A recalled Chevy Cobalt ignition switch is seen at Raymond Chevrolet in Antioch, Ill., in this file photo from July 17, 2014.JOHN GRESS/Reuters
The family of a Quebec man who died in a car crash that has been blamed on the faulty ignition switch in his 2007 Chevrolet Cobalt has reached a compensation settlement with General Motors Co.
Dany Dubuc-Marquis of Granby, Que., was 22 when he was killed on June 22, 2013. The explanation of the causes of the crash never satisfied his parents, who sought compensation from GM when the ignition recall scandal became public last year.
Normand Dubuc and Guylaine Marquis said in a statement issued through their lawyers Tuesday that the coroner who investigated the crash came to a hasty conclusion.
The amount of the settlement was not revealed, but Mr. Dubuc and Ms. Marquis said no amount of money can make up for the loss of their son.
A fund set up by GM compensated families for the deaths of 90 people caused when ignition switches failed, which caused engines to stall, power steering in the vehicles to seize and airbags to fail to deploy.
The fund, overseen by U.S. lawyer Kenneth Feinberg, received 4,342 claims by the Jan. 31 deadline. About 23 per cent of those claims are still under review.
GM recalled about 2.6 million vehicles because of the failure of a small and relative inexpensive part that began failing in the early 2000s. The failure of the part and questions about its failure were covered up by a GM engineer, a scathing study of the issue done by an outside expert found.
"Throughout the 11-year odyssey, there was no demonstrated urgency, right to the very end," the study concluded.
GM fired 15 people and disciplined five others last year after the report was released.
GM chief executive officer Mary Barra, who was in her first few months on the job when the scandal broke, vowed to make sure such a problem would not happen again and has revamped the auto maker's safety regime.