A safety watchdog group has released a study that shows General Motors (GM) airbag failures resulted in the death of some 300 people, eight times the number that GM stated.
GM said there had been 12 deaths in 34 cars; the study shows 303 in 1.6 million vehicles from the vehicles GM recalled last month.
The Center for Auto Safety released the report where pointed to crash and fatality data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
“NHTSA could and should have initiated a defect investigation to determine why airbags were not deploying in Cobalts and Ions in increasing numbers,” said Clarence Ditlow, the center’s executive director.
GM did not recall the cars until February, despite learning of problems with the ignition switch in 2001 and issuing related service bulletins to dealers with suggested remedies in 2005.
GM said late Thursday that the new report was based on “raw data” and “without rigorous analysis, it is pure speculation to attempt to draw any meaningful conclusions.”
Most attempting to sue GM would be prevented from doing so under the terms of its bankruptcy return in 2009, but at the same time there is an increased call for GM to build a fund for families of victims.
GM stated that it recalled the cars due to a faulty ignition switch, which could turn off the vehicle at high speeds or disable the airbags.
GM stock has fallen 5% in the past week.
