13 GM traffic deaths are tied to a 57-cent part

WASHINGTON (AP) — The fix for a faulty ignition switch linked to 13 traffic deaths would have cost just 57 cents, members of Congress said Tuesday as they demanded answers from General Motors' new CEO on why the automaker took 10 years to recall cars with the defect.

Barra was firm, calm and polite throughout the proceedings. But she struggled at times to answer lawmakers' pointed questions, particularly about why GM used the switch when it knew the part didn't meet its own specifications.

http://news.yahoo.com/13-gm-traffic-deaths-tied-57-cent-part-213613083--finance.html

http://news.yahoo.com/video/owner-families-share-cobalt-stories-151730794.html

So, to be perfectly accurate on this, here is what happened:

GM produced 2.3 million cars, over a decade with a known defect.
There solution to the problem was "tell everybody to get a lighter key chain".
The "fix" for the problem costs 57 cents... so a total of about $1M would have fixed it and solved the problem.
But, for some reason they chose not to do so.