General Motors (GM) recently set aside $400 million in settlement costs for ongoing GM defective ignition switch lawsuits involving millions of recalled GM vehicles.

However, GM still maintains the company should not be held responsible for the wrongful death and personal injury claims that allegedly occurred in defective GM vehicles sold before 2008, when the company underwent bankruptcy and reorganization.

In 2014 alone, GM recalled more than 30 million vehicles worldwide, 2.56 million of which were Chevy, Pontiac, and Saturn vehicles allegedly found to have an ignition switch design defect. The various GM personal injury lawsuits claim that the ignition switch defect caused the vehicles to shut off while being driven and prevented safety features like airbags from deploying, thus endangering the drivers and passengers of these GM vehicles.

Last month, GM officials acknowledged the company was aware of the ignition switch defect for years, but did not recall any of the vehicles impacted by this flaw until earlier this year. In the wake of this revelation, General Motors established the settlement fund for consumer injury and death associated strictly with the ignition switch defect and airbag failure. While the fund is set to be about $400 million, it could rise to $600 million to pay all of the eligible beneficiaries.

GM Ignition Switch Recall

Since the beginning of the year, GM has issued recalls on 29 different models of the company’s vehicles, the majority of which were recalled due to the ignition switch failure.

The recalled vehicles found within ignition switch failures sold abroad and in the United States include:

• 2005-2007 Chevrolet Cobalt
• 2005-2007 Pontiac G5
• 2003-2007 Saturn Ion
• 2006-2007 Chevrolet HHR
• 2005-2006 Pontiac Pursuit
• 2006-2007 Pontiac Solstice
• 2007 Saturn Sky

Additionally, in May, GM recalled 284,000 older GM model cars, including the 2004-2008 Chevrolet Aveo and Opta. While the other cars in the main GM litigation involve an ignition switch failure, these older vehicles were recalled because of a daytime running lights defect, which caused the lights to overheat and spontaneously combust.

Ignition Switch Defect

GM engineers reportedly discovered the faulty ignition switch and the potential danger to drivers as far back as 2001. Allegedly, the flaw in the ignition switch’s design can cause a car key to suddenly move to the accessory or off position while the car is driving. This results in the engine turning off and preventing airbags from deploying during a potential accident. Based on a review conducted by the Center for Auto Safety, GM vehicles containing the ignition switch defect are linked to about 300 vehicular deaths.

In response to GM’s slow response, the automaker was fined $35 million by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. The U.S. Department of Justice, Congress, and several states have conducated investigations concerning the GM ignition switch failures.