General Motors agreed Thursday to pay the federal government $900,000 and appoint an independent monitor to oversee safety issues in a settlement with the Justice Department over the carmaker's faulty ignition switches.
GM admitted that the defective switches could move unexpectedly from the "run" position, cutting off power to a car's airbags and disabled the power steering and power brakes in some models of Chevrolets, Saturns, and Pontiacs.
The company has determined that the defective switches caused accidents that led to 124 deaths and 273 injuries.
No criminal charges were filed against current or former GM employees or executives.
