General Motors is recalling 8.45 million more vehicles for a range of problems including ignition switch issues and electrical defects. The latest set of recalls comprises six actions altogether.
The automaker, which has already recalled more than 20 million vehicles in North America this year, is calling in 8.23 million cars for ignition switches that can cause the key to turn inadvertently, Bloomberg News reported.
GM is aware of seven crashes, eight injuries and three fatalities that have been connected with the recall of Chevrolet Malibus from 1997 to 2005 and Cadillac CTS cars from the 2003 to 2014 model years.
Whether or not the crashes were caused by the ignition is unclear, according to the automaker. The three deaths occurred in older full-size sedans.
GM, which has issued recall after recall following reports of crashes and deaths in various small car models, will take a charge of as much as $1.2 billion for recall-related repairs announced in the second quarter, Bloomberg News reported.
Earlier this year, the automaker recalled nearly 2.6 million vehicles, including the Chevrolet Cobalt, for faulty ignition switches that have been connected with at least 54 crashes and 13 deaths.
Ray DeGiorgio, the former GM engineer most connected with the fiasco, worked on some of the ignition switches related to Monday's recall, company spokesman Alan Adler told Bloomberg News.
"We undertook what I believe is the most comprehensive safety review in the history of our company because nothing is more important than the safety of our customers," GM Chief Executive Officer Mary Barra said in a statement. "Our customers deserve more than we delivered in these vehicles. That has hardened my resolve to set a new industry standard for vehicle safety, quality and excellence."
GM is still under investigation from the Justice Department for its decade-long delay in fixing the faulty ignition switches linked to 13 deaths.
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