agent Entrepreneur logo
MenuMENU
SearchSEARCH

GM Ignition Compensation Death Claims Rise to 49

General Motors’ ignition compensation fund said Monday it has approved 49 death claims, four more than the previous week, along with five new injury claims, reported The Detroit News. In total, GM compensation adviser Kenneth Feinberg has approved claims for 49 fatalities and 72 injury claims linked to defective ignition switches through Jan. 16, his ... Read More »

January 20, 2015
2 min to read


General Motors’ ignition compensation fund said Monday it has approved 49 death claims, four more than the previous week, along with five new injury claims, reported The Detroit News.

In total, GM compensation adviser Kenneth Feinberg has approved claims for 49 fatalities and 72 injury claims linked to defective ignition switches through Jan. 16, his office said Monday. Of those, seven are for very serious injuries and 65 are for minor injuries.

Ad Loading...

The number of death claims rose to 311, up eight, and serious injury claims rose to 207, up five. Feinberg has declared 320 ineligible, including 49 death claims, while 857 claims are still under review and 763 have been submitted without documentation.

Last month, Camille Biros, the deputy administrator of the compensation fund, said it has made 65 compensation offers and 41 have been accepted. None have been rejected.

GM set up the fund to compensate those hurt or the families of those killed in 2.59 million now-recalled Chevrolet Cobalts, Saturn Ions and other cars with defective ignition switches that can inadvertently turn the engine off and disable power steering and air bags.

The automaker has said it expects to spend $400 million on claims, but said it could rise as high as $600 million. Asked if GM expected that figure to rise, GM CEO Mary Barra said earlier this month that the company hadn’t changed its guidance.

In May, GM paid a record $35 million fine to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration for the ignition switch recall that was delayed by nearly a decade, and agreed to up to three years of intense oversight by the safety agency.

Ad Loading...

The delayed recall has prompted investigations from the Justice Department, Congress, 48 state attorneys general, the Securities and Exchange Commission and U.S. and Canadian regulators. Barra fired at least 15 people in the aftermath of a scathing internal report written by an outside law firm and is searching for a new general counsel. GM made significant changes to its safety recall review process in the wake of the recalls.

In November, Feinberg recommended and GM agreed to extend the deadline 30 days until Jan. 31 — a month later than planned — as GM sent 850,000 letters to newly registered owners and others notifying them of the program.

Feinberg has said it could take six months to complete the review of all applications once the final claims are submitted, meaning it may not be until summer before the final tallies are known.

More Industry

F&Iby Lauren LawrenceFebruary 27, 2026

Price Driving Insurance Churn

Over half of insurance holders ages 18 to 29 reported to be 'somewhat' likely to change providers in the next 90 days, according to CivicScience, which found that interest was lower among older age groups.

Read More →
Industryby Lauren LawrenceFebruary 26, 2026

AI Drives Dealer Website Traffic

Total visits to dealer websites from generative artificial intelligence platforms grew more than 15 times year-over-year, signaling a shift in how many consumers shop for cars online.

Read More →
Industryby Hannah MitchellFebruary 26, 2026

Automakers Tops in Fuel Economy

In the U.S., Honda has the most efficient gas-electrified combo lineup while Tesla beats all automakers in annual EPA ranking as brands built their alternative-fuel offerings.

Read More →
Ad Loading...
F&Iby Lauren LawrenceFebruary 25, 2026

Report Finds Year-End F&I Strength

Deal volume ebbed and flowed throughout 2025, but product performance remained steady, according to automotive technology and data intelligence solutions provider StoneEagle.

Read More →
Industryby Hannah MitchellFebruary 24, 2026

Overall Consumer Confidence Up

Americans’ view of present business conditions, the labor market and family finances, though, are still in the dumps, and if they plan to buy cars, many target used units.

Read More →
Auto Financeby Lauren LawrenceFebruary 23, 2026

Auto Loan Forecast Bucks Market Trend

Auto loan originations rose over 6% year-over-year in the third quarter of 2025, but TransUnion predicts a slight decline in auto loan growth this year, making it an outlier in the company's overall lending forecast.

Read More →
Ad Loading...
F&Iby Hannah MitchellFebruary 23, 2026

Some Auto Brands Cheaper to Insure

A new top 10 list ranks the least expensive for average full insurance coverage on a clean driving record and high driver credit scores.

Read More →
Industryby StaffFebruary 20, 2026

Learn to Manage the Mayhem at Agent Summit

Rob Mancuso – president of Mancuso Automotive – will present a Keynote at the 2026 event.

Read More →
Fixed Opsby Hannah MitchellFebruary 20, 2026

Auto Recalls Sank Last Year

2025 Sedgwick data indicate that the number of vehicles affected fell to its lowest point in more than a decade.

Read More →
Ad Loading...
Industryby Lauren LawrenceFebruary 19, 2026

Affordability Leads Top-Rated List

Edmunds’ editorial team tested 300-plus vehicles to help determine the Top Rated Awards for 2026, and one brand stood out with multiple rankings, including Best of the Best.

Read More →