General Motors fires several employees after probe into Tavera recall

Detroit: General Motors fired several employees after an internal probe into a recent recall of its Chevrolet Tavera sport-utility vehicle in India uncovered "violations of company policy," the US automaker said yesterday.

"We take these matters very seriously and hold our leaders and employees to high standards," GM said in a statement. "When those standards are not met, we will take the appropriate action to hold employees accountable."

GM declined to provide more details.

Automotive News reported that Sam Winegarden, GM's vice president for global engine engineering, was dismissed this week along with about 10 other GM powertrain employees in the United States and India.

Earlier this week, GM recalled 114,000 Tavera SUVs built between 2005 and 2013. GM earlier halted production and sale of the Tavera BS3 and Tavera BS4 models.

GM said it took the actions to address issues relating to emissions standards and other regulatory specifications. A newspaper reported that GM told the government how its engineers manipulated emissions tests to comply with government standards.