GM urges owners to reduce their key ring to just the key for their GM vehicle until the faulty ignition switch is repaired.
It's disgraceful that a company bailed out by the U.S. taxpayers has now imperiled the lives of thousands of people who trusted them. -attorney Edward A. Smith
Sacramento, CA (PRWEB) April 10, 2014
AutoAccident.com (The Law Offices of Edward A. Smith) announced today that it is available to help drivers or passengers injured because of loss of control or because airbags do not deploy in certain GM vehicles.
A number of GM vehicles manufactured as far back as 2003 up through 2011 were sold with a faulty ignition switch. In cars with this faulty ignition switch, if jarred when driving over rough road, or if the key gets jostled by a knee, or if the key is on a heavy key ring, the ignition switch will move the key out of the “run” position. When the key is out of the “run” position, the car radio still plays, but there is no electrical power to the power steering or power brakes and the car’s engine cuts off. This switching of the key out of the “run” position can happen at any moment, and will make it difficult for the driver to control the vehicle. This increases the chance of a collision.
When the ignition switch is out of the “run” position, the airbags may not deploy in the event of a collision. “It’s disgraceful that a company bailed out by the U.S. taxpayers has now imperiled the lives of thousands of people who trusted them,“ says attorney Edward A. Smith. “I was shocked by their failure to voluntarily disclose this known defect.”
GM has issued a recall of vehicles containing this faulty ignition switch, and as of March 28, the recall includes:
- Chevrolet Cobalt 2005-2010
- Chevrolet HHR 2006-2011
- Pontiac G5 2005 – 2010
- Pontiac Solstice 2006-2010
- Pontiac Pursuit (Canada) 2005-2006
- Saturn ION 2003-2007
- Saturn Sky 2007-2010
(General Motors, Official Global Site, Ignition Switch Safety Information, published 2014, http://www.gm.com/ignition-switch-recall.html).
Anyone who has been seriously injured in any of the above vehicles because of a sudden loss of steering, brakes, power or non-deployment of airbags may have a valid legal claim against GM. Anyone affected by the above may call The Law Offices of Edward A. Smith for further information on whether they have a valid product liability case.
Anyone driving a recalled car should contact a GM Dealer to have the ignition switch replaced as soon as possible. If you drive a Pontiac or Saturn, those discontinued brands will be serviced at any Chevrolet, Buick, GMC or Cadillac dealer. The cost of the repair will be covered by the dealer. Service time to replace the ignition switch is about 30 minutes, but owners should expect it to take longer due to service scheduling issues (General Motors, Official Global Site, Ignition Switch Safety Information, published 2014, http://www.gm.com/ignition-switch-recall.html). GM has asked its supplier, Delphi Corp., to add another production line in order to make enough ignition switches for GM to keep up with the demand to replace the faulty ignition switches.
Anyone with a recalled car should immediately remove all other keys from their key ring, leaving only the vehicle key (GM advises removing the key fob as well). While GM asserts the vehicles are safe to drive without the extra weight of other keys on the key ring, dealerships have been empowered to provide free rental cars to drivers awaiting repairs.
Edward A. Smith has litigated personal injury cases in 1982, and has written several books explaining the ins and outs of the insurance and legal world to the public. He is a frequent guest on radio and TV programs in California. Originally a New York native, he relocated to Sacramento following his discharge from the U.S. Air Force in 1968.
Mr. Smith graduated from McGeorge School of Law and practices in Sacramento, California. He is a member of the State Bar of California, Sacramento County Bar Association, Consumer Attorneys of California, Capital City Trial Lawyers Association, American Trial Lawyers Association and the Million Dollar Forum. His law firm has won a variety of challenging personal injury cases, including cases involving car accidents, motorcycle accidents, livestock collisions, dangerous roadway conditions, dog attacks and accidents involving watercraft. The Law Offices of Edward A. Smith are located at 1900 Point West Way, Suite 200, Sacramento, CA 95825. The office toll-free number is 800-404-5400.