[{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org\/","@type":"BlogPosting","@id":"https:\/\/www.injury-attorneys.com\/blog\/gm-effect\/#BlogPosting","mainEntityOfPage":"https:\/\/www.injury-attorneys.com\/blog\/gm-effect\/","headline":"The GM Effect","name":"The GM Effect","description":"The GM Recall of 2014 stands out not only as the largest recall in history, but also the most preventable. For well over a decade, a culture of fear, secrecy and incompetence held back a growing tide of damning evidence against the automaker \u2013 till it finally broke. To date, there are 30 confirmed deaths […]","datePublished":"2014-11-19","dateModified":"2022-09-05","author":{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.injury-attorneys.com\/blog\/author\/injury-attorneys\/#Person","name":"Demas Law Group, P.C.","url":"https:\/\/www.injury-attorneys.com\/blog\/author\/injury-attorneys\/","identifier":7,"image":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/2d2d1dc668da653fd25c47bc01fca53aff1d3e1f6971487d8eb8e56cf2bae38c?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/2d2d1dc668da653fd25c47bc01fca53aff1d3e1f6971487d8eb8e56cf2bae38c?s=96&d=mm&r=g","height":96,"width":96}},"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Demas Law Group, P.C.","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/www.injury-attorneys.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/demas-logo.png","url":"https:\/\/www.injury-attorneys.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/demas-logo.png","width":158,"height":141}},"image":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/www.injury-attorneys.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/11\/640px-Headquarters_of_GM_in_Detroit.jpg","url":"https:\/\/www.injury-attorneys.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/11\/640px-Headquarters_of_GM_in_Detroit.jpg","height":480,"width":640},"url":"https:\/\/www.injury-attorneys.com\/blog\/gm-effect\/","about":["Defective Products"],"wordCount":634,"articleBody":"The GM Recall of 2014 stands out not only as the largest recall in history, but also the most preventable. For well over a decade, a culture of fear, secrecy and incompetence held back a growing tide of damning evidence against the automaker \u2013 till it finally broke. To date, there are 30 confirmed deaths linked to GM\u2019s faulty ignition switches and 31 serious injuries \u2013 all facing claims that are currently in negotiations with company representative and high profile mass-injury attorney Kenneth Feinberg. At last count however, there were an additional 1,772 serious injury claims and 196 related deaths awaiting confirmation from Mr. Feinburg\u2019s office.There have been endless reports detailing how such pervasive and wide spread disregard for human life could permeate an industry leader such as GM. The Valukas Report, prepared by attorney Anton R. Valukas at the behest of General Motors CEO Mary Barra, provides an unflinching look at this pattern of neglect.According to the document, everyone from the engineers who built the dysfunctional switches to the lawyers that represented them had a hand in a cover-up that will end up costing the automaker well over a billion in fines. Ms. Barra has been quoted numerous times on her company\u2019s wish to make amends: \u201cWe are determined to earn our customers\u2019 trust and to take actions necessary to make our safety processes world class.\u201d But how? Where can the embattled automaker and the automobile industry as a whole go now? What steps can we expect to see in the weeks, months and years to secure the public trust?Accountability \u2013 Not a Top \/ Down Issue AnymoreLike so many institutions that have seen their core rattled over the past few decades, from schools to businesses and even religious entities, a cultural shift must happen from within the auto industry. In order to lift the veil of secrecy and fear that allowed much of this to occur many companies \u2013 including GM \u2013 have begun redefining their means of communication.In one regard, automakers have begun moving away from what is called a \u201csilo mentality\u201d on the factory floor and in the board room. Instead of exclusive divisions of management that are an island unto their own, managers are required now to cross-examine and review each other\u2019s departments for potential hazards or inaccuracies. This ensures that if one part of the system is experiencing failures or dysfunction, other divisions can spot it and make the appropriate safety call \u2013 effectively creating a long line of custody and preventing any one department from holding back information.Recall the RecallsUndoubtedly, many manufacturers, like Ford, are sitting up straight and taking a much keener interest in what kind of product they are shuttling out the door \u2013 now that the federal government has an eye out. With more oversight and a heightened sense of security around the industry, we can expect to see even more recalls through the next decade. Some of it may be a knee-jerk reaction to the policed atmosphere GM and others have created; but much of it falls on the automakers to simply pay greater attention to what they are building. Mass production only works if the goods being produced are worth more than the speed in which they are built.The Price We PayAll of this, analysts suggest, points to one inevitable outcome \u2013 a price hike at the dealership. As the industry comes to grips with the billions of dollars it must fork over in current and future mass-recalls, the only option they\u2019ll have is to pass the cost onto consumers. Whether or not it is a fair outcome, there seems to be little manufacturers can do to prevent it. The question however becomes \u2013 are the cars they are now producing worth the hard earned money they are charging? Only time will tell."},{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org\/","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Blog","item":"https:\/\/www.injury-attorneys.com\/blog\/#breadcrumbitem"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"The GM Effect","item":"https:\/\/www.injury-attorneys.com\/blog\/gm-effect\/#breadcrumbitem"}]}]