General Motors (GM) announced Wednesday that the deadline to file ignition switch defect compensation claims will not be extended — this means the deadline to file is tomorrow, Jan. 31. Program administrator Kenneth Feinberg already extended the deadline to once and GM said in a statement that it has no plans to make another extension.
Feinberg said the initial extension was simply precautionary and that all possible claimants and their families should have been notified about their right to compensation by now.
“We have conducted extensive outreach about the program and contacted more than 5 million current and former owners of the recalled vehicles,” GM said in a statement.
But, some officials continue to urge the automaker to extend the deadline. Senators Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut and Edward Markey of Massachusetts sent a letter to GM Chief Executive Mary Barra, urging her to extend the deadline until the U.S. Department of Justice completes its criminal investigation into GM’s handling of the ignition switch defect.
GM’s refusal to make another extension is proof that the company is trying to put this ignition switch defect saga behind it. Since the company has received so much pressure over its handling of the faulty switch, more than ten people have been fired and the company has tightened its product safety belt.
As of Jan. 23, the compensation program had received 3,068 claims. Of those, 50 have been approved as death claims and another 75 have been approved as injury claims. Feinberg stated that he is reviewing and/or awaiting documents in more than 200 additional death claims and some 2,300 injury claims. So, at this point, it is still unclear how many death and injury claims will be approved by the fund.
GM recalled 2.6 million popular vehicles due to an ignition switch defect that causes the ignition to slip out of the “run” position and expectantly disable airbags.
Claimants who file and accept a compensation fund offer will not be eligible to sue GM for additional damages. For more information about the possibility of filing an ignition switch recall lawsuit, contact the national product liability lawyers of Flood Law Group LLP.
