GM issued 75th recall of the year this week while ignition switch death toll rose to 24

Not even the police are safe in General Motors cars. GM announced its 75th recall of 2014 earlier this week, recalling 7,600 Chevrolet Caprice police vehicles, because of a transmission issue. The Detroit News reported that the vehicles could roll away when the drivers believed they were in park. This recall marked GM's seventh recall in nine days.

GMs recalls now total approximately 30 million vehicles. The most recent recall includes the Chevrolet Caprice police vehicles from the 2011-2013 model years. GM said that the cars, which were imported from Australia, could be shifted out of park without a foot on the brake pedal. The problem may also enable the driver to remove the ignition key without the transmission being in park. This could cause a potential roll away hazard and increasing the risk of injury to occupants exiting the vehicle or people walking nearby.

According to the Wall Street Journal, this is the second time in three days that GM has recalled certain Caprice models. GM recalled some versions of the 2011 and 2013 models for an ignition switch issue. A bumping of the ignition key could cause the switch to move from “on” to “accessory,” and disable the air bags.

Last week, GM recalled over 430,000 Cadillac SRX and Saab 9-4X SUVs. The company reported a rear suspension problem that could possibly cause a crash. Another recall last week included nearly 94,000 Chevrolet Spark mini cars for a hood problem, where the hoods can unexpectedly fly open. This included 2013 through 2015 model years. Apparently corrosion can cause the secondary hood latch striker to stick in the open position. If the primary latch is not engaged the hood can open unexpectedly. The vehicles were imported from South Korea.

General Motors also announced a temporary ban on the sale of 2015 Chevrolet Colorado and GMC Canyon pickup trucks, just two weeks after shipments of the new vehicles began. The trucks are being held back to fix a faulty air bag issue. Automotive News reported that in a note sent to dealers about the midsize pickups, GM said it notified the National Highway Transportation Safety Association (NHTSA), reporting that the pickups' driver-side airbag connections “were wired incorrectly during the manufacturing process,” which could disrupt their deployment. GM said this condition would prevent the driver-side airbags from functioning as designed and may adversely affect the crash performance of the driver-side airbags.

With the NHTSA and other safety groups keeping a close eye on GM, the company has pledged to take quicker action to spot and react to problems in the aftermath of its failure to recall 2.6 million cars with an ignition problem for over a decade. The number of approved death compensation claims related to a recall of the faulty GM ignition switch now stands at 24, up from 19 last month. The compensation fund will continue to accept claims through December 31.

If you or a loved one have been injured in a car accident that was the result of a problem with a Chevy Cobalt or another recalled GM vehicle, contact the Pennsylvania personal injury lawyers at Munley Law Personal Injury Attorneys at 855-866-5529. The personal injury lawyers at Munley Law Personal Injury Attorneys are experts on the GM recall case, as well as other car, truck and bus accidents.