In addition to jarring events, heavily loaded key rings and can pull the switch mechanism out of the "run" position into "accessory" or "off," GM says, causing the cars to stall and lose power assist for steering and brakes. In some cases, it also can prevent the airbags from deploying.
GM says the switches may not have met its specifications.
"This latest GM recall involves 22 crashes and six fatalities tied directly to a design issue. Those are the numbers reported thus far, but with over 750,000 affected vehicles it's possible more related incidents will be discovered now that it's a widely reported problem," says Karl Brauer, senior analyst for Kelley Blue Book:
GM knows of five front-impact crashes and six fatalities in crashes where the front airbags did not deploy, though it said all were high-speed crashes where the probability of serious or fatal injuries was high in any case. GM said that two of the five fatal crashes, and three of the fatalities, involved alcohol.