I guess these replies all relate, but maybe the point or intent was missed. The point I was trying to make is whether the engine turns off randomly by a key switch turning off, or by design because of a side impact, a vehicle shutting down while still at highway speed with no back up plan for steering or brakes is a very dangerous place to be. Newer electric servo assist on steering versus older hydraulic systems are a lot harder to steer in a manual situation. Knowing that kind of scares me a little because what happens if the steering assist just quits? I get the keyswitch being a dangerous situation, but is it any more so than a side impact shutdown at 55MPH? A small girl, like my 102 pound 16 year old granddaughter is NOT going to have enough muscle to handle a car that size to get it stopped safely. It took everything I had to do it, and I'm not sure I could now. Is it safer to put her in a smaller car? Typically the collision ratings go down proportionately with body weight and size on cars, so, I have to say no to that. But obviously, I have some decisions to make real soon. She's after me about a car.
The reactions to loss of the power plant is the target discussion, not what sum of money is fair to make GM pay. I wasn't defending GM in any way, and perhaps I came across as snide about the litigious world we live in. I get a little bubbly when I read about enormous awards, and then see the price of a new car. GM is not going to lose money on this, I assure you. I was actually pointing out that in my case GM's designed firmware turned the engine off when it REALLY needed to be on. The brake boosters on newer cars are tiny, and there is simply no reservoirs for stored vacuum to give a couple last boosts to the brake pedal. You get basically ONE shot with the brakes after the engine is dead. Were either of my legs injured in the impact, I could not have stopped the car other than by e-brake, which is very dangerous since that only brakes with the rear tires. Braking took both feet and everything I had. It isn't as easy to control the stop when the e-brake is a pedal rather than a console mounted lever. Too easy to skid the rear tires and spin out the car while hunting the release to let the brake back off.
There is no unintentional feature in the firmware design, no springs to wear out, nothing mechanical about it. It's coding that makes engine shutdown happen on purpose. That to me is clearly a design flaw, but I'm guessing the NTSB doesn't see it the same way, and GM didn't consult me on the matter. I get it if you want to kill the engine in a frontal impact. That's pretty much stopping the car anyway, and you're lucky if it does that without putting the engine in the front seat with you. Not so much a good idea on the side, though. Put it in limp mode to get off the road and then prohibit restart maybe, but don't shut the engine off until speed is down to a reasonable level to get the car stopped. Being able to get out of the way is far more important than any damage it can do to the car while trying. Most cars certainly have enough sensors and logic in them to selectively fire the side or front air-bags separately. Why not make a different engine management decision?
As for the key switch thing, I guess I don't understand why the switch shouldn't be blocked from turning to the off position with the transmission in any position other than Park or Neutral. But, GM didn't ask me about that, either. They block it from being turned on without pressing the brake, and from shifting out of Park without pressing the brake, so it shouldn't be that difficult to do the opposite with it in any position that will move the car when running. There's lots of other things that will shut that engine down. Maybe the old-school keyswitch thinking isn't valid any more with smarter electronics on cars.
GM probably didn't manufacture that key switch. Most likely it was outsourced in either China or Mexico, maybe Taiwan. Was the problem with the switch, or was it the switch linkage and lock set that was at fault? Either way, I can't see the shutdown due to restraint deployment while rolling issue being any less significant than the key switch. Another question that raises is if the key switch problem is more prevalent with column mounted shifters or console mounted? To be honest, I didn't read all of the story nor look up the suit. It was mostly to compare notes about what happens in either case, and learn how folks have reacted or fared. I was quite alarmed that losing the power plant was killing so many drivers. I managed to survive a power loss after getting my head nearly taken off, getting some bruised ribs, and spraining my wrist. Obviously, some folks react to the emergency situations better than others. Most of the questions I ask are just plain curiosity, and for informational purposes only. Sometimes, a dangerous issue ain't a design fault, and/or maybe, an otherwise minor problem gets aggravated by misuse. I'm a detail kinda guy. If you want 5 only ways to do something, just ask 5 engineers.
