In the never ending saga of General Motors and the ignition switch recall, new information has come to light.

The Wall Street Journal recently reported that GM had ordered 500,000 replacement ignition switches from its supplier, Delphi Automotive, close to two months before reporting issues and initiating the recall.

The ignition switch issue in a number of GM cars, is that if bumped, it can unintentionally turn off the vehicle, in turn disabling the power steering and airbags. It’s alleged that General Motors knew about the problems with its ignition switch for at least 10 years, but did nothing to protect the public.

The current findings bring this issue more sharply to light, as The Wall Street Journal article cited emails between Delphi and a GM contract worker showing that on Dec. 18, 2013, one day after a senior executive meeting, and two months before the ignition switch recall, General Motors placed an “urgent” order for the replacement switches.

According to records, it wasn’t until January that GM informed auto-safety regulators of the need for an ignition switch recall. The initial GM recall covered close to 780,000 cars. GM expanded that number progressively and publicly.

The plaintiffs’ lead counsel in the federal multidistrict litigation (MDL) against GM said that “this is simply mind-blowing in its raw evilness. … GM should have notified its customers immediately to take all weight off of their keychains.”

This could have saved lives, he said. “By the time GM actually ordered these parts, it had to have already spent months making the decision to place the order.”

The GM ignition switch complications have caused multiple injuries and, over the years, a number of deaths. Enough damage was done that GM created a compensation fund in August. Since its founding, more than 300 claims have been submitted for injury or death.

However, it is relevant to note that the compensation fund was created after General Motors’ bankruptcy in 2009, and that GM is fighting any claims prior to that. To date, 61 claims have been approved for payment by the fund, encompassing 31 injuries and 30 deaths.

The first trial in the consolidated litigation against General Motors is set for Jan. 11, 2016.

Recall History

When the ignition switch failure to act came to light, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) fined GM $35 million for delays related to the recall.

While allegations stand that General Motors knew of the ignition switch problems for years, GM did not start recalling vehicles until February. From February to June, more than 2.6 million cars were recalled for ignition switch issues. Independent investigators were called in to find the breakdown points and to confirm safety measures were taken. In the re-examination of safety issues by the company, more cars were recalled.

Today, ignition switch problems have caused GM to recall close to 20 million vehicles. However, various other problems, including air bag defects, unsafe seatbelts, electrical complications and a host of other dangers have been found that led to more recalls. Overall, there have been more than 50 recalls of General Motors vehicles.