General Motors Creates New Position to Spearhead Safety Issues

DETROIT (AP) — General Motors is naming a 40-year engineer as its new safety chief, placing a single person in charge of recalls and other safety issues as it deals with a huge recall that is damaging the company's reputation.

The move by CEO Mary Barra is a response to revelations that GM knew about a deadly ignition switch problem in compact cars at least 11 years ago, but failed to recall them until last month. The problem has been linked to at least a dozen deaths in the Chevrolet Cobalt and five other models.

Barra on Tuesday named 40-year company veteran Jeff Boyer to the new post. She says it gives GM a single safety leader with access to senior managers and the board.

(Story by: Tom Krisher, Auto Writer, The Associated Press)