Many GM auto dealers waiting on recalls parts

General Motors dealers were to start replacing defective ignition switches at the start of the week, but many said they did not have parts and that car owners were not beating down their doors demanding the fix.

GM said dealers would start getting the switches Monday for 2.5 million recalled small cars, mostly from 2003-2007, but production won’t be finished for all the parts until late fall and some will be trickling in at first.

The defect is blamed for at least 31 crashes and 13 deaths and has spawned lawsuits and government investigations, including a Justice Department probe that could lead to criminal penalties.

Matt Gilbertson, manager of Ed Koehn Chevrolet in Rockford, Mich., said his dealership has received “quite a few calls,” but many customers are waiting patiently for parts.

He said GM’s decision to pay for rental cars for customers who aren’t comfortable driving their recalled vehicles has alleviated some of the pressure on dealerships. GM has insisted that the cars are safe to drive if drivers use the naked ignition key unattached from a key chain or other keys. But safety advocates and lawyers have pressured GM to order drivers to refrain from driving the cars until they’re fixed.

“The biggest thing, of course, is making sure we got people into transportation, which we were able to do, and make sure they didn’t have any down time,” Gilbertson said.