New York, Dhu-AlHijjah 19, 1435, October 13, 2014, SPA -- Twenty-seven deaths have been attributed to an ignition switch defect in General Motors cars as the lawyer for a compensation fund established by the US carmaker on Monday raised the number of approved death claims by four, dpa reported. Since GM established the fund on August 1, it has received claims in 1,371 cases of injuries and deaths, according to a report released by attorney Kenneth Feinberg. The largest US carmaker has so far approved payments in 52 incidents involving faulty ignition switches. The problem has led to the recalls of 2.6 million cars. It has caused cars to suddenly shift off while driving. An investigation by GM showed the carmaker ignored complaints by customers and dealers for years about the problem. -- SPA 23:39 LOCAL TIME 20:39 GMT www.spa.gov.sa/w