????眼下，產品安全問題讓通用汽車公司（General Motors Co.）和它初出茅廬的首席執行官焦頭爛額。這次危機將成為對瑪麗?芭拉領導才能的一次考驗，也將對看好新通用汽車公司的觀點提出挑戰。有人認為，相比2009年申請破產、靠美國政府緊急救助才逃出生天的通用汽車，重組后的通用汽車已經變成了一家更優質的公司。

????現在，芭拉就任CEO才60天左右，但她聲稱，處理這次危機是她義不容辭的責任。此次危機的爆發恰逢通用汽車的關鍵時期，因為這家公司正在努力重建在消費者、投資者和監管機構中的信譽。通用汽車似乎早在十年前就知道點火裝置缺陷導致司機死亡的情況，但直到上個月才開始召回可能受影響的車輛。它上周三表示，早在2001年就已經知道存在這個問題。

????到底是什么樣的制度導致通用汽車（和相關人員）沒有及時解決這種可能致命的缺陷？這個問題的答案目前仍不得而知。外界也不清楚2009年申請破產的通用汽車和之后重組的新公司分別要承擔什么樣的法律責任。

????芭拉在三月初寫給通用汽車員工的電子郵件中承諾，公司將與政府當局和在召回中有利益關系的“其他方”密切配合。通用汽車已經進行了“內部審查”，郵件中還表示：“我們將負起應負的責任，改進工藝，讓客戶不再經歷同樣的事情?！?/p>

????近幾年，福特（Ford）和豐田（Toyota）也曾因為車輛不安全指控，而成為大規模監管審查的目標，同時還面臨著人身傷害訴訟。2000年，福特時任CEO雅克?納瑟在美國國會作證；一年后，他就從福特辭職。豐田汽車曾面臨汽車無故加速的指控，雖然最終沒有得到證實，但公司依然對管理層進行了大調整。

????芭拉雖然高調承擔責任，但這一舉動同時也讓外界對她的領導能力產生了更多的質疑。她在獲得提名成為CEO候選人之前，從來都不是這個職位的考慮人選。她是一位接受過專業培訓的電子工程師，她和她父親的整個職業生涯都在通用汽車度過。1月15日，她成了汽車公司第一位女掌門人。

????如果芭拉在這次安全調查中表現良好，她就既能強化自己的領導特質和權威，又能刺激通用汽車的管理層，因為他們正面臨著令人膽寒的競爭和組織挑戰。通用汽車需要做很多事情，來向尚存疑慮的消費者證明自己。同時，它還必須向持懷疑態度的貸款人和投資人證明，通用汽車公司能夠實現盈利，有能力避免另外一場財務危機。

????上周二，有媒體報道，美國司法部（the U.S. Justice Department）稱已經開始在紐約南區展開針對通用汽車的刑事調查，但媒體方面并沒有披露消息來源。刑事指控雖然尚未定論，但卻增加了通用汽車的風險。通用汽車的小型車點火裝置缺陷曾導致至少13人死亡，外加33起事故，而目前美國政府正在就這家公司處理這個缺陷的方式進行大范圍調查。

????美國司法部可能正在根據《交通工具召回的強化責任和文件法案》（Transportation Recall, Accountability, Enhancement, and Documentation Act，又稱TREAD法案），調查通用汽車應該承擔的法律責任。這項法案于2000年福特/凡士通（Firestone）案調查期間獲得通過，目的是懲罰汽車制造商蓄意隱瞞致命缺陷的行為。

????The safety uproar engulfing General Motors Co. (GM) and its fledgling chief executive will test Mary Barra's leadership chops, as well as the view that the new GM is a better company than the bankrupt GM that was bailed out by the U.S. in 2009.

????Barra, who became CEO less than 60 days ago, asserted her personal responsibility for handling the crisis, which comes at critical time for GM as it fights to rebuild credibility with consumers, investors, and regulators. GM appears to have known for about a decade of a defective ignition that has cost motorists their lives, though only in the past month recalling vehicles that may be affected. The company said Wednesday the problem was known as early as 2001.

????Unrevealed so far are the systems at GM (and the people involved) that failed to immediately address a potentially fatal defect. Also unclear is the extent of legal liability for the GM that filed for bankruptcy and that of the successor company that was incorporated in 2009.

????In an email to GM employees last week, Barra promised the automaker would cooperate fully with authorities and "other parties" with an interest in the recall. GM has undertaken "an internal review," it said: "We will hold ourselves accountable and improve our processes so our customers don't experience this again."

????Ford (F) and Toyota (TM) each have been the target of massive regulatory scrutiny and personal injury lawsuits in recent years following allegations that some of their vehicles were unsafe. In the case of Ford, Jacques Nasser, who was then chief executive, testified in 2000 before Congress; a year later he resigned from Ford. Toyota shook up its management ranks following allegations of unintended acceleration that were never proven conclusively.

????Barra, by conspicuously shouldering responsibility, is exposing herself to heightened examination of her leadership fitness. Before being mentioned as a possible CEO candidate, she hadn't been considered in line for the job. An electrical engineer by training, she has worked for GM her entire career, as did her father. On Jan. 15, she became the first woman to run an automaker.

????If she performs well during this safety investigation, she could reinforce her leadership traits and authority, as well as galvanize GM's management ranks, which face withering competitive and organizational challenges. GM still has much to prove to consumers who recall substandard vehicle models from pre-bankruptcy years. The company also must convince skeptical lenders and investors that it can grow profitably and avoid another financial collapse.

????On Tuesday, the U.S. Justice Department said it has opened a criminal probe against GM in the Southern District of New York, wire services reported, without identifying the source of the disclosure. Though criminal charges aren't a foregone conclusion, they raise the stakes for the automaker, which already is facing a broad government investigation into the way it handled the defective ignition in small-car models that has resulted in at least 13 deaths and 33 accidents.

????The Justice Department could be looking into possible liability under the Transportation Recall, Accountability, Enhancement, and Documentation Act, sometimes known as the TREAD Act. Passed in 2000 during the Ford/Firestone investigation, it was designed to punish automakers that knowingly fail to report defects that could endanger lives.