GM Issues Cadillac Recalls

GM has issued several Cadillac recalls that could affect the safety and handling of their vehicles.

The automobile manufacturer is being accused of concealing dangerous problems from consumers for years.

Among the models that have had Cadillac recalls regarding the ignition key rotating unintentionally are the following:

• Cadillac CTS 2003-2014
• Cadillac SRX 2004-2006
• Cadillac Deville 2000-2005
• Cadillac DTS 2006-2011

Cadillac Recalls: Ignition Switch Defect

Unintended ignition key rotation can occur in the Cadillac CTS in models 2003-2014.

The ignition switches can easily be rotated from a bump of the knee to the switch area, or jostling of the car due to low torque within the switch.

However, GM failed to alert consumers of the known risks they faced driving the vehicles, despite promising it would honor the federal reporting requirement of safety risks for all General Motors cars including assets purchased from the 2009 bankruptcy.

The safety defect at the root of the loss in vehicle value has been linked to fatalities and crashes. GM had knowledge of the serious defect as early as 2001 but ignored warnings of the defect’s severity and did not warn consumers.

“Until the ignition recall repairs have been performed, it is very important that customers remove all items from their key ring, leaving only the vehicle key, and always use their seatbelts,” GM said. “The key fob, if present, should also be removed from the key ring.”

The weight of a key ring or even the key fob and/or a hiccup in the road that causes sudden movement could cause the ignition switch to turn from the “on” position to “off.”

Even if a knee accidentally bumps the switch area, the ignition could inadvertently turn to the “off” position. If that happens, the airbags, power brakes and power steering could become disabled.

When this recall was announced in 2014, GM ordered its Cadillac division dealers to stop selling these models until they were fixed. Initially, a repair option had not been configured prior to announcing the Cadillac recalls.

3-Point Check Plan

GM promoted a “3-Point Check Plan” in an attempt to protect consumers before the Cadillac recalls could be addressed.

The 3-Point Check Plan advised consumers to:

• Remove everything from the key ring except the car key itself
• Make sure the car is in “park” or in the case of a manual transmission, make sure the car is in reverse gear. For all cars, set the parking brake.
• Call your GM dealer to schedule a repair appointment immediately.

GM purportedly knew of this defect in 2001, but did not convey the warning to consumers until 2014.

Cadillac Recalls Lead to Lawsuits

If you own a Cadillac that is involved in this ignition recall issue, you could be eligible for compensation in a class action lawsuit.

Worldwide, GM has recalled 8.4 millions vehicles since 2014, and most of those recalls have been related to some sort of ignition switch defect, which have claimed the lives of at least 13 people and perhaps more.