other models due to a faulty ignition switch that caused engines to turn off while driving, making the car harder to steer and break and disabling airbags.
Safety regulators have said the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration should have ordered GM to recall cars as early 2007.
“At the present time, we are not aware of any information to suggest that NHTSA failed to properly carry out its safety mission based on the data available to it and the processes it followed,” said Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx.
The investigation will be conducted by the DOT Inspector General Calvin Scovell as the NHTSA is a part of the Department of Transport.
GM’s handling of recall is investigated by the safety agency, and Congress is scheduled to hold hearing on the matter next month. A criminal probe of GM is opened in the U.S. Attorney in Manhattan.
