Serious Safety Issue: Many Unrepaired GM Cars with Faulty Ignition Switches Remain on the Road

General Motors now has enough parts to fix the faulty ignition switches that prompted its recall of 2 million vehicles earlier this year, according to a recent statement from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

Unfortunately, only 60 percent of the recalled vehicles have been repaired so far, according to NHTSA. That means there are nearly 1 million vehicles with defective ignition switches that have yet to be repaired. Theses vehicles pose a serious safety risk to their occupants and to other motorists.

The defective ignition switches can easily be jostled out of position, causing the vehicle to stall unexpectedly and disabling important safety features, including airbags, brakes and power steering.

With many people making road trips to spend the holidays with family and friends, the threat to motorists becomes even more serious.

Federal regulators have pushed the automaker to accelerate production of replacement parts for the dangerous switches, which have been linked to at least 38 deaths and 51 injuries in car accidents nationwide. NHTSA also urged GM to take unusual steps to encourage people to bring their cars in for repair, leading the company to offer incentives like $25 gift cards to more than 700,000 vehicle owners.

Car owners should contact their local dealers to schedule an appointment to get the problem fixed.

GM is facing legal action for delaying the issue of a recall for the faulty ignition switches despite knowing about the problem for more than a decade. In May, GM paid a record-setting $35 million fine to NHTSA for its missteps, and the first trial against the company for personal injury and wrongful death over the switches has been set for January 2016.

GM attorney Kenneth Feinberg recently told The Associated Press that he is currently reviewing 239 death claims and more than 2,000 injury claims involving the defective switches, including hundreds for very serious injuries. So far, 89 were judged eligible for compensation.

Feinberg is accepting claims through Jan. 31.

The involved models include:

2003-2007 Saturn ION
2005-2010 Chevrolet Cobalt
2006-2011 Chevrolet HHR
2007-2010 Pontiac G5
2006-2010 Pontiac Solstice
2005-2006 Pontiac Pursuit
2007-2010 Saturn Sky

If you drive one of the recall GM vehicles, The Frank Jenkins Law Office urges you to get your car fixed immediately. The free repair can be made at any GM certified dealer throughout Kentucky. You can locate the repair shop closest to you here.

If you aren’t sure if your car is part of the recall, you can also look it up by VIN number on using this NHTSA tool.

If you have been injured in an accident involving a recalled GM vehicle, let us review the facts of the accident to determine if you have a claim for compensation.