Belated car recall first big crisis for GM's new chief
World's No 3 carmaker faces questions as towhy it took 10 years to act on defective vehicles
Mary Barra is facing her first big crisis as the new chief executive of General Motors - the recall of 1.6 million cars sold in North America for defects that have been tied to 13 deaths.
Barra, who took GM's helm in January as the first woman to lead a major carmaker, last week announced an internal review into why the company took nearly a decade to order a recall, promising an "unvarnished" report.
The world's No 3 carmaker is facing two official probes over the issue, one from the National Highway Traffic and Safety Administration, and the other from a powerful congressional committee, asking why GM and the NHTSA were so slow to move after hundreds of complaints.
Chairman Fred Upton said the House Energy and Commerce Committee would hold hearings in the coming weeks.
Upton said he pushed through legislation in 2000 aimed at ensuring carmakers reported and acted on defects before they became a continuing problem.
"Yet, here we are over a decade later, faced with accidents and tragedies, and questions need to be answered," he said.
GM employees already knew in 2004 and 2005 of ignition problems in the Chevrolet Cobalt, according to an official chronology from investigators.