GM Recalls More Vehicles for Defective Airbags, Engine Switches

General Motors is facing some serious pressure from the US government and consumers to provide both safer vehicles and answers to the reasons behind a recent wave of product recalls. In February of 2014, GM recalled more than 1.6 million small cars for defective engine switches. The defect is already linked to over a dozen deaths and GM is facing investigations into how it handled the recall. If you or a loved one were involved in an accident or suffered an injury related to the recalled product, contact a defective product lawyer in Los Angeles immediately.

According to a report in The New York Times, a Congressional committee is looking into the GM defective product recall and intends to hold hearings that will include the automaker and the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). The defective ignition switch, if it was weighed down by a heavy keychain, could turn off the engine and electrical system and disable the airbags, causing potentially serious personal injuries to car occupants.

Just recently, GM recalled over 1 million more automobiles that may have defective airbags. This recall is purportedly part of an effort to assure GM car owners and drivers that the company is moving quickly to fix safety defects in its cars and trucks. Airbag defects can lead to serious, long-term injuries and even death. Airbag systems are designed to reduce driver and passenger injuries by absorbing some of the impact of the crash and acting as a buffer between the person and the windshield or car window. If you suffered an injury because an airbag did not deploy properly, the law is on your side.

n airbag may deploy incorrectly or malfunction because of a defect in its design, which can result in serious injury for vehicle occupants in a collision, regardless of speed. A defective airbag might deploy at the wrong time – either too quickly or too slowly – resulting in severe head traum – See more at: http://www.productsafetyproject.com/air-bag-defects/#sthash.c9br3ukl.dpuf

Airbag systems are designed to reduce driver and passenger injuries in a motor vehicle collision, particularly collisions at high speeds. To reduce injuries, airbags are designed to absorb some of the impact of a crash and act as a buffer between the vehicle occupant and the vehicle’s dashboard and windshield. When properly designed, air bags can be useful safety devices. Unfortunately, many air bag systems were poorly designed, resulting in numerous known air bag defects which, in turn, have resulted in thousands of serious air bag injuries. – See more at: http://www.productsafetyproject.com/air-bag-defects/#sthash.c9br3ukl.dpuf

While GM has said it expects to spend approximately $300 million in the first quarter to repair the vehicles in the new recalls as well as the vehicles in the small car recall, it is too late for some innocent victims. What’s more, it seems that GM has known about this product defect for over 10 years, which makes many wonder why they put families at risk.

For more information about the GM recalls, or to discuss filing a product liability lawsuit against GM, contact the aggressive Los Angeles defective product lawyers at BIKLAW today.