This video by Machine Design magazine shows what is wrong.
The detent plunger was too short and it's spring too weak to firmly hold the switch in the "run" position. So, extra weight on a keyring could turn the ignition switch off. (By swinging I suppose.)
Jeff
Yes, so you end up with what is effectively a stalled vehicle. I still fail to see how a stalled vehicle leads to deaths unless the operators of such vehicles were not qualified to operate them to begin with.
One of the recommendations for wear and tear on vehicles in general I read, (I forget the source) said to not use a heavy key ring in any vehicle ignition as the extra weight and force from movement would wear the ignition switch assembly significantly faster than a lighter key ring without extra fobs and keys. I seem to recall that one of the big name insurance companies quoted that tip in national advertising a few years ago as well.
The source might have something I got from my brother in law when he was a manager at Delphi.
I have a shitload of keys, from all my trucks and so on, thanks for food for thoughts.
i
Or it could have been a GM company (eh-hem, like Delphi) trying to claim the problem is other people, and not GM parts. LOL.
Most likely not a problem if you are expecting it. Could be a big problem in traffic, going around a curve at speed, as you lose power steering, power brakes, and if you hit something the airbags won't deploy.
An other excuse by the manufacturers. The problems due to heavy key rings have been know at least since the 1940's, and it is known people will hang heavy key rings off the ignition switches. SAAB put the ignition lock on the floor between the front seats. This is the type of thing that leads to government standards and overkill. 60 years (and a number of consumer deaths) and still no voluntary solution, but tons of complaints and whining when one is imposed...
Of the ignition-switch-problem deaths mentioned in recent news articles, many involved marginal driving (eg 20 mph above safe speed) that people ordinarily get away with, but when the power steering or power brakes unexpectedly failed, the drivers ran off the road into trees or had rollovers. Yes, the drivers were incompetent -- which I think is true of most drivers nowadays -- but the ignition switch problem changed the chance of a serious accident from say one in 100000 to one in 100.
It's really sad that if all the moving parts in a car, the designers really had to to get cheap and shitty on the keyswitch of all things.
I bet some managers roll dice and whatever components gets selected get made wimpier to save 1.2 cents.
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