Billboard Tells GM to ‘Never Forget’ Deaths from Faulty Ignitions

Group posts Detroit billboard of victims from faulty GM ignition switches, quotes CEO vowing to improve safety.

A group is posting a billboard in Detroit featuring people who died in crashes involving defective ignition switches made by General Motors.

The group says it wants to remind the automaker to make good on its pledge to improve safety.

They call themselves the “GM Recall Survivors,” and are paying for a billboard showing pictures of half-a-dozen people killed in accidents where they say faulty ignition switches were a factor.

GM recalled more than 2.5 million vehicles in 2014 because the defective switches could suddenly cause the engine, power steering and air bags to shut off.

Officials with the automaker knew about the problem for years but waited before issuing a recall.

The billboard, set by the intersection of Rosa Parks Boulevard and the Fisher Service Drive near I-75 in Detroit, reads “Let’s make sure they never forget.”

It also includes a quote from Congressional testimony given by the head of GM, Mary Barra, vowing that she never wants anyone connected to the automaker to forget what happened in regards to the ignition switches.

GM officials say they know the billboard is going up but had no further comment on it. 

Author

  • Quinn Klinefelter
    Quinn Klinefelter is a Senior News Editor at 101.9 WDET. In 1996, he was literally on top of the news when he interviewed then-Senator Bob Dole about his presidential campaign and stepped on his feet.