Two U.S. senators are calling for General Motors to expand its ignition switch compensation program and to extend the deadline for accepting offers from the Detroit automaker.

On Aug. 1, 2014, the GM Ignition Compensation Claims Resolution Facility was created to compensate people injured or killed as a result of the delayed recall of 2.6 million Saturn Ions, Chevrolet Cobalts and other older model vehicles fitted with a faulty ignition switch. GM didn’t recall the cars until last year despite reports of the ignition problem more than a decade earlier.

The deadline for claim submissions was Jan. 31, 2015.

In addition to Saturns and Cobalts, GM has recalled Buicks, Cadillacs, Oldsmobiles and Pontiacs.

Each death claim will be paid at least $1 million, along with $300,000 payments to surviving spouses and children for pain and suffering. In addition, it will calculate the economic value of the life lost.

Sen. Bill Nelson of Florida and Sen. Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut are pressuring the auto maker to extend the amount of time for families to decide whether to accept or reject payment offers.

“Something went terribly wrong in that company where they were covering up a defect that was lethal,” Nelson said during a press conference he held with Blumenthal and Bob Hilliard, one of the lawyers representing victims and families of those killed in cars with defective ignition switches. “You’ve got to make it right. You’ve got to do the right thing.”

A liability shield upheld by a federal judge prohibits people injured or killed as a result of the ignition defect before July 2009, when GM exited from bankruptcy, from filing claims, giving them no choice but to accept compensation from the company fund.

Those involved in crashes after July 2009, when GM became a government-sponsored company, may pursue a claim in court.

“You are offering them a ‘heads we win, tails you lose’ offer and you have barred the courthouse door,” Blumenthal said, criticizing the fund for only giving families 90 days to decide whether to accept an offer and asking them to abandon the deadlines and waive the bankruptcy shield. “Clearly this problem isn’t going away. I think there’s a strong feeling that there should be some action.”

Hilliard pointed out the inequity of the judge’s ruling about compensating only those involved in crashes after GM came out of bankruptcy, noting that someone injured a day before the ruling can’t file a lawsuit, but someone in a crash the day after can.

“GM should say, ‘We’re going to pay fair money for every single person involved pre-’09 or post-’09,” said Hilliard. “We will pay everybody that we injured or killed. … The loss and suffering are exactly the same.”

According to the Detroit News, GM recalled more than 15 million vehicles for ignition switch-related issues, but only agreed to compensation for a delayed recall of 2.6 million Cobalts, Ions and other cars.

Vehicles with the defective ignition switches can accidentally turn off the engine and disable power steering, power brakes and air bags.

GM has said it has no plans to alter its compensation fund or extend the deadlines.