Things I Did Not Know, General Motors Edition (GM)

From the WSJ's Corporate Intelligence blog:

GM Email: Ignition Key Problem ‘Around Since Man First Lumbered Out Of the Sea’ 

Rep. Diana DeGette holds an ignition switch as she questions GM’s CEO.

Associated Press

Back in May, we wrote about the 69 words GM warned its staff not to use in safety memos, including: Hindenburg, Kevorkianesque, Titanic, apocalyptic, Cobain and rolling sarcophagus.

If you’re wondering why GM may have been keen to get its staff to tone down the more lively side of their inter-company communications, consider the following email. It was released by the congressional committee investigating the company’s handling of a deadly ignition key defect in the Chevrolet Cobalt and other vehicles, that lingered for more than a decade before leading to a recall this year.

The February, 2009 email, with subject “Cobalt Key Hole Change” refers to an issue being tracked in GM’s Problem Resolution Tracking System (PRTS). It begins as follows:

Gentleman!
This issue has been around since man first lumbered out of the sea and stood on two feet. In fact, I think Darwin wrote the first PRTS on this and included as an attachment as part of his theory of evolution…

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What's wrong with 'rolling sarcopha.....Oh.