Former GM CEO Dan Akerson told Forbes magazine he believes Mary Barra didn't know about the ignition switch problem before January.
Former General Motors CEO Dan Akerson came to the defense of his successor, Mary Barra, saying he doesn’t believe she knew about the ignition switch problem that kicked off the recall of more 2.6 million small cars.
He also said the company’s board of directors didn’t put Barra in an impossible position by knowingly saddling her with a crisis.
“Mary has said it: The moment she became aware of the problem, as I would expect, she confronted it,” Akerson said in an interview with Forbes magazine. “She didn’t know about it. I bet my life on it.”
The story appeared today as part of a piece on Barra, who was ranked No. 7 on Forbes’ annual list of the World’s 100 Most Powerful Women. Barra is the cover story.
Barra was named CEO, taking over for Akerson, on Jan. 15. She’s said repeatedly, including in testimony before two congressional hearings in April, the first time she’d heard about the problem was in January and she ordered the first wave of recalls on Jan. 31.
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The problem stems from a defective ignition switch that resulted in more than 30 accidents and at least 13 deaths. According to multiple reports, many executives interviewed as part of the ongoing investigation of the problem have supported the assertion that no senior executives, including Barra, were made aware of the problem.
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GM is conducting an internal investigation – as are the Justice Department, two congressional committees, the Securities and Exchange Commission and several families – to see what went wrong and how it should be resolved. That report, which is being conducted by a former U.S. attorney, is due next week.
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The automaker also hired compensation expert Kenneth Feinberg to help GM examine its options and determine if it will compensate victims related to the ignition switch defect — and if so, how much it will pay them.
What a bunch of BS.
Let’s say he IS telling the truth. Mary didn’t know about the ignition switch. What else didn’t she know? People who know so little are very seldom are in line to become the next CEO of a company the size of GM.
Does that mean Akerson didn’t know either? If he didn’t know how can he be so sure about someone else being in the dark about something THEY knew nothing about?
If Akerson knew, wasn’t it his responsibility to tell her during the regime change? What else did they keep her in the dark?
So, maybe Akerson really didn’t know himself. Maybe HIS predecessor didn’t tell him nuthin’ either.
What a great company? What great culture to be part of.
If anything, in the car business we used to pride ourselves in our ability to lie better than the average guy, They have even let that become a task for the amateurs.
Bullshit GMC knew all the time just like they screw the american taxpayer never would I ever purchase a GMC vehicle again they can go to HELL
Actually I’m surprised how little corporate CEOs know about their company. I am not a fan of GM and will forever hold them accountable for ripping off U.S. tax payers for $10.5 Billion or more on the bailout loan. That being said it would not surprise me at all that none of the executive level have a clue about any of the product defects.
Owned 34 GM vehicles over my life time, and only 2 had problems out of the 34. So many haters wanting to kill what is left of American owned and operated manufacturing. 3rd world country is where the USA is heading.