The US Congress will begin hearings into why General Motors failed to correct defects in ignition parts.<br /><br />The hearing will start on Tuesday, just as GM has had to recall another 1.3 million vehicles, bringing the total to more than six million.<br /><br />The flaw, known to GM engineers and their suppliers for more than 10 years, is an ignition key switch. Heavy key chains, or a knock to the switch, can disable steering, braking and passenger airbags while the car is in motion.<br /><br />The total projected cost to the company is more than $1bn.<br /><br />But GM is legally immune from paying damages for any accident that occurred before its emergence from bankruptcy in 2009.<br /><br />The Justice Department is investigating whether the company committed bankruptcy fraud by not disclosing the defects before then.<br /><br />Al Jazeera's Tom Ackerman reports from Washington DC.
