The Cellar - View Single Post - GM avoided defective switch redesign in 2005 to save a dollar each

tw · 04-04-2014, 12:31 AM

Numerous details demonstrated profits remained more important than the product. For example in the 70s, if a door panel went to a GM 'home' factory and was rejected as defective, they could not dispose it. Instead, it was sent to a GM Assembly Division plant that was making the same car. If that part was so defective as to be also rejected by GMAD, then it was sent to dealers as a repair part.

GM mysteriously fixed the switch's 1.6 mm defect a few years ago. But kept a same part number. For reasons we saw in the 70s. A defective switch could be sent to dealers as a replacement part. Then profits were not lost with defective switches. Americans be damned.

GM would do anything to increase profits - like a mafia. As demonstrated by inferior Camaro and Volt. Why would anyone make a hybrid where the engine cannot recharge its battery?

A properly designed car must still steer even without a running engine. Properly designed small cars (ie Cobalt) should steer without any power assist; without any engine power. Previous J cars (ie Vega) and other small cars, (Mustang, Maverick, Pinto, Nova, etc) had no power assist with an even cruder steering system. Why is Cobalt less safe than those? Even my first Honda Accord had no power steering - and did not need it.

Small Cobalt was so badly designed as to be all but unsteerable without power assist. No car should be that badly designed. That's what happens when a president and CEO does not even have a drivers license.

Same with brakes. All properly designed cars still have power brakes even if an engine stalls. Apparently this is not true with Cobalt. Only a cost controller (business school graduate) would design that.

A defective ignition switch is only one of many defects. Since switchiing to ACC does not cause loss of steering and brakes on any properly designed car.

Barra may be the first 'car guy' heading GM since the 1960s. If true, that means cars designed by engineers will appear in four or more years. William Clay Ford needed over eight years to replace 'bean counter' (crappy) products. He replaced business school graduates with engineers starting in 2000. It takes that long for a CEO to fix crappy products and atttidue that justifies defects and murder. No different than attitudes that burned people alive in Pintos and Malibus.

Hopefully Barra is a 'car guy'. But it will take years to undo a 'bean counter' mentality and replace a long list of crappy products.

Congress should have been grilling anti-Americans Rick Wagoner and John Smith. These CEOs said profits are more important than products, financial obligations (ie pension funds), innovation, or America. Their 'screw you' attitude persisted even after Barra took charge. She discovered a routine coverup apparently from news reports, and stepped in.

Until it got her attention, GM continued with a same "we love to screw America and make crappy products" coverup that began sometime around 1970. That has been a feature of all J cars (Vega, Cavalier, Sunfire, Ascona, Skyhawk, Cobalt, Sunbird, Cimmaron, etc) ever made. This defective switch continued for 13 years in J cars and numerous other models - long before posts here accurately described Cobalt as crap. Attitudes as described in DeLorean's book "On a Clear Day You Can See GM". DeLorean was the last of 'car guys' to design GM products.

Fools would blame Barra for what should be indictments for murder by Wagoner and Smith. Same applied to Toyota. Toyoda inherited a major design fubar from Katsuaki Watanabe who was also doing what Wagoner and Smith believed - maximize profits. Toyoda described bankruptcy as a five step process. And said Toyota was at step three - because Watanbe also was trying to make profits rather than better products. Toyoda got a grilling in Congress as Barra has now suffered.

GM's J cars, all manufactured in Lordstown OH, were designed by business school graduates. Why would anyone expect anything but problems from J cars that were never designed by 'car guys'.

BTW, when Barra started investigating, then dealers were told to stop selling all 2013 and 2014 Chevy Cruz. GM would not say why. Apparently 'car guys' discovered additional 'bean counter created' problems. It will take years to undo this widespread corruption.

BTW, how did Marchionne do same in Fiat? He fired all managers in six months. Suddenly things started being fixed.

04-04-2014, 12:31 AM	#4
tw Read? I only know how to write. Join Date: Jan 2001 Posts: 11,933	Numerous details demonstrated profits remained more important than the product. For example in the 70s, if a door panel went to a GM 'home' factory and was rejected as defective, they could not dispose it. Instead, it was sent to a GM Assembly Division plant that was making the same car. If that part was so defective as to be also rejected by GMAD, then it was sent to dealers as a repair part. GM mysteriously fixed the switch's 1.6 mm defect a few years ago. But kept a same part number. For reasons we saw in the 70s. A defective switch could be sent to dealers as a replacement part. Then profits were not lost with defective switches. Americans be damned. GM would do anything to increase profits - like a mafia. As demonstrated by inferior Camaro and Volt. Why would anyone make a hybrid where the engine cannot recharge its battery? A properly designed car must still steer even without a running engine. Properly designed small cars (ie Cobalt) should steer without any power assist; without any engine power. Previous J cars (ie Vega) and other small cars, (Mustang, Maverick, Pinto, Nova, etc) had no power assist with an even cruder steering system. Why is Cobalt less safe than those? Even my first Honda Accord had no power steering - and did not need it. Small Cobalt was so badly designed as to be all but unsteerable without power assist. No car should be that badly designed. That's what happens when a president and CEO does not even have a drivers license. Same with brakes. All properly designed cars still have power brakes even if an engine stalls. Apparently this is not true with Cobalt. Only a cost controller (business school graduate) would design that. A defective ignition switch is only one of many defects. Since switchiing to ACC does not cause loss of steering and brakes on any properly designed car. Barra may be the first 'car guy' heading GM since the 1960s. If true, that means cars designed by engineers will appear in four or more years. William Clay Ford needed over eight years to replace 'bean counter' (crappy) products. He replaced business school graduates with engineers starting in 2000. It takes that long for a CEO to fix crappy products and atttidue that justifies defects and murder. No different than attitudes that burned people alive in Pintos and Malibus. Hopefully Barra is a 'car guy'. But it will take years to undo a 'bean counter' mentality and replace a long list of crappy products. Congress should have been grilling anti-Americans Rick Wagoner and John Smith. These CEOs said profits are more important than products, financial obligations (ie pension funds), innovation, or America. Their 'screw you' attitude persisted even after Barra took charge. She discovered a routine coverup apparently from news reports, and stepped in. Until it got her attention, GM continued with a same "we love to screw America and make crappy products" coverup that began sometime around 1970. That has been a feature of all J cars (Vega, Cavalier, Sunfire, Ascona, Skyhawk, Cobalt, Sunbird, Cimmaron, etc) ever made. This defective switch continued for 13 years in J cars and numerous other models - long before posts here accurately described Cobalt as crap. Attitudes as described in DeLorean's book "On a Clear Day You Can See GM". DeLorean was the last of 'car guys' to design GM products. Fools would blame Barra for what should be indictments for murder by Wagoner and Smith. Same applied to Toyota. Toyoda inherited a major design fubar from Katsuaki Watanabe who was also doing what Wagoner and Smith believed - maximize profits. Toyoda described bankruptcy as a five step process. And said Toyota was at step three - because Watanbe also was trying to make profits rather than better products. Toyoda got a grilling in Congress as Barra has now suffered. GM's J cars, all manufactured in Lordstown OH, were designed by business school graduates. Why would anyone expect anything but problems from J cars that were never designed by 'car guys'. BTW, when Barra started investigating, then dealers were told to stop selling all 2013 and 2014 Chevy Cruz. GM would not say why. Apparently 'car guys' discovered additional 'bean counter created' problems. It will take years to undo this widespread corruption. BTW, how did Marchionne do same in Fiat? He fired all managers in six months. Suddenly things started being fixed. Last edited by tw; 04-04-2014 at 12:37 AM.