General Motors recall faces US investigation

A United States congressional committee has said it is investigating General Motors’ recall of nearly 1.6 million vehicles over faulty ignition switches.
The problem could turn off the engine in affected vehicles while they were being driven, disabling the airbags.
The carmaker announced the recall last month, but it has admitted employees knew about the defect as early as 2004.
The issue has been linked to 13 deaths and GM has also launched an internal investigation into the matter.
Meanwhile, a recent report by the New York Times claimed that the US safety regulator had received more than 260 complaints over the past 11 years about GM vehicles that “suddenly turned off while being driven”.
“But they declined to investigate the problem,” it alleged.
The US House Energy and Commerce Committee said that it is also investigating the National Highway Traffic and Safety Administration’s) response to consumer complaints related to the problem and GM reported a 22 per cent drop in profits for 2013. >BBC