通用汽車挨罰：2.8萬美元起步，每天加7千
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????美國聯邦監管機構向通用汽車（General Motors）開出了2.8萬美元的罰單，而且每過一天罰款金額就會增加7千美元，原因是這家公司未能回答監管部門就點火開關召回事件提出的問題。 ????美國國家公路交通安全管理局（NHTSA）對這次召回事件進行調查的原因是想弄清楚，為什么通用汽車在10多年以后才發現自家產品的點火開關存在缺陷——而且在此期間可能已經因此造成13人喪生。NHTSA就此提出了107個問題，要求通用汽車在4月3日之前作出回答。 ????NHTSA表示，通用汽車回答所有問題之前，這筆罰款每天都將增加7000美元。它還可能要求美國司法部（Department of Justice）通過民事手段迫使通用汽車作出回應。NHTSA針對通用汽車簽發的特別調查令顯示，如果不能全部或者如實回答所有問題，通用汽車面臨的民事罰款最多可以達到3500萬美元。 ????今年2月份，通用汽車宣布召回2005-2007年款的雪佛蘭Cobalt、龐蒂克G5和龐蒂克Pursuit、2003-2007年款的土星Ion、2006-2007年款的雪佛蘭HHR和龐蒂克Solstice以及2007年款的土星Sky。隨后，它又將召回范圍擴大到了這些產品的所有年款，全球范圍內需要召回的車輛約有260萬輛。 ????通用汽車稱，在某些情況下，上述車輛的鑰匙在擰到“開”的位置后會發生偏轉，從而造成車輛損失部分電力供應以及發動機熄火。如果鑰匙圈上掛有其他物品或者路面不平，這樣的風險就會增大。如果鑰匙不在“開”的位置，發生撞車事故時安全氣囊可能會無法打開。 ????NHTSA首席法律顧問凱文?文森特在致通用汽車的信中指出，截至4月3日，這家公司還有超過三分之一的問題沒有作答。文森特記錄在這封信中的信息顯示，4月4日，通用汽車向監管部門表示，它沒能全部回答這些問題的原因是，它正在進行內部調查，調查負責人是前檢察官安東?瓦盧卡斯。 ????文森特在信中寫道：“通用汽車的法律責任是及時對特別調查令做出回應并和NHTSA全面合作，瓦盧卡斯先生的調查與此無關?！?/p> ????通用汽車發言人在電子郵件中表示，公司已經準備了近2.1萬份文件，總長27.1萬頁。這些文件由75名個人保管人以及其他方面提供。 ????通用汽車在電子回函中稱：“NHTSA自身也意識到了這些問題所覆蓋的廣度。而且，該機構已經同意，在某些情況下通用汽車可以在4月3日最終期限過后陸續提交相關文件。” ???? |
????Federal regulators have fined General Motors $28,000 -- a total that will grow $7,000 with each passing day -- over its failure to answer questions about its ignition switch recall. ????GM had until April 3 to answer 107 questions related to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's investigation into why it took the automaker more than a decade to reveal an ignition switch defect that has been linked to 13 deaths. ????The $7,000-a-day fine will continue until the company responds to all questions, the NHTSA said. The federal agency may ask the U.S. Department of Justice to take civil action to compel the automaker to respond. The automaker could face a maximum penalty of $35 million in civil fines for failing to respond fully or truthfully, according to details in NHTSA's original special order of investigation to GM. ????In February, the automaker issued a recall of the 2005 to 2007 model year Chevrolet Cobalt, Pontiac G5 and Pontiac Pursuit as well as 2003 to 2007 Saturn Ions, 2006 to 2007 Chevrolet HHRs and 2006 to 2007 Pontiac Solstice and 2007 Saturn Sky models. The recall was later expanded to include all model years, affecting about 2.6 million cars worldwide. ????Under certain conditions, the ignition switch can move out of the "run" position, causing a partial loss of electrical power and the engine turning off, according to GM. The risk increases if a driver's key ring is carrying added weight or if the vehicle experiences rough road conditions. When the ignition switch is not in the run position, the air bags may not deploy if the vehicle is involved in a crash. ????NHTSA's chief counsel Kevin Vincent said in a letter to GM that the automaker did not respond to more than a third of the agency's questions by the deadline. A day after the deadline passed, GM told regulators it didn't fully respond because of its internal investigation led by former U.S. attorney Anton Valukas, according to Vincent's account in the letter. ????"Mr. Valukas' investigation is irrelevant to GM's legal obligation to timely respond to the special order and fully cooperate with NHTSA," Vincent wrote. ????GM has produced nearly 21,000 documents totaling more than 271,000 pages, according to an email from a GM spokesman. The documents came from 75 individual custodians and additional sources. ????"Even NHTSA recognizes the breadth of its inquiry and has agreed, in several instances with GM, to a rolling production schedule of documents past the April 3 deadline," GM said in an e-mailed response.?? |
