The Chicago Tribune
reported today that plaintiffs in a class action lawsuit against General
Motors, based on the faulty ignition recall, has now added airbag manufacturer,
Continental AG, as an additional defendant.
Continental made airbag
systems for the recalled cars, including sensor
that determine if and when the airbags go off in an accident, according
to the suit.
The case is among dozens
of proposed class actions that have been filed by customers accusing GM of
concealing its knowledge of the defect for more than a decades, putting
plaintiffs at risk of injury and causing them to suffer economic losses on
their cars, including lower resale value.
If jostled or bumped,
the ignition switch can change from the “run” to “accessory” position, shutting
off engines and disabling power steering, power brakes and airbags.
The lawsuit says that
Continental’s system was defective because the airbag system would shut off
when the key switched positions, and the combination of alleged defects was “particularly
dangerous.”
I have to be honest, I
am really not sure how this benefits the class action lawsuit plaintiffs,
unless they are arguing that the airbags were faulty as well and the plaintiffs
(consumers) need to be reimbursed for this defect in their vehicle as well.
This is definitely news for the 12 wrongful death cases out there that were
allegedly caused by the faulty ignitions. Plaintiffs in those cases now have
multiple fingers to point out at when assessing liability. Attorneys will argue
that not only did the ignition cause these cars to stall, but the airbags did
not respond properly (even though they knew about the issue since 2005) and
those airbags could have saved lives.
If you or someone you
love has been injured in a Chicago car crash or by a Chicago auto defect, then
call Chicago personal injury attorney, Aaron Bryant, for a free legal consultation at 312-588-3384.