Originally published March 19, 2014
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General Motors (GM) CEO Mary Barra released a video statement on Monday apologizing to victims of faulty vehicles produced by the company since 2004.
"Something went wrong with our process in this instance and terrible things happened," said Barra. "As a member of the GM family and as a mom with a family of my own, this hits home for me."
GM, now facing a lawsuit, has been demanded by U.S. safety regulators to notify the public to stop driving certain GM models as the number of deaths and injuries connected to a defective ignition mechanism is expected to grow.
In February, GM recalled 1.6 million vehicles because of the faulty ignition switches, according to a report by NBC News. The length of two metal parts, the plunger and the spring, that should hold the key in place while the engine is running, was reportedly too short.
In vehicles with the faulty components, the ignition key turned from the "run" to "accessories" position when accidentally jostled or stressed by a dangling keychain.
When a vehicle's key is turned to the "accessories" position its airbag, power-assisted brakes and the power steering are shut down, according to NBC News.
Since 2004, at least 13 people have been killed in accidents linked to the faulty components.
Aware of potential problems with the system, GM, between 2006 and 2007, substituted the short detent plunger and spring with ones 1.6 mm longer to make the key harder to move accidentally.
Evidence is now mounting that GM engineers knew about this problem as far back as 2004, but failed to take prompt action, according to the International Business Times. GM's recent recall represents its first in 13 years, according to CBS News.
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