General Motors Company (GM) said Tuesday it is recalling another 2.6 million vehicles globally, raising the number of vehicles it has recalled so far this year to nearly 15.4 million. The four new recalls are the latest by the biggest U.S. automaker, the highest-profile of which is the recall of cars with defective ignition switches linked to at least 13 deaths. GM has been criticized by safety advocates and fined by U.S. safety regulators for not detecting the faulty switch earlier. GM said Tuesday's actions increase the number of U.S. recalls this year to 29, including the earlier recall of 2.6 million vehicles to replace the defective ignition switches. The total number of recalled vehicles this year is more than the previous five years combined. The company also said Tuesday that it is doubling the charge it expects to take in the second quarter to about $400 million, mostly for recall-related repairs. In the first quarter, GM took a charge of $1.3 billion, mostly related to the ignition-switch recall.
