Currently, GM has deemed 30 deaths allegedly caused by the ignition switch defect as “eligible claims,” while hundreds of other claims concerning the GM ignition switch malfunction and recall are waiting to be reviewed.

GM continues to make its way through the claims that have been made by GM customers all over the country that cite the faulty ignition switches as the source of severe injuries and deaths. About 60 claims overall have been deemed eligible by GM, including 30 in which family members claim their loved ones died because of the faulty ignition switch.

There are also other GM ignition switch complaints that are considered category one and category two injuries.

Category one refers to permanent damages such as quadriplegia, paraplegia, permanent brain damage, pervasive burns, and double amputation. Category two claims are serious injuries that require immediate hospitalization. Both categories are very serious and have led to many GM ignition switch lawsuits.

While the number of likely GM eligible claims is relatively low, hundreds of GM ignition switch claims have been received by GM and are waiting for final approval or dismissal.

There are an additional 192 deceased claims alone that are in progress. However, a review done by The Center for Auto Safety believes that nearly 300 deaths are connected to the faulty GM ignition switch.

The GM Ignition Switch Failures

Users of several different GM vehicles have complained that their ignition switch switched from “on” to “accessory” or to the off position. Faulty ignition switches might change positions due to heavier keys or if the car is suddenly jostled such as when driving over a pothole or railroad track. In these cases, the vehicle’s engine is then turned off.

If a crash followed, the air bags might not have deployed because of the changed ignition setting. Severe car accidents and wrongful deaths have been allegedly caused by the GM ignition switch defect.

A GM ignition switch recall was issued in 2014 because of these incidents, but The Wall Street Journal suggested that the problem with the ignition switches was known by GM as early as 2001.

Faulty GM ignition switches have been found in the following vehicles in various models: Buick, Cadillac, Chevrolet, Oldsmobile, Pontiac, and Saturn. Vehicles from as early as 1997 are implicated in the GM ignition switch recall.

Well over 1.6 million vehicles have been affected by the ignition switch recall. The GM ignition switch problem would have been apparently relatively cheap and easy to address, some claim.

GM Ignition Switch Lawsuits

Many individuals have joined a GM ignition recall class action lawsuit as a result of the injuries or wrongful deaths allegedly caused by the faulty manufacturing of a vital vehicle part.

GM lawsuits accuse GM of knowing about the flaw in the ignition switch and failing to make the vehicles safe for users across the country. The official number of deaths is expected to rise as more claims are filed. A GM ignition switch recall class action lawsuit investigation is underway.