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121: The Current State of GM's Ignition-Switch Toll

3K views 40 replies 23 participants last post by  goatgary 
#1 ·
GM ignition-switch death toll rises to 121
http://www.autonews.com/article/20150706/OEM11/150709925/gm-ignition-switch-death-toll-rises-to-121

General Motors’ faulty ignition switches are now linked to 121 deaths, two more than a week ago, the office of attorney Kenneth Feinberg said.

GM hired Feinberg last year to independently compensate the victims of crashes caused by the automaker’s defective ignition switches, which prompted the recall of more than 2.6 million vehicles in 2014.

GM originally said it only knew of 13 deaths linked to the switches, which can be jostled out of the “run” position, cutting power to the engine and power steering.

Feinberg’s office also approved of eight more injury claims as of Friday.

Of the 251 approved injury claims, 14 are for serious or catastrophic injury and 237 are for minor injuries that required hospitalization or outpatient medical treatment within 48 hours of the accident.

The deadline for claims was Jan. 31, and Feinberg’s office has said it expects to complete its review of all claims this summer.

Of the 4,342 total claims received by Feinberg’s office, 3,096 have been found ineligible and 76 are still under review. Another 798 have been found “deficient,” meaning claimants still have the opportunity to support their claim with further documentation.
 
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#3 ·
IMHO you can NOT OFFER the best product when your last product was INTENTIONALLY released NOT meeting internal standards and it will be years before that skeleton is out of the closet

as you can NOT say this generation is the BEST EVER until we are in to the NEXT GEN and history has taken it toll (first few years the COBALT was the best compact ever ....)
 
#4 ·
At this point, they're basically just tallying up non-airbag deployments in fatal accidents. It's a real misnomer to say ignition switches killed people. I had to stop reading the trial coverage because I have no pity for drunk driving fatalities and people falling asleep at the wheel, which comprised--as far as I could tell--the entirety of the dozen victims represented.

A recent report of the deficiencies of the NHTSA investigation showed that the Cobalt was barely above average non-airbag deployment rates, and they failed to find a link between those accidents and the ignition position. Take that as you will.
 
#6 ·
There's no evidence to support that assumption about Cadillac. Case in point: Chevy's compact cars are selling incredibly well, and that is the FIRST place you'd see damage from the Cobalt scandal. They're selling over 20,000 Cruzes every month, 7-10k Sonics, and another 10k between the Trax and Spark.
 
#12 ·
This is so not worth reporting! I would bet most of the 121 deaths accepted had very little if anything to do with the cars shutting off or losing control because of the ignition switch. The more technology advances the lower the drivers skills become. If we as a society would get rid of many of the so-called needed distractions in our lives, we would be far better off! I don't have (nor will I ever have) a cell phone, pager, or mp3 player. (Or whatever they are being called now days!
 
#27 ·
If GM hadn't knowingly produced faulty ignition switches the NHSTA wouldn't have had anything to catch. Not saying they SHOULDN'T have caught it; they most certainly should have, which shows how useless and ineffective they are. But the root of the problem is GM designing and testing a product that proved to be faulty and still giving it the rubber stamp for production on millions of vehicles.

I see the same argument all the time with children's protective services in Canada and the US. It's very sad when kids fall through the safety nets that are supposed to protect them (NHSTA), but the INITIAL responsibility lies on the shoulders of the parents (GM). When they mess up, sadly, there's no guarantee the backup won't fail as well.
 
#32 ·
Let's go to the extreme and say 1000 people died due to the I S....which would certainly be tragic.
But how many MILLION were produced with this condition? You can bet that several thousand drivers had a shut off problem but knew how to handle it.
Not giving GM a pass here. Just saying saying there is personal responsibility also in the equation to know how the basics of a car actually function.

Lesson....build to the lowest common denominator and "idiot proof" EVERYTHING! At least build to spec.
 
#34 ·
I was taught Firearm Safety by my Father. #1 point was "TREAT EVERY GUN AS IF IT IS LOADED"

My thought behind this is playing Russian Roulette. Weather it is 1 loaded shell in a magazine that holds a million rounds or just 6, It still just takes 1 shot and you are playing the game.

Do you buy Lotto Tickets? Yes then you understand Odds, No then you also understand Odds.
 
#40 ·
New flash! None of the automakers give a **** about people.

Practically every major automaker has been caught showing their complete disregard for customers: GM, Ford, Toyota, Honda, etc. They're all companies who care about the bottom line and this quarter's profits first and foremost.
 
#41 ·
Food for thought: "Automakers" tend for the most part to be people (some robots in the mix). The same people tend to be our neighbors and have families with the same hopes and aspirations you do. According to your take, they all become non-human when they enter the workplace and the best part of their day is when they get a chance to screw the consumer.

Really?

And, BTW, if the companies want to say in business, SOMEONE better watch the bottom line
 
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