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GM's got 107 problems and NHTSA's No. 1

General Motors' problems with its recall of roughly 1.6-million vehicles continue to mount. Now that it has emerged that GM knew about the problem since at least 2004 but waited to recall vehicles until February 2014, regulators at the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration have begun a much deeper investigation. NHTSA has sent a 27-page survey to GM that includes 107 questions about the timeline of what led up to the recall, and it has until April 3 to reply. This isn't a simple, multiple-choice test. Automotive News believes that hundreds of pages could be required to answer some of the queries. NHTSA says that it is still investigating GM's response to the recall. "We are a data-driven organization, and we will take whatever action is appropriate based on where our findings lead us," said NHTSA in a statement on its website. If found liable, the automaker could face a fine as high as $35 million and even possible criminal charges, according to Bloomberg. NHTSA's questions include a detailed explanation of GM's examination process; how it will improve the process; why a planned redesign of the cars' key in 2005 wasn't implemented; and specific data on each complaint it received. According to Bloomberg, NHTSA also has records that show the company had a meeting with regulators to discuss the airbag failure in a Chevrolet Cobalt in 2007. New GM CEO Mary Barra has also hired an outside law firm to conduct an independent investigation about what happened. It will include questioning company employees who were involved with the process from the start. The recall stems from faulty ignition switches that shut off the car while driving, and if it occurs the airbags deactivate. Thirteen deaths and 23 crashes have been caused by the problem, according to Bloomberg. If you would like to peruse NHTSA's entire questionnaire for GM, it can be viewed here. News Source: Automotive News – sub. req., National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, BloombergImage Credit: Carlos Osorio / AP / dapd Government/Legal Recalls GM Pontiac Saturn Safety pontiac solstice saturn ion saturn sky pontiac g5

Junkyard Gem: 1991 Pontiac 6000 LE

Sibling to the Chevrolet Celebrity and Oldsmobile Cutlass Ciera, the Pontiac 6000 sold pretty well during the early-to-middle 1980s, but had been relegated to the dealership bargain bin and fleet-car cul-de-sac by the time of Operation Desert Shield. Here's a final-year-of-manufacture 6000 LE that I photographed in an Arizona self-service wrecking yard. This car was sold new in Arizona, and it will be crushed in the same state, 26 years later. The LE was the cheapest trim level for the 6000 in 1991, but the original purchaser of this car sprang for a few options. For example, instead of the utterly miserable 2.5-liter Iron Duke four-cylinder, this car packs the 3.1-liter V6. That meant 140 horsepower instead of 110, plus an engine note more like a vacuum cleaner sucking up a spaghetti spill than an ailing blender chewing on walnuts. AM, FM, and cassette. Not only that, but the auto-reverse feature meant that your mixtape cassette wouldn't stop right in the middle of your favorite Roxette tune. This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. Even the wretched Daewoo-built Pontiac LeMans gets more screen time than the forgotten 6000 in this 1991 TV ad featuring the voice of Captain Picard. Featured Gallery Junked 1991 Pontiac 6000 View 15 Photos Auto News Pontiac Automotive History Sedan

STUDY: Ford owns brand loyalty in 2009; Scorned Saturn, Pontiac buyers will look outside of GM

Ford buyers appear to love their cars more than customers of any other automotive brand, returning back to the American automaker when it comes time to purchase their next vehicle. According to a study by Experian Automotive, six of the top 10 vehicles for customer brand loyalty wear badges from the Blue Oval. That includes the Ford Fusion (62.4 percent), Ford Edge (57.9 percent), Ford Five Hundred/Taurus (56 percent), Ford Freestyle (51.9 percent), Ford Escape (49.4 percent) and the Ford Focus (47.57 percent).
Other vehicles making up the top 10 include the Toyota Prius (52 percent), Chevy Impala (51.7 percent), Toyota Camry (47.8 percent) and Toyota Corolla (47.56 percent). This brings up an interesting question: With the closing of automotive brands like Saturn and Pontiac, where are those buyers to turn for their next automotive purchase?
Apparently, not back to General Motors. According to Experian, Pontiac owners are most likely to look to the Ford lineup for their next car or truck and Saturn shoppers will switch to Toyota or Honda - not particularly surprising given that Saturn was meant to compete with import brands. Experian predicts that GM's overall market share will fall from 20 percent to about 17.5 percent, with most of the slack being picked up by Ford, Honda and Toyota.