General Motors Co.’s legal troubles have shifted into overdrive, with plaintiffs lawyers insisting that drivers of recalled cars are risking their lives by getting behind the wheel.

GM, which has recalled 2.6 million Chevrolet, Pontiac and Saturn model cars over a faulty ignition switch linked to 13 deaths, faces multiple lawsuits plus regulatory fines. The scrutiny has left their owners, most of whom haven’t been able to get their vehicles fixed, wondering whether their cars are safe to drive.