I had heard it, and I had assumed that it was true.  This is, after all, GM we're talking about -- quite possibly the most incompetent of the major car makers.

An old bandmate of mine from high school owned a mid-1970s Nova.  Horrifying car to be a passenger in.  It used to cost him a fortune to fill up the tank, and that was back when gas sold for $1.30/gallon.  The dashboard was metal, and there were no shoulder-straps on the seatbelts.  He loved to fly down dirt roads -- there were, and are, only three paved roads in my parents' neighborhood -- and slide around corners at about 40 mph.  I was always sure that damned car would be the death of me.

Be nice to America. Or we'll bring democracy to your country.