Maybe They Really Do Need the Money More ...
General Motors has announced that it is recalling 400,000 2004-through-2006 Chevrolet Colorado and GMC Canyon, and the 2006 Isuzu i280 and i350 vehicles. GM is on the fast track to being the "King of the Recalls for 2006". At their current rate, they should easily top all prior records.
In the midst of financial woes, one might think that GM needs to go back to the drawing boards on quality and maybe teach its accountants a thing or two about economics too ... but it ain't necessarily so, so to speak.
GM plants rank high in "initial quality" studies and some GM models rank high in a recent "dependability" study. So how does one of the largest corporations in the word do both, high in quality and high in recalls? It's all a matter of how you look at it.
GM cars and trucks have fewer than industry average problems but, strangely enough, the same 2005 model year study says that Lexus, Jaguar and BMW (in that order) all beat out GM in having the vehicles that have the fewest problems. And what nameplate has the most problems per 100 vehicles built? Suzuki "bottoms out" the list, just slightly ahead of Mazda, with the often-more-expensive Land Rover nameplate just slightly ahead of that. Given the Land Rover's cost, one would think the average quality level would be much higher than it is reported to be. Maybe you should check out the report before you go shopping for your next new car or truck.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Known nationwide as a leading Lemon Law attorney, Ronald L. Burdge has represented literally thousands of consumers in "lemon" lawsuits and actively co-counsels and coaches other Consumer Law attorneys. From 2005 through 2018, attorney Ronald L. Burdge has been named as the only Lemon Law Ohio Super Lawyer by Law and Politics magazine and Thomson Reuters Corp., Professional Division. Burdge restricts his practice to Lemon Law and Consumer Law cases. The Ohio Super Lawyer results are published annually in the January issue of Cincinnati Magazine. Ronald L. Burdge was named Consumer Law Trial Lawyer of the Year 2004 by the National Association of Consumer Advocates, the nation's largest organization of consumer law private and government attorneys. "Your impact on the auto industry has been magnified many times over because of the trail you blazed for others," stated NACA's Executive Director, Will Ogburn. Burdge has represented thousands of consumers in Ohio, Kentucky and elsewhere since 1978 and is a frequent lecturer to national, state and local Bar Associations and Judicial organizations. Burdge is admitted to Ohio's state and federal courts, Kentucky's state courts, and Indiana's federal courts. Other court admissions are on a "pro hac" temporary, case by cases basis.