Millions of vehicles were affected by the General Motors recall issued in 2014 over a defective ignition switch, leading to billions in penalties and settlements. Consumers have reported that the defective ignition switch has caused serious car accidents, which in turn has resulted in loss of limbs, brain damage, serious burns, and other injuries.

Some consumers have turned to litigation against GM. If you or someone you love has suffered from injuries caused by a defective ignition switch affected by the recall, you may be able to pursue compensation.

GM Defective Ignition Switch Recall

General Motors initiated its recall over a defective ignition switch back in March 2014.

The company said that it had discovered a dangerous defect that would cause the ignition switch to accidentally move to the “off’ position, which can abruptly turn off the engine and prevent airbags from deploying, placing drivers and passengers at serious risk of injury and fatality. The defect can be triggered simply by bumping the keys when they are ignition, reports claim.

Millions of vehicles have been affected by the GM ignition switch recall. The vehicles affected by the defective ignition switch include dozens of models and model years of vehicles from Buick, Cadillac, Chevy, Oldsmobile, Pontiac, and Saturn.

Since the recall, GM—one of the most prominent automotive manufacturers—has acknowledged that some of its employees were actually aware of the defective ignition switch and its potential consequences for years before the recall itself was instigated. Consumers claim that failure to warn over the defective ignition switch placed them at serious risk and, in some cases, actually caused injuries or even death.

The defective ignition switch problem has since been blamed for several deaths. The issue first came to the company’s attention, however, back in 2001. It took another decade before the recall was issued.

Other Major GM Recalls

Problems with GM airbags could also put drivers and passengers at risk. Two airbag defects in particular could cause front or side airbags to fail to deploy. One is a problem with a side-impact airbag, which prevents these airbags from deploying due to a wiring harness problem. The second airbag problem is with the frontal airbag software, which may prevent the frontal airbags from deploying in a crash.

Both of these airbag problems have been addressed in recent recalls.

Filing a GM Defective Ignition Switch Lawsuit

If you or someone you love were injured in a GM vehicle car accident because of a defective ignition switch, you may be able to file a GM defective ignition switch lawsuit. An accident involving a defective ignition switch would have shut down the car and prevented airbags from deploying, which could cause significant injuries.