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Lawsuit Links Conti Airbags to GM Ignition Recall

A lawsuit filed this week in California claims Continental AG knew about defective General Motors Co. ignition switches nine years ago and should have revised its airbag system to deploy even if the switch cuts off power.
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A lawsuit filed this week in California claims Continental AG knew about defective General Motors Co. ignition switches nine years ago and should have revised its airbag system to deploy even if the switch cuts off power.

The GM switches have been linked to 13 fatalities resulting from crashes occurring after they were jostled out of the "on" position by the driver's knee or a too-heavy keychain. The lawsuit claims Conti should have alerted the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration to the ignition switch problem long ago.

Earlier this month NHTSA chief David Friedman told a congressional committee the agency thought airbag systems were designed to remain active for several seconds after the ignition switches off. Conti told Reuters 10 days ago that industry practice is to design the restraints to work only when the vehicle's ignition is on.

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