Reports show that General Motors knew for at least a decade about problems with the ignition switch in a number of its cars. It’s a defect that can unintentionally turn off the vehicle, disabling the power steering and airbags. But the company only began recalling vehicles in February. Since then, the GM recall has involved 2.6 million cars over the ignition switch issue, which has been blamed in the deaths of at least 13 people.

In addition to federal investigations, GM underwent its own internal investigation, led by former U.S. Attorney Anton Valukas. After more than 200 interviews and the review of millions of pages of documents, the internal investigation found the handling of the recall was filled with ineptitude and carelessness, but “no intentional plans to conceal information from the public.”

Valukas’ report, sent to Congress last week, “concluded that no one at GM took responsibility to fix the issue on the Chevy Cobalt.” GM CEO Mary Barra, commenting on the report, said “The ignition-switch issue was touched by numerous parties at GM — engineers, investigators, lawyers — but none raised the problem to the highest levels of the company.” While the investigation “showed no evidence that any employee made a trade-off between safety and cost,” 15 people who were deemed to have acted inappropriately were fired, and five other GM employees are facing disciplinary action.

GM Bankruptcy’s Impact

In 2009, GM filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection and underwent reorganization. Now, General Motors is currently facing more than 50 ignition switch recall lawsuits, and the number is growing. With ignition switch recalls still occurring, GM is asking to consolidate the ignotion switch recall lawsuits in New York. Also, GM also asked U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Robert E. Gerber to bar most of the complaints under its 2009 bankruptcy filing, given that GM emerged from court a different entity and the recalled vehicles were manufactured before bankruptcy.

Judge Gerber’s decision will determine the feasibility of the current claims and how an MDL would work. The U.S. Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation (JPML) will rule in the coming month which judge will oversee the major decisions in GM lawsuits.

Join a Free GM Recall Injury Class Action Lawsuit Investigation

If you or a loved one were severely injured or died in an automobile accident related to the GM ignition recall, you may be eligible to participate in the class action lawsuit and pursue compensation. The GM recall class action lawsuit will attempt to hold the automaker accountable for manufacturing and selling defective vehicles and failing to address safety flaws that endangered hundreds of thousands of customers. See if you qualify now at the GM Ignition Switch Recall Class Action Lawsuit Investigation.