Is GM Guilty Of Misbehaviour?

There has been much talk across news media in recent weeks about General Motors and their knowledge, since 2001 of a fatal problem with the ignition switch in a number of vehicles they produce.

This issue relates to the recent recall of over 1.5 million vehicles with faulty ignition key switches.

An article in yesterday's St Louis Post Dispatch (see source below) highlighted GM's knowledge about the problem since 2001.

Summarized from the Post Dispatch, "In that environment, basic components could take low priority, such as the ignition switch that GM sourced for Ions, Cobalts and other models. The right to manufacture the switch had been won by Dublin, Ireland-based Eaton Corp., according to documents from a wrongful-death lawsuit filed against GM. Delphi bought Eaton’s switch division in 2001.

Inside that switch, which cost as little as $2 to $5 to produce, was a spring loose enough to allow the ignition to switch out of the “on” position when bumped, a risk that would grow if the key was weighted by a heavy ring, GM has said. The turned key would then shut off the engine and power steering and disable the air bags.

The fatal flaw in the ignition switch, which GM now says its engineers discovered in 2001 while developing the Ion, has spurred the automaker’s biggest crisis since its 2009 bankruptcy and bailout."

As a locksmith, I choose to not work on automobiles at this time for various reasons. This revelation from GM is further disturbing to the locksmith industry I suggest, because there are many automotive locksmiths who are called upon to make keys for GM vehicles. In making a key for a GM vehicle that has one of the faulty ignition switches, if the customer has an issue, post locksmith service, usually they will claim warranty from the locksmith and most reputable legitimate locksmiths will honor their labor to the customer...

But with this recent revelation, a faulty ignition switch could be to blame and consequently not the locksmiths fault.

The problem of keys weighed down by a heavy load on the keyring is not peculiar just to GM vehicles. Most vehicle drivers carry sometimes a significant number of keys and other paraphernalia on their rings. These serve to weigh down the key that sits in the ignition, usually causing longer term issues like your key not turning properly or getting stuck in your ignition. To make matters worse, people will wiggle the key in the ignition to get it to work. Most ignition switches are made from die cast alloy and use brass wafers/discs/pins as tumblers to make up the different key combinations.

Brass is a self lubricating metal and usually automobile keys are made from nickel plated brass or sometimes steel. When inserting your key into your ignition lock, the cuts on the key are supposed to correspond with the correct sized tumbler in each position and when inserted fully, the key will line up correctly with the tumblers allowing you to turn the switch and operate your engine.

If for some reason, the key does not sit straight in the switch, it is often caused by a worn ignition barrel. This often prompts people to wiggle their key to get it to turn, further exasporating the problem.

Some temporary solutions include attempting to lubricate the ignition barrel with powdered graphite or WD40 or other lubricants. While these solutions may indeed offer temporary relief, they are not "fixes".

As technology advances, you will notice more and more automobile manufacturers are moving away from mechanical keyswitches toward electric button switches. While these may seem as an obvious evolution in access control, even these switches have been proven to have quality and consistency issues too (Last years report about Toyota Prius vehicles ignitions not switching off properly).

And people wonder why I choose to not do auto. The reasons are multiple, actually. The primary reason is that the market in my region do not  charge high enough prices to warrant the expenses of the required machinery, inventory and training to offer automobile key origination and duplication services. Having lived and worked in many other countries, I found that automobile locksmith technicians abroad charge significantly more for the specialized skills required for a quality automobile key and lock technician.

I cannot justify outlaying the initial, let alone ongoing update costs, while current technicians choose to undervalue their services.

Your opinions are welcomed.

(source...)