GM will pay $13.9 million to the County of orange in connection with the review 2014

GM will pay $13.9 million to the County of orange in connection with the review 2014

General Motors Co. agreed on the peaceful settlement of litigation with the orange County (California) after prosecutors accused the automaker from Detroit to deliberate concealment of serious defects that threaten the safety of car buyers, including those associated with the faulty ignition locks, which have become the cause of nearly 400 deaths and injuries. The company shall pay to the plaintiff $ 13.9 million, according to Reuters.

The peace agreement regarding alleged violations was approved in district court on Friday.

GM will pay $13.9 million to the County of orange in connection with the review 2014

Earlier this month, GM agreed to a peaceful settlement of the dispute on the same grounds in the amount of $ 120 million with 49 States and the district of Columbia.

In total, the largest automaker in the United States paid about $ 2.5 billion in fines and compensation for the faulty ignition that can cause the engine to crash. It is established that the presence of the defect resulted in 124 deaths and 275 injuries, resulting in 2.6 million vehicles were recalled by the manufacturer in 2014.

The orange County district attorney Tony Rackauckas said that GM did not disclose the data or other defects in the steering system with steering, airbags and braking system, although in fact they were present.

GM spokesman David Caldwell in response to the allegations said that in 2014, GM has taken important steps to ensure the safety of vehicles, including the development of new organizational structures and introduction of staff incentives, designed to encourage them to inform the user about detected faults. As you know, the «fatal flaw» was identified by engineers of the group in 2004, but officially recognized only on the eve of the review in 2014.

In connection with the placing on the market of more than 2 million vehicles, a fault in which led to numerous deaths, none of the company management to criminal liability was not involved. But chief Executive officer Mary Barra fired 15 employees, including eight executives.

Source