General Motors

Reasons to avoid

1. GM concealed a deadly ignition switch defect for over a decade. The flaw — which could cut engine power and disable airbags during a crash — was linked to at least 124 deaths. GM knew about the problem as early as 2004 but suppressed it until a 2014 recall. The company paid a $900 million DOJ fine and over $2.6 billion in total penalties and settlements.oag.dc.gov2017-10-19
2. GM's self-driving subsidiary Cruise covered up a 2023 pedestrian crash in San Francisco in which its robotaxi dragged a woman 20 feet after striking her. Cruise omitted the dragging from two mandatory federal crash reports. The company paid $1.5 million to NHTSA, entered a deferred prosecution agreement with the DOJ for submitting a false report, and settled with the victim for at least $8 million.nhtsa.gov2024-09-30
3. GM spent $20 million on lobbying in 2025 — more than almost any other U.S. company — to gut federal and state vehicle emissions and fuel efficiency rules, actively undermining climate policy and its own stated EV goals.trellis.net2025-04-01
4. NHTSA recalled nearly 600,000 GM trucks and SUVs in 2025 after the agency logged over 1,100 reports of catastrophic 6.2L V8 engine failures that could cause sudden loss of power while driving. NHTSA has since escalated its investigation after owners reported continued engine failures even after the recall repair.cnbc.com2025-10-27
5. GM has no zero-deforestation policy and scored only 20 out of 100 on Rainforest Foundation Norway's benchmark for mitigating deforestation risk — the lowest tier. The company's leather and battery mineral supply chains have been linked to Amazon cattle farming and Southeast Asian habitat destruction.sec.gov2024-04-22