GM Places Two Engineers on Leave as Part of Ignition Switch Probe

(Reuters) - General Motors Co said it had placed two engineers on paid leave as part of an investigation into defective ignition switches that led to a recall of 2.6 million cars.þþÿThis is an interim step as we seek the truth about what happened,ÿ Chief Executive Mary Barra said in a statement. (http://r.reuters.com/zan48v)þþGM spokesman Greg Martin said the company would not provide the names of the engineers. He did not give any other details.þþAt least 13 deaths in Saturn Ions, Chevrolet Cobalts and other car models have been linked to the faulty ignition switches, which can cause the engine to turn off suddenly, disabling the air bags and making steering and braking more difficult.þþThe National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is fining GM $7,000 a day for missing an April 3 deadline to provide information about the recall.þþThe regulator said on Tuesday that the automaker had not responded to over a third of its questions by the deadline.þþ(Reporting by Sagarika Jaisinghani in Bangalore; Editing by Kirti Pandey)