General Motors Co. is recalling more than 500,000 vehicles because the airbags could fail to deploy in a frontal crash if a driver’s knee bumps the key fob and causes the key to move out of the “run” position.
The Detroit automaker said it is recalling 510,000 2010-14 Chevrolet Camaros after reports of four minor injuries linked to three crashes where the air bags failed to deploy, said GM spokesman Alan Adler. The automaker doesn’t have conclusive evidence that the airbags failed to deploy because the key moved to the “accessory” or “off” position.
The issue is similar to the problem that was linked to the delayed recall of 2.6 million older Cobalt, Ion and other cars but not the same. In those cases, a heavy key chain could cause the ignition key to move out of position — and the issue has been linked to 13 deaths and 54 crashes. GM was fined $35 million for failing to recall the vehicles for more than a decade, and last week, GM CEO Mary Barra fired 15 employees and disciplined five over the issue. The Justice Department is investigating and a House committee will a hold a hearing on the issue next week.
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