General Motors has named a new vehicle safety chief this week, who reportedly will be in charge of finding and resolving product safety issues, like recalls, according to a company statement.

The automaker has recalled over 3.3 million cars during the last two months, including three new recalls issued on March 17.

GM has faced criticism all over the world for not handling the recall of small cars with defective ignition switches in a timely fashion. The recall has been attributed to at least 12 deaths, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

Jeff Boyer, the new vice president of global vehicle safety, will take over the newly created position "effective immediately," the automaker said in a statement.

Boyer, 58, will be responsible for the safety development of all GM vehicles, confirmation and validation of safety performance, along with post-sale safety responsibilities, including recalls.

He has spent nearly 40 years with GM, in a number of safety and engineering positions. Since 2011, Boyer served as executive director of engineering operations and systems development.

"Boyer will provide regular and frequent updates on vehicle safety to (GM CEO Mary) Barra, senior management and the GM board of directors," GM said in a statement.

Barra commented on the hire, saying that Boyer's appointment sets "new standard for customer safety with more rigorous accountability," in a statement.

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