GM execs peruse Twitter, Facebook for defect complaints

The company claims to be reaching far and wide to spot potential safety issues.

General Motors has reportedly assigned teams to monitor social media for complaints of potential defects.

The program is said to involve 24-hour monitoring on popular platforms, such as Twitter and Facebook, along with automotive forums where owners frequently post problems with their vehicles.

"We have to identify issues before they become a problem," GM president Dan Ammann told Bloomberg in a recent interview.

Amman and other top executives are said to participate in the hunt, sometimes calling customers directly in an attempt to get more information and better handle emerging issues.

The initiative is the latest move in GM's ongoing reform process, after the ignition-switch defect was repeatedly reported by owners, journalists and lawyers over the span of a decade before the company finally took action.