GM Doubles Ignition Switch Recall to 1.6 Million Vehicles

General Motors Co., which last week said it would recall 780,000 cars to replace defective ignition switches, has widened the campaign by adding four more models and 842,000 vehicles.

The earlier initiatve involves 2005-2007 model Chevrolet Cobalt and Pontiac G5 small cars. The expanded recall adds 2003-2007 model Saturn Ion small sedans, 2006-2007 model Chevrolet HHR multipurpose vehicles, 2006-2007 model Pontiac Solstice/Sky sports cars and 2005-2006 Canada-only Pursuit small sedans.

The flaw, which has now been linked to 31 crashes and 13 fatalities, involves ignition switches that can be jarred into the "off" position while the car is moving. In some cases, the ignition switched off just before the impact of a crash, thus preventing the airbags from deploying.

GM tells the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration the switch also can be nudged out of the "on" position by the weight of too many other keys or baubles hanging from the ignition key ring. The company urges owners of the affected cars to remove all other items from the ring, including the key fob, until the switch can be replaced.

Amended documents filed by GM show the company knew of the problem in 2004. It issued service bulletins in 2005 and 2006 explaining how dealers could use a key insert to fix the problem, but the company says fewer than 500 owners received the repair.

The documents say GM approved proposed changes to design of the ignition switch in 2006 and "believes" the component's supplier, Delphi Mechatronics, began supplying the new car at some point during the 2007 model year. GM says the old and new switches have the same part number.

Critics say both GM and NHTSA are to blame for not responding to field data with a recall seven years ago. GM, which has not set a timetable for the recall, promises an "unflinching" review of the issue.