DEKALB COUNTY, Ga. — Channel 2 consumer investigator Jim Strickland has uncovered a new twist in the GM recall crisis.
While thousands of drivers continue to wait for parts, Strickland found a metro-Atlanta dealer with plenty of parts but waiting for drivers.
Inside a special recall call center at Jim Ellis Chevrolet in DeKalb County, Strickland watched staffers contacting drivers whose cars need the switch fixed.
A total of 178 recall kits await drivers to show up for the install. Some have been on the shelf since July.
"Isn't their car safer if in fact they get it done?" Strickland asked Jim Ellis Domestic Brands Vice President Mark Frost.
"Absolutely. That's the part I don't understand. This is a safety recall. It should be taken seriously," Frost said.
The dealership has 1,000 ignition recall orders, which it believes is highest in the state. They keep a running rally on a computer scoreboard.
The dealership said nearly one in five drivers who sought a recall is now unreachable.
"A lot of people would look at that board and say 'That's crazy,'" said Strickland to call center operator Katherine Smith. "Yes, and sometimes we do, too."
"We're reluctant to schedule other people that need the recall to get done, because we don't want to over book and over schedule and clog up the whole system and make everyone wait," Frost said.
Joe Stryffeler, a DeKalb County police officer, got his Chevrolet Cobalt fixed as soon as he could.
"If something goes wrong with the car while I'm driving on the road, I don't want to put anyone else in danger. I don't want to put myself in danger if I have people in the car with me. It's important," he said.
General Motors CEO Mary Barra has pushed back the timeline for substantially completing the recall from October to the end of the year.
A GM spokesman said dealers have repaired more than 1 million ignitions and that 1.4 million remain.
WSBTV
