Earlier today, GM CEO Dan Akerson was in Washington testifying before congress. The hearing "What Did NHTSA Know & When Did They Know It" focused on NHTSA's handling of the Volt fires and whether or not GM got special treatment from NHTSA.
The Committee on Oversight and Government Reform's Staff Report titled "Government Motors: A preliminary Report on the Effects of Bailouts and Politics on the Obama Administration's Ability to Protect American Consumers" (PDF) was concerned that the delay in reporting the issue may have been intentional. That GM's bailout somehow influenced NHTSA's reporting process and caused them to treat GM with kid gloves so that the company would return to profitability. "President Obama has used this unusual blurring of public and private sector boundaries to openly tout the results of this partnership as a top accomplishement of his Administration -- creating a dynamic where the President is politically reliant on the success of GM and Chrysler...In the fact of that political dependency, it is deeply troubling that public notification of the safety concerns related to the Volt was inexplicably delayed for six months -- a period of time that also coincides with the negotiation over the 2017 - 2025 fuel economy standards," it reads.
We posted a summary of the hearing here, but I'm the type of guy who likes to see HOW people are reacting and not just what they said in response. While the House did live-stream the hearing, I prefer these two videos which can be paused, rewound etc. (Warning: Long. Extremely long.)
throwback says:
12:55 PM, 01/25/12
And congress wonders why "we the people" are so disgusted with them.
ctpaul says:
01:38 PM, 01/25/12
The staff report is actually titled "Government Motors" the well known pejorative name for GM? All credibility that this would be anything other than blowhard clueless congressmen/women listening to themselves talk ended right there. To think how much money was wasted on this by the "staff" (read political hacks) and by the GM and NHTSA staff? Lets just hope the GM officials drove there in a Volt or at least left the private jets at home. Absurd.
arm51 says:
01:52 PM, 01/25/12
You guys might want to change the hyperlink for the PDF...it goes to Reddit and is not about cars...
Mike Magrath replied to comment from arm51
04:47 PM, 01/25/12
This explains why a lifting buddy of mine was confused as to why I send him a congressional report about the Volt.
-mm
bimmerjay says:
11:09 AM, 01/26/12
What I want to know is, what did NHTSA know when and why, and when did they decide why they needed to know what they wanted to know when, and why did they want to know what they did when they did and when were they going to tell people why that was they decided what they told the public when they did.
roadburner says:
06:06 PM, 01/26/12
I will never buy a UAW assembled vehicle, but having said that I think that GM has received a raw deal from Washington and the press over the entire Volt "problem".
lmbvette says:
08:24 AM, 01/27/12
@roadburner - Why do you hate America?
roadburner says:
09:40 AM, 01/27/12
"Why do you hate America?
I don't; I simply refuse to give aid or comfort to the UAW.