At least one product liability attorney has reported a client that had one of the recalled cars shut down with only one key in the switch. The switch and the key are at opposite ends of the assembly.
General Motors has told NHTSA – aka the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration – that it is adding ignition lock cylinders to its safety recall covering ignition switches on more than 2.2 million cars in the United States. The defective lock cylinders from former in-house supplier Delphi can allow removal of the ignition key while the engine is running, leading to a possible rollaway, crash and occupant or pedestrian injuries. So far GM not Delphi is taking all the criticism for the killing safety defect.
GM has recalled 6.5 million cars so far in 2014, which will cost stockholders billions of dollars. But with more than $38 billion in liquidity, the credit ratings agencies – thus far – are not downgrading the company so the long term effects appear to be modest. What isn’t modest is the media coverage – a feeding frenzy of reports about the problem, some of which are inaccurate.
GM says that owners of manual transmission vehicles should make sure the ignition is in the “off” position and set to reverse gear with the parking brake on before removing the key. Owners of vehicles with automatic transmissions should be sure the vehicle is in “park” before removing the key.
GM now says it is aware of “several hundred complaints of keys coming out” of ignition switches. Searches of GM and government databases found one rollaway in a parking lot that resulted in a crash and one injury claim. It is claimed that these searches showed no fatalities.
GM has decided to replace the ignition lock cylinders and cut and, if necessary, reprogram new keys. The cars covered are model years:
- 2003-2007 Saturn Ion
- 2005-2010 Chevrolet Cobalt
- 2006-2010 Pontiac Solstice
- 2007-2010 Pontiac G5
- 2007-2010 Saturn Sky
- 2006-2011 Chevrolet HHR
All of these cars, of course, were recalled in recent weeks for ignition switches that may fail to meet GM’s torque specification. The ignition switch can move from the “run” position to the “accessory” or “off” position with a sudden reduction or loss of power.
The risk may be increased if the key ring is carrying added weight or if the vehicle goes off the road or experiences some other “jarring event.”
The timing of the key movement out of the “run” position can result in the airbags not deploying, increasing the potential for occupant injury in certain kinds of crashes. At least 13 deaths have been linked to this safety defect.
GM says, “Until recall repairs are made, it is important that customers remove all items from their key rings, leaving only the vehicle key. If there is a key fob, it also should be removed from the key ring.” However, at least one product liability attorney has reported a client that had one of the recalled cars shut down with only one key in the switch.
