AUTOS

GM Forced to Give Up Safety Claim: General Motors is being forced to back off earlier claims that crashes of its full-size pickup trucks result in fewer deaths than Ford or Chrysler models. GM’s initial claims, made in defending itself in lawsuits, compared its full-size trucks against others, large and small, made by Ford and Chrysler. But GM refigured its data at the federal government’s request, comparing its full-size pickups against only the full-size models of its competitors. The new analysis forced GM to drop its claim that its full-size trucks were as safe or safer than those of Ford or Chrysler. GM had 1.51 deaths per 10,000 crashes of all types, Ford 1.45 and Chrysler 1.16.