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Congress is questioning General Motors and government safety regulators as to why it took so long to recall 1.6 million vehicles with ignition problems, after a new review of federal crash data shows 303 deaths linked to air bag failure on two of the models recalled. The review of the air bag failures by the Friedman Research Corporation, adds to the mounting reports that General Motors and safety regulators knew about the ignition defect for almost a decade before recalling over 1.6 million 2005-2007 Chevrolet Cobalt, 2003-2007 Saturn Ions, 2005-2007 Pontiac Pursuit, 2006-2007 Chevrolet HHR, 2006-2007 Pontiac Solstice, 2007 Saturn Sky, and 2007 Pontiac G5 vehicles.

GM said that the the weight on the key ring combined with rough road conditions could cause the ignition switch to move out of the “run” position, turning off the engine and most of the car’s electrical components. GM recommends that owners use only the ignition key with nothing else on the key ring until the problem can be corrected. GM has also received a 27-page list of 107 questions from U.S. safety regulators at the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration about the company’s handling of the recall.