GM's responses to crashes cast doubt on how forthright the automaker was with regulators over a defective ignition switch that GM has linked to at least 13 deaths over the last decade, the New York Times reported today. Examining its replies to queries in other crashes obtained from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, the company repeatedly found a way not to answer the simple question from regulators of what led to a crash. In at least three cases of fatal crashes, GM said that it had not assessed the cause. In another fatal crash, GM said that attorney-client privilege may have prevented it from answering. And in other cases, the automaker was more blunt, writing, “GM opts not to respond.” The responses came even though GM had for years been aware of sudden power loss in the models involved in the accidents.
