General Motors CEO Mary Barra faced a Senate panel for the second time on Thursday to testify regarding the ignition switch recall.
Barra’s two-hour testimony went far better than the first one, which took place earlier this year, where she was ridiculed for a lack of knowledge regarding the recall. Senate members even praised Barra this time around for confronting the issue head-on.
Barra was able to confidently stand her ground on many of the issues that the panel questioned her about. She declined to expand the victim compensation program to other vehicles recalled for ignition problems. She also refused compensation to a woman convicted of criminal conduct after a fatal crash in a Saturn Ion with a defective ignition switch.
Barra held that the ignition problems were a result of very different circumstances. She was also able to defend GM’s corporate counsel, Michael Milliken, who took the brunt of this scrutiny during this hearing for a lack of knowledge about the ignition switch problem and related legal repercussions.
Barra highlighted that GM is committed to being industry leaders in safety, acknowledging recent recalls that the company has made due to air bag issues. She noted that the company is putting safety ahead of the financial hit it will take to repair the recalls. GM has also spent months working on improving the relationship with Congress.
Members of Congress hoped that the hearing would reassure them that the appropriate steps have been taken to ensure a small crisis such as this will never happen again. Barra met those expectations by endorsing a bill that will require companies to repair rental cars before selling or renting them out.
This is Barra’s fourth testimony in front of the House and Senate regarding the ignition switch recalls that caused 54 crashes and claimed 13 lives.
