General Motors has come under intense legal and media scrutiny over a massive recall of close to 3 million vehicles over safety concerns about an ignition switch defect. A recent report by an auto safety watchdog group has stated that more than 300 deaths may be related to the GM ignition switch malfunction. The report is in stark contrast to the 13 deaths GM claims are linked to the defect.

According to reports, the GM ignition switch defect can cause a car to “think” the key has switched to the off position. This could causes a critical cascade of problems, starting with the engine shutting down while the car is in motion. At the same time, per the allegations, the flaw causes the air bags to shut down at the same time. This creates a dangerous situation which can cause an accident by shutting down the car’s engine while driving and disabling a key safety feature.

The GM recall death report comes from the Center for Auto Safety, a consumer watchdog group. The report says that 303 deaths have been caused by the GM ignition switch defect. The report alleges that the defect has caused or contributed to all of these accidents by shutting down the engine while deactivating the air bags.

GM has disputed the findings. In a statement to the press, a spokesman stated that “without rigorous analysis, it is pure speculation to draw any meaningful conclusions.” GM is presently conducting its own investigation into the defect that ultimately led to the GM recall. However, they are not the only ones investigating the alleged defect.

Both Congress and federal prosecutors are conducting probes into the GM ignition switch defect. According to these investigations, the GM recall may have been delayed due to internal issues at GM. Allegations have surfaced that individuals at GM were aware of the defect as early as 2004.

The recall affects a variety of GM vehicles. However, GM operates with several different brand names, so the recall ultimately spans across various models of Chevrolets, Pontiacs, and Saturns. In total, the recall includes more than 1.6 million individual vehicles.

A GM recall class action lawsuit has been launched to explore the possibility of a group lawsuit over deaths allegedly linked to the ignition switch defect. Class action lawsuits are a type of group lawsuit, where a number of plaintiffs take legal action against the same defendant over similar alleged harm. Class action lawsuits are designed to streamline the legal process by condensing what could be dozens, hundreds, or even thousands of individual suits into a single legal action. This is intended to save resources for all parties involved: the plaintiffs can pool their resources for their legal costs, the defendant only has to face a single lawsuit, and the court system only has to try a single case. GM faces not only a potential GM recall death class action lawsuit from consumers who purchased these vehicles, but also from shareholders in their company, alleging that the company handled the issue poorly.