The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said Tuesday that General Motors now has enough parts to fix faulty ignition switches in mid-2000s model cars tied to a massive and deadly recall, reported MLive.
So the federal agency is urging owners of the affected cars to get the 1 million or so cars with the faulty ignition switches in them to get them fixed immediately.
Many GM dealers will help owners fix the vehicles after work and on weekends.
"Until the affected vehicle is fixed, owners should follow all of the interim safety steps advised by GM and keep in mind that the use of a single key is not a long term solution to the this serious safety problem," NHTSA said Tuesday in a statement.
GM has recalled 2.6 million vehicles, including 2.2 million in the U.S., affected by the ignition switch. The recall includes 2003-2007 Saturn Ions, 2007-2010 Saturn Skys, 2005-2011 Chevrolet HHRs, 2006-2010 Pontiac Solstices, and 2005-10 Chevrolet Cobalt and Pontiac G5 models.
The faulty ignition switches at the heart of the unprecedented recall can move out of the "run" position to the "accessory" or "off" positions, leading to a loss of power. The risk may be increased if the key ring is carrying added weight or if the vehicle goes off road or experiences some jarring event, including rough roads. If the key turns to one of those positions, officials say the front air bags may not work if there's a crash.
Thus far, GM has repaired almost 60 percent of the affected cars under the recall.
Meanwhile, he number of approved death compensation claims related to the recall has edged up to 36.
The claims were approved by a fund set up by GM to compensate victims of a defective part in mid-to-late-2000s model cars that has led to a massive recall and a federal investigation. The number of approved claims stood at 19 in mid-September and had grown steadily to 35 last month.
The victim compensation fund is being overseen by Kenneth Feinberg, a Washington, D.C. attorney who oversaw similar compensation facilities for disasters such as the BP Gulf of Mexico oil spill and the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. The GM ignition switch claims facility released its latest report Monday.
The deadline for filing a compensation claim has been extended to Jan. 31.
