With respect to the ignition key fiasco, a different interaction may have simply been moving ones free leg, which in the USA can result in the driver hitting the ignition key (since it's on the right of the steering wheel if i understood you correctly) whereas our free leg can not hit the ignition key (since it's on the opposite side). But for GM to say it doesn't impact aussies is just playing statistical games with peoples lives. Down under a driver could still move their right leg off the accelerator to streach a little with the same potential outcome of hitting the key and loosing ignition and power steering though less likely but still plausable. Even a minimum cost of updating the our owners manual to warn of such issues seemed too much for GM. Sadly it's not worth a $ or brand reputation hit to GM/Holden bottom line to protect the smaller group that may be impacted by this down under. ...Guess they haven't learnt all they could have from their cobalt fiasco.
IIUC the key was redesigned and assigned the same part number which is a big no no in terms of define (re)design processes. In true VW management deisel handling fassion, GM blamed a junior engineer for the error while chiming there was no cover up... Thing is people dies while GM twiddled it's fingers for too long... Some GM execs should have gone to jail over this ignition key fiasco but different set of rules for them it seems.
As for the electric steering rack issue, we still haven't had any proof that the probelm as been fully addressed via better gold plated connector pins being used in upgraded racks (GM fitted new racks with better connectors containing gold plated pings as a full fix to the US police vehicles recall but down under we get a fluffy vague service campaign where some thing the .
Finally, with the airbag issue, it still has a long way to go before it is fully resolved. Any explosive that requires a desicant to mitigate moisture impacting and altering the force of the explosion in a detrimental way can only be considered a product with a defined life as the desicant is consumed over time. Yet when has any service schedule documented a need for the replacement of the airbags as a requirement? Not my VF MSE. Documenting such well after the point of vehicle sale is likely going to leave many manufacturers with a large legal issue to resolve as vehicle owners look for redress for this new and unexpected high service cost (which would likely write off older vehicles as being uncommercial to perform such a service - welcome to throw away vehicles). It's a mess of their own making.
