OTTAWA — Transport Canada is urging all owners of General Motors (GM) vehicles affected by the recall of ignition switches to take their vehicles into GM dealers for repairs as soon as possible.

Last winter, GM recalled 368,073 vehicles in Canada due to a risk that the ignition switch may move out of the run position. This could result in a partial loss of electrical power and turning off the engine. In the event of a crash, air bags may not deploy if the ignition switch is not in the run position, increasing the risk of injury.

GM has contacted owners of the affected vehicles, including sending re-notification letters to owners in many cases. A Safety Advisory from Transport Canada was also issued in October. However, there are still far to many affected vehicles on the road. There is still a total of 140,782 vehicles on Canadian with this safety defect, as of December 8, 2014. This represents 38.2% of the affected vehicles in Canada.

Until the ignition recall repairs have been performed, it is very important that all items from the key ring be removed, as the risk is increased when it is carrying added weight. The key fob (if applicable) should also be removed from the key ring.

Owners of potentially affected vehicles should visit the GM website and enter their Vehicle Identification Number (VIN) to determine whether their particular vehicle has been recalled for the problem. The vehicles VIN can be found on top of the dashboard near the windshield, and also on the certification label located on the door latch post next to the drivers seating position.

For more information on Transport Canadas Defect Investigations and Recalls Division, please visit www.tc.gc.ca/recalls or call 1-800-333-0510.

SOURCE Transport Canada