2008 to not use certain words within any communications that discussed problems with their vehicles. The slides of Judgment Words were presented during the company’s 2008 Q1 Interior Technical Learning Symposium, according to the Wall Street Journal.
Additionally, regulators revealed that GM had information that should have allowed it to link the defective ignition switches to faulty airbags back in 2009.
The situation for GM seems to continue to worsen. To date, to auto manufacturer has recalled more than 13 million vehicles due to a variety of safety issues; the most recent recall involved 2.4 million vehicles and was announced on May 20.
General Motors Co. is also facing 79 lawsuits by customers who are demanding as much as $10 billion for the lost value of their vehicles as a result of the switch defects. In a U.S. bankruptcy court filing, GM said it has been sued in 20 additional class-action lawsuits related to the ignition switch defect. The lawsuits allege that GM promoted the vehicles as safe; some lawsuits also cite Delphi Corp., who manufactured the switches for GM, as a defendant.
GM has asked a judge to rule on whether or not the manufacturer is liable to claims that occurred before its 2009 bankruptcy. A panel of judges will decide later this month whether to combine the suits into one or not, and what federal court should handle them.
Currently, GM has not fired anyone over the ignition-switch recall matter although two engineers involved in the design of the switch were placed on paid leave. GM has stated that they will be taking appropriate actions once the company’s internal investigation is completed in mid-June.
If you have suffered a serious personal injury or been involved in a car accident that you believe was caused by a defective ignition in your General Motors vehicle, you may be eligible for compensation. To learn more, contact a personal injury lawyer at O’Connor, Acciani & Levy today for your free consultation. Ph: (877) 288-3241.