Domestic and international subsidiaries at one time included Oldsmobile, Pontiac, Hummer, Saturn and Saab.
GM is one of the largest vehicle manufacturers and marketers in the world with operations on six continents.
List of every vehicle recall issued by General Motors in 2014.
Timeline:
September 16, 1908 – General Motors Company is founded under the leadership of William Durant. The new company brings together several car companies, including Buick. Olds Motor Works (Oldsmobile) is bought by GM later in 1908.
1908 – General Motors acquires the Rapid Motor Vehicle Company, a truck company. It later evolves into GMC.
1909 – GM acquires Cadillac Motor and Oakland Motor Car Company (later renamed Pontiac).
1910 – When the company has financial difficulties, Durant is ousted.
1911 – Durant co-founds Chevrolet Motor Company.
1915 – Durant becomes GM’s largest shareholder.
1916 – Durant returns as president of GM.
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June 5, 2014 – GM releases the results of an internal probe relating to delayed recalls and the deaths of at least 13 people. GM Chief Executive Officer Mary Barra announces that 15 employees have been dismissed and five more have been disciplined. Barra also announces GM will create a program to compensate those injured or killed by the defective cars, but doesn’t say how large that fund will be. The company will start accepting claims on August 1. Compensation expert Kenneth Feinberg will decide how victims will be paid. GM President Dan Ammann says that Feinberg would determine who is eligible for compensation, and to what extent, which will dictate the size of the fund.
June 16, 2014 – GM recalls another 3.36 million vehicles worldwide for a different ignition switch issue linked to eight crashes and six injuries. This brings the total number of cars recalled by GM this year to more than 20 million.
June 30, 2014 – GM recalls 8.4 million vehicles worldwide, most for faulty ignition switches. This brings the total number of vehicles GM has recalled in 2014 to 27 million in the United States, nearly 30 million worldwide.
– GM announces compensation of at least $1 million to families of at least 13 people who died as a result of a faulty ignition switch. GM is also offering money to those injured in the defected cars.
July 23, 2014 – GM recalls another 718,000 cars and trucks, for a variety of problems. GM says it is aware of two crashes and three injuries, but no deaths associated with the problems prompting the recall.
July 29, 2014 – More than 600 victims of crashes involving recalled General Motors cars have gone to federal court seeking compensation from the automaker. Most of the victims in the case, including on behalf of 29 people who died, can’t receive money from the compensation fund that GM has set up to pay victims of the faulty ignition switch recall because their vehicles were not part of that 2.6 million recall.
October 20, 2014 – The office of Attorney Ken Feinberg, who is administering the compensation program, announces that a total of 56 claims have been approved by his team, including 29 deaths, four serious injuries and 23 less serious injuries.
December 8, 2014 – The office of attorney Kenneth Feinberg releases a report on claims relating to GM’s faulty ignition switch recall. Thirty-eight deaths are now attributed to the defect, and are eligible for payment. Also eligible for payment are six cases of severe injury and 45 cases of other injury.
February 2, 2015 – The office of attorney Kenneth Feinberg releases an updated report, after the program’s January 31, 2015 deadline. More than 4,180 claims have been filed against General Motors, alleging the automaker’s vehicles with faulty ignition switches caused deaths and injuries. So far, 128 claims have been ruled eligible, including 51 deaths.
