Problems with vehicle ignition switches have drawn US safety regulators to investigate a second Detroit automaker, Chrysler Group, even as General Motors' chief executive Mary Barra was providing US lawmakers on Wednesday with more details on GM's ongoing switch issues.
Chrysler is the subject of two investigations involving possible nondeployment of airbags because of potentially defective switches that can be turned off in more than 1.2m older Jeep, Dodge and Chrysler models, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). No deaths or injuries have been reported, NHTSA said.
NHTSA, which administers safety recalls, continues to investigate similar issues at GM, which this year has recalled more than 20m vehicles worldwide, including 6.5m for switch-related issues that could disable airbags in crashes.
The new Chrysler investigations suggest that issues with faulty ignition switches that could cause airbags to fail may be more widespread than once believed and eventually could touch other vehicle manufacturers besides GM and Chrysler.
The safety agency on Wednesday said the Chrysler probes resulted from NHTSA's recent "communication with automotive manufacturers and suppliers regarding airbag design and performance related to the position of the vehicle ignition switch".
It added: "As part of NHTSA's broader efforts to evaluate this issue, the agency examined all major manufacturers' airbag deployment strategies as they relate to switch position."
NHTSA's acting administrator, David Friedman, earlier this year told lawmakers that, prior to GM's recall of the Chevrolet Cobalt and Saturn Ion, the agency did not fully understand the link between the cars' ignition switch and the ability of the air bags to deploy in a crash.
The agency said it had received complaints of engine stalling in the Chrysler models, but was not aware of any incidents where the air bags did not deploy.
Chrysler, a unit of Fiat Chrysler Automobiles, said it was "awaiting additional information" from NHTSA and would cooperate fully with the investigations.
A chassis assembly line supervisor on the assembly line at the Chrysler Jefferson North Assembly plant in Detroit. Photograph: Paul Sancya/APGerman automaker Daimler AG, Chrysler's previous owner, said on Wednesday it was not affected by the NHTSA investigations of Chrysler switches.
One of the NHTSA investigations of Chrysler, involving about 525,000 Jeep SUVs made between 2005 and 2007, focuses on complaints about switches that can be bumped by a driver's knee to the "off" or accessory position, turning off the engine and potentially disabling air bags in a frontal crash.
GM cited similar issues in several of its switch-related recalls, including 2.6m Cobalts, Ions and other cars linked to at least 13 deaths.
NHTSA also is investigating about 700,000 Chrysler Town & Country and Dodge Grand Caravan minivans and Dodge Journey crossovers from model years 2008-2010 for complaints about switches that can be turned off when driving on rough roads, which could prevent airbags from deploying in a crash.
In March 2011, Chrysler recalled 2010 Grand Caravan, Town & Country and Journey models for "inadvertent ignition key rotation".
NHTSA said it opened the latest recall query "to assess the scope and effectiveness" of the previous recall, and determine whether the recall should be extended to 2008-2009 models.
Owners of even earlier models have complained of similar problems.
In a complaint filed in March with NHTSA, the driver of a 2006 Chrysler Town & Country wrote: "Ignition switch shuts off while driving and engine stops running. Possible from bumps in road or bumping key ring with driver's knee. Has happened more than three times."
GM on Monday recalled 3.4m older mid-size and full-size sedans, including the Chevrolet Impala and the Cadillac DeVille, saying the switches on those cars could be bumped out of the run position by a combination of heavy key chains and rough roads.
In addition, GM last Friday recalled 511,528 Chevrolet Camaros from 2010-2014 because a driver's knee could bump the key fob out of the run position and turn off the engine.
GM's Barra returned before a House Energy and Commerce subcommittee on Wednesday to face harsh questions about why the No1 US automaker waited more than a decade to recall millions of vehicles with the defect linked to at least 13 deaths. Barra, who became CEO only in January but is a GM veteran of more than 30 years, has said she did not become aware of the problem until December 2013.
http://www.theguardian.com/business/2014/jun/18/chrysler-gm-faulty-ignition-switch-investigation-recall
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