It’s been three years since GM initially notified the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) of an ignition switch defect existing in roughly 620,000 of its cars.

Within a week of that notification on February 13, 2014, GM officially issued a recall of all 2005-2007 Chevrolet Cobalt and 2007 Pontiac G5s. The supposedly faulty ignition switch had weaker tension than was optimum, and in certain situations, car keys were turning off engines which prevented the airbags from deploying in a crash.

By the end of February 2014, the car manufacturing giant had added approximately another 750,000 vehicles to the GM ignition switch defect recall. By the end of March 2014, 1,550,000 sedans, sport utility vehicles and vans were added to the list as were an additional 824,000 cars bringing the total affected vehicle recall count to 2,191,146.  At that point, all model years of the Chevrolet Cobalt and HHR were named as having the GM ignition switch defect as were the Pontiac G5 and Solstice, and Saturn Ion and Sky.

How Long Ago Did the Company Know About the GM Ignition Switch Defect?

According to an article written by National Public Radio (NPR), GM first detected the defect in the pre-production testing of the Saturn Ion in 2001. In 2004, the GM Ignition Switch Defect was again acknowledged as roll-out began on the Chevrolet Cobalt, which replaced Cavalier.  It was 14 years between initial detection and the first effort on the part of GM to recall and fix a problem that had the potential to cause multiple fatalities and injuries.

GM Ignition Switch Defect Linked to Injuries and Deaths

According to Consumersafety.org, the engine switch defect present in multiple GM vehicles has been linked to 124 deaths and 300 injuries.  These deaths and injuries are the result of vehicles turning off while in gear, allowing for malfunction of several safety mechanisms.

The first known death was that of teenager, Amber Marie R., in Maryland who died after her car hit a tree.  The faulty ignition switch in her car shut down the vehicle causing the air bags to not inflate.  Her death occurred in July 2005. 

Multidistrict Litigation (MDL) Filed in U.S. District Court

Judge Jesse M. Furman of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York is overseeing an MDL concerning the GM ignition switch defect. This MDL allows for the addition of plaintiffs in an ongoing manner.

GM stands accused in this litigation of falsely marketing their vehicles as safe while harboring knowledge of this unsafe mechanism for over a decade.  They are also accused of making false claims about prioritizing safety and workmanship quality in their organization.  Finally, GM is being held liable for the failure of the faulty ignition switch itself and all the pain and suffering caused by the its defect.