Ironic that a retired Delphi employee is suing GM.
Via LI Newsday
A retired employee of Delphi Automotive has filed a wrongful-death lawsuit claiming General Motors Co. concealed a faulty ignition switch that was responsible for a crash that killed his daughter.
The lawsuit was brought Monday by Steve Smith in Alabama state court and names GM as a defendant, as well as Delphi, which supplied the ignition switch to GM.
In a statement on Feb. 25, 2014, GM said that in addition to 2005-2007 Chevrolet Cobalts and Pontiac G5 and Pontiac Pursuit sold in Canada only, it was separately recalling 2003-2007 Saturn Ions, 2006-2007 Chevrolet HHRs, and 2006-2007 Pontiac Solstice and 2007 Saturn Sky models. The affected U.S. vehicle population, including those vehicles recalled Feb. 13, totals 1,367,146, the company statement said.
The company has apologized for how it handled the recall.
A spokesman for GM, Jim Cain, declined to comment on the lawsuit. A spokeswoman for Delphi did not immediately return a request for comment.
According to the complaint, Smith’s daughter, Aubrey Wallace Williams, was driving a 2006 Chevrolet Cobalt on a highway in Alabama when the ignition switch failed, causing the engine to shut off and turning off power in the vehicle. The car became uncontrollable and crossed into a different lane where it struck an 18-wheeler truck, the complaint said. Williams was killed instantly, the lawsuit said.
The lawsuit did not specify how much Smith is seeking in damages. It said that GM and Delphi knew about the ignition switch problem but failed to take steps to address it, resulting in Williams’ death.