Drivers and Passengers known to be at Risk since at least 2001
You may remember that in mid-February General Motors recalled almost 800,000 vehicles for ignition switch problems linked to multiple accident deaths. At the time, GM said it had linked 12 deaths in slightly over 30 accidents to the defect. Our Houston GM ignition switch recall lawyers point out that a study by the Center for Auto Safety has since linked over 300 front-seat deaths to the defect. The study noted over 1,100 deaths in all, including back seat passengers, in just two of the 6 GM models with the GM fatal ignition switch defect.
A few weeks after that initial mid-February recall, GM recalled 4 additional models of vehicle that used the same faulty ignition switch, bringing the total number of recalled vehicles to around 1.6 million. The defect causes the ignition switch to turn from “run” to “off” if it’s jarred by a rough road or pulled out of place by a heavy key ring. The sudden engine shut down can lead to serious crashes and rollovers. And because active electrical power is lost when the engine shuts down, the airbags don’t deploy when the vehicle crashes. Our Houston GM ignition switch recall lawyers note that one news report also detailed how the fatal injuries to a driver indicated that the seatbelt might not have locked properly either.
Why an Ignition Switch Problem leads to Fatal Airbag Problems
The Chief Research Officer for the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety clarifies how the ignition switch defect is connected to the failure of airbags to deploy. To deploy, airbags need electrical power from the engine. Airbags rely on a complex, computerized system of sensors that analyze data including how close a person is sitting to the airbag and how fast a vehicle is decelerating. This data analysis influences whether the airbag deploys with full force or at a lower level, trying to balance protection from crash injuries with protection from being injured by the airbag itself. (Danielle Ivory, Hilary Stoutmarch, Bill Vlasic, and Christopher Jensen, nytimes.com, 3/12/14)
GM Offers to Angry and Concerned Owners of the Defective Vehicles
Faced with backlash as people realize their safety has been at risk all the years the defect has been known but not addressed, GM is now offering free loaner cars to owners of the recalled vehicles until the parts are available to fix them. The company is also offering $500 towards purchase of a new GM vehicle, in case owners of the defective models want to trade them in.
If I owned one of these defective vehicles (and I almost did; I almost purchased a 2007 HHR), I might be hesitant to purchase another GM vehicle. After all, GM has admitted it has known of this ignition switch defect since at least 2001, but it failed to address it until 13 years later. And a research study commissioned by the Center for Auto Safety has found at least 303 front seat deaths linked to the failure of airbags to deploy in the recalled vehicles.
Research Study finds more than 300 Deaths in only 2 of the Recalled Models where Airbags didn’t Deploy
That research study focused only on the Chevy Cobalt and the Pontiac G5, which were recalled on February 13th. GM has since added 4 other models to the recall. Click the link to read our FAQ response listing the GM vehicles recalled for the deadly ignition switch problem. Presumably further study involving these 4 models would show a pattern of hundreds of additional deaths from the ignition switch malfunction. But GM is still saying it only links 11 or 12 deaths to the problem. The Houston GM ignition switch recall lawyers at Denena Points, PC emphasize that this is still 11 or 12 too many!
GM has not offered a satisfactory explanation about why it only added the other 4 vehicles to the recall list weeks after recalling the Chevy Cobalt and the Pontiac G5, when all 6 models use the same faulty ignition switch. Nor has GM offered a satisfactory explanation about why it did not issue a recall or move to fix the problem earlier, when the company admits it has known of the defect since at least 2001. At one point several years ago, GM even offered ignition switch fixes to its dealers for buyers of the affected vehicles. But only around 450 of the vehicles ever received the proffered fix.
Faced with an escalating situation and the need for damage control, GM management is trying to characterize “today’s General Motors” and “current GM management” as separate and more caring and concerned about your safety than past GM management, which that approach suggests could not have cared less about your safety. From a PR standpoint, I’m not sure that trying to shift the blame to a nebulous past era of GM management really helps the company’s image. But I get why they are doing it.
And What has the NHTSA been doing about the Safety Risk all this Time? Nothing
Curiously, the NHTSA, the U.S. agency charged with ensuring auto safety, also failed to do anything about the serious problem. This suggests that the NHTSA too might not care about your safety so much as it cares about GM. The Center for Auto Safety has sent a letter to the NHTSA with the results of its research, criticizing the agency for failing to do its job in protecting the public from the fatal ignition switch problem. 303 deaths and probably many more injuries seem to warrant at least a second look regarding a possible defect trend. An earlier investigation of the problem by the NHTSA might have saved scores of lives.
Do you remember the controversy involving the Ford Explorer and Firestone tire combo that was linked to about 250 rollover accident deaths and thousands of severe injuries? That controversy too, went on for a decade or more, with Ford blaming Firestone, and Firestone blaming Ford, but without adequate solutions for the many drivers and passengers affected by the Firestone tire-bearing Ford Explorer’s dangerous propensity for rollovers.
Don’t let Automakers get away with Risking your Safety: Contact Us to Learn about Your Legal Options and Potential Eligibility for Financial Recovery
When automakers and regulatory agencies are slow to act in recalling defective vehicles, people die and people suffer permanently incapacitating injuries. Don’t let the automakers get away with selling you a defective product, hiding the defect, and neglecting your safety.
Contact the Houston GM ignition switch recall lawyers at Denena Points, PC for help. We care. We drive the same cars you do, on the same roads you do, and we’re deeply concerned anytime we learn that an automaker has been playing fast and loose with our safety. The law gives you rights and recourse when you’ve been injured or have lost a loved one to a defective product.
Our experienced attorneys could help you understand your legal options and eligibility for financial recovery after your needless injury or loss. Contact us for a free, no obligation initial legal consultation. Reach us by phone at 713-807-9500 or anytime through our online contact form at: http://denenapoints.com/contact.cfm and put our more than 12 years of experience to work for your benefit.