GM admits fault, pays $35 million for delaying fix in 2.6 million cars

U.S. auto safety regulators revealed a settlement with General Motors today over its delays in recalling 2.6 million vehicles with faulty ignitions that not only included a $35 million fine — the largest such penalty ever — but requires GM to open up its recall process to goverment scrutiny for years to come, an unprecdented step for an automaker.

In agreeing to the settlement with the U.S. Department of Transportation, GM admitted it delayed fixing ignitons that could sudden switch off in Chevy Cobalts, Saturn Ions and several other models, a problem linked to at least 13 deaths. GM has started fixing the vehicles after issuing its first recall in January, more than a decade after engineers first heard of compliants about the part.

“No excuse, process, or organizational structure will be allowed to stand in the way of any company meeting their obligation to quickly find and fix safety issues in a vehicle,” said David Friedman, the acting chief of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. “It’s critical to the safety of the driving public that manufacturers promptly report and remedy safety-related defects that have the potential to lead to deaths or injuries on our nation’s highways.”

GM Recall: In Depth

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• • GM pickups and auto safety's gray area

• • The defects in spotting defects

“We have learned a great deal from this recall. We will now focus on the goal of becoming an industry leader in safety,” said GM CEO Mary Barra in a statement. “We will emerge from this situation a stronger company.”

In addition to the fine, GM agreed to: