The Huffington Post | By Emily Cohn
Posted: 05/21/2014 5:10 pm EDT Updated: 05/21/2014 5:59 pm EDT
Shop foreman John Chapman installs tumblers for the key cylinder during the service recall on a General Motors Co. (GM) 2005 Chevrolet Cobalt at Liberty Chevrolet in New Hudson, Michigan, U.S., on Friday, April 25, 2014. General Motors is installing thousands of kits consisting of ignition switches, ignition cylinders and key sets for older model small cars subject to a safety recall. Photographer: Jeff Kowalsky/Bloomberg via Getty Images | Bloomberg via Getty Images
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General Motors has recalled nearly 13.8 million vehicles in the U.S. this year. That's a lot, obviously. For example, it blows past GM's previous annual recall record of 10.75 million vehicles, set in 2004. And it means GM is responsible for more than half of the total number of vehicles recalled in the U.S. so far this year.
But if you're looking for one statistic that really drives home just how cataclysmic the whole episode has been for GM, it's this one: In just this year alone, GM has recalled more vehicles in the U.S. than it sold between 2009 and 2013. And it's only May.
In an emailed statement to The Huffington Post, a GM representative wrote that the company's recalls have gone beyond that which has been required by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA).
"Some of these recalls address issues that have been under NHTSA investigation," the representative wrote. "Others are an aggressive response to issues rather than watching for a defect trend to develop."
"Our goal is to give customers peace of mind that the GM vehicle they are driving is safe and to inconvenience them as little as possible when repairs are necessary."
GM's troubles began earlier this year when it recalled 2.6 million vehicles for an ignition switch problem that has since been linked to at least 13 deaths. An independent report, which GM challenged, estimated the deaths could be in the hundreds.
The company, which was fined $35 million by federal safety regulators last week for taking years to act on the recall, is in the midst of evaluating the safety of millions more of its vehicles.
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