GM to pay $575M to settle ignition switch lawsuits

DETROIT (AP) — General Motors will pay $575 million to settle hundreds of civil lawsuits filed against the company over faulty small-car ignition switches, including the bulk of pending wrongful death and injury cases.

With the settlements, GM is taking big steps toward moving past the ignition switch scandal, which tarnished the company's reputation but touched off a series of safety companywide safety reforms.

GM also reviewed a backlog of safety issues in 2014 and issued a record 84 recalls covering more than 30 million vehicles, including 27 million in the U.S. By comparison, this year it has issued 33 recalls covering 2.6 million cars and trucks.