GM Compensation Claims Total 1130, 24 Death Claims Approved
The compensation fund created by General Motors to pay claims resulting from injuries and deaths linked to a defective ignition switch found in a handful of 2003 through 2007 compact models has approved a total of 24 death claims for payout.
According to The Detroit News, the overall number of claims jumped 30 percent last week, from 867 to 1,130, while total death claims rose from 153 to 165.
Regarding injury claims, 79 for serious injury and 886 for less-serious injury cases were received, up from 70 and 644 respectively the week previous. The number of approved injury claims still stands at 16.
Finally, around 90 to 100 claims were found not eligible for payouts, while 30 victims and their families received settlement offers from the multi-million dollar fund.
Claims will be accepted until December 31, 2014.
Seattle-based writer, blogger, and photographer for many a publication. Born in Louisville. Raised in Kansas. Where I lay my head is home.
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Do you suppose the engineer who (per the investigative report) designed the defective switch then covered up the fact he later re-designed the switch is following the story of GM's miseries? No one has yet answered the question of why GM thought a new ignition switch was needed in the first place.
Soon all Cobalt and ION owners will sue GM for emotional distress. Just owning one of these cars causes worry and concern about the ignition shutting off. Harry is a nervous guy, but is now more nervous because he has to drive his unsafe cobalt to work. Harry now has a ulcer and GM will pay his medical bills. Will the Cobalt and ION live in infamy like the Pinto. Let them burn or let them stall, what is the difference.
I would not go that far. I would actually look forward to driving either a Corvette or ATS. The truth is in 2014 there really is no such thing as a bad car. There is just different degrees of good. Even the Dodge Avenger has some merits, and in its current form would be one of the best cars in its class five years ago. Maybe the cobalt and ion aren't terrible like the cavalier, but GM's lack of regard for safety of its customers is indeed terrible.
Compared to what was produced in the past there really isn't any bad cars anymore. The ATS is probably the best sedan built by an American carmaker in the last 100 years, and if that is not good enough to compete with BMW then more work needs is to be done.