One of the biggest product defects in recent American manufacturing history, linked to at least 124 deaths and numerous injuries, was traceable to a mundane automobile part, the ignition switch. For General Motors, the debacle over how it handled that defect scarred the organization as it had to admit to repeated failures in simply identifying the problem that reflected a corporate culture that seemed to prize inaction and deflection.
The settlement with the Justice Department that requires G.M. to pay $900 million, along with the resolution of a number of private lawsuits for which it set aside another $575 million, means the company has largely put the controversy to rest.
