![]() As of March 2015, GM had offered compensation for 11 Category One injuries, along with 115 Category Two injuries. By the end of September, Reuters stated in an article that 153 deaths were linked to the faulty ignition switch. General Motors disputed its conclusion, and stood by their original figure of 13 deaths after the report was released as of June 3, 2014. On June 3, 2014, Reuters published an analysis concluding that the faulty switches were responsible for 74 deaths, based on Fatality Analysis Reporting System data. In a collision in which two young women in a Chevrolet Cobalt were killed when the ignition switch shut off the engine, GM only counted the death of the woman in the front seat, because the death of the woman in the back seat was not caused by the failure of the airbag to deploy. It did not include, for example, an incident where after a car's ignition switch failed, the car "spun out, hydroplaned, hit an oncoming vehicle and rolled off the road, dropping 15 feet into a creek". The company only counted incidents resulting in head-on collisions in which the airbags did not deploy. Originally, they linked the failures to 13 deaths and 31 crashes. GM compensated claimants for 124 deaths, potentially linked to faulty ignition switches. General Motors was aware of this potential problem, and held meetings about it, as early as 2005. Therefore, this was a safety hazard: If the switch changed from Run to Accessory and the vehicle was involved in an accident, it would no longer have power to release the airbags, and it would be difficult for the driver to steer and brake. ![]() The ignition switch was designed to remove power from the vehicle's airbags when in the Off or Accessory mode. Yet, it was discovered that during extreme moments of vibrations, or even with the presence of heavy objects on a keychain, the switch would change modes from Run to Accessory without the intent of the driver. The switch was required to withstand exposure to a vibration environment without damage or loss of function.
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