GM Names Justice Dept. Investigator to Aid Recall Probe

General Motors Co. has chosen the man who led the U.S. Dept. of Justice's probe into the collapse of Lehman Brothers as co-leader of an internal investigation into the company's 10-year delay in recalling defective ignition switches linked to 13 deaths.

Anton Valukas will join GM General Counsel Michael Millikin in heading the GM probe. The company says attorneys from the Atlanta-based international law firm of King & Spalding will assist.

Separately, the U.S. House Energy and Commerce Committee has launched its own investigation into the delayed recall. The committee says it plans to call officials from GM and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration to testify.

CEO Mary Barra has made it clear to employees that GM intends to produce an "unvarnished" report on the crisis, telling them the company's reputation will be determined by how it responds.

GM told NHTSA last month that in 2004 it recognized that a heavy keychain could jar an affected switch into the "off" position while the vehicle was in motion, thus deactivating the airbags.

GM discussed the issue with NHTSA at the time. But neither organization took action to recall 1.6 million vehicles equipped with the faulty switches until last month.