The Sonic is also the car that had defective ignition switches that led to numerous deaths because the engine would suddenly shut off while driving, disabling t

The Sonic is also the car that had defective ignition switches that led to numerous deaths because the engine would suddenly shut off while driving, disabling the electric power steering...and even worse, the airbag system would get disabled and not work in an ensuing crash. In a civil suit a family's attorney found GM's supplier dramatically changed the ignition switch, and GM claimed that they had no idea why or that it even happened (which is ludicrous to anyone even proximate to the auto industry. Any time a part is revised, even slightly, it tends to get a part number suffix.) Sonic's product manager claimed he had no knowledge of ignition switch changes. "I put my own son in a Sonic" etc etc. Eventually the whole mess blew up to the point that Congress got involved, subpoaenaed a battleship's worth of documents from GM and...lo and behold, what comes out? Lots of emails from the same Sonic product manager about the ignition switch. There was an NPR/APM/etc show episode about it...wish I could remember which one.