General Motors has issued a recall for 778,000 vehicles today due to a problem with the ignition switch.
The vehicles affected by this recall are the 2007 Pontiac G5 and the 2005 through 2007 Chevrolet Cobalt. The majority of the recalled vehicles at 619,000 are being recalled in the United States. The remainder includes 153,00 in Canada and 6,100 in Mexico.
According to a report filed by General Motors with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, a problem with ignition switch torque performance can cause potential safety issues. During a “jarring event” which would include being hit by a heavy key ring or the sudden bump of going off the road, the ignition switch could move causing the engine to suddenly turn off.
If this happens and there is a crash imminent, the ignitions being switched off would prevent the airbags from deploying. General Motors says they are aware of five different crashes that resulted in the deaths of six people due to the ignition switch malfunction. There were also 17 non-fatal crashes reported where the airbags didn’t deploy.
They added that all of the fatal crashes were off-road and at high speeds likely to cause serious injury even with properly deployed airbags. A lack of seat belt usage and alcohol were also noted as having an affect in several of the crashes. Alcohol was involved in three of the deaths which occurred in two separate crashes.
The repair will involve dealers installing a new ignitions switch at no cost to vehicle owners. Until owners are able to bring their vehicles in for repair, they recommend removing any unnecessary items from their keyrings.
Check out our modern collectibles video on the 2009 Chevy Cobalt SS…
Nicole Wakelin fell in love with cars as a teenager when she got to go for a ride in a Ferrari. It was red and it was fast and that was all that mattered. Game over. She considers things a bit more carefully now, but still has a weakness for fast, beautiful cars. Nicole also writes for NerdApproved and GeekMom.
