General Motors expects to pay between $400 million to $600 million to compensate victims of ifs faulty ignition switch tied to at least 13 deaths.

The families of those killed and people injured in crashes involving the ignition switch can start filing for payments next month.

The problem with the ignition switch can cause the car to shut off while driving, disabling safety features such as air bags, anti-lock brakes and power steering. GM has admitted that its employees knew of the problem a decade before recalling 2.6 million cars earlier this year.

The automaker has been under fire from Congressional, Justice Department and federal safety regulators for the delay and could face criminal charges.

GM (GM) said it set aside $400 million in the second quarter to cover victims' payments. But it said Thursday in its quarterly results that because its compensation program does not have a cap, it might have to pay an additional $200 million in future quarters.

The company also set aside an additional $874 million in the quarter for the cost of repairing the record 30 million cars it has recalled so far this year.

The combined $1.3 billion in costs from recalls and victim compensation slashed company profits about 80% from a year ago. This is the second straight quarter that costs associated with recalls has essentially wiped out the company's profits.

Despite the attention to the recall problems, car sales remained relatively strong. U.S. sales rose nearly 7% to 806,000 cars and trucks as its market share stayed unchanged. The company also reported record sales in China, its largest market. Declines in sales in South America and Europe left global sales little changed at 2.5 million vehicles, but the company posted increased revenue.

Shares of GM were down about 2% in premarket trading following the report.

GM hired Kenneth Feinberg, an expert in victim compensation for disasters such as the 9/11 terrorist attacks and the BP (BP) oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, to come up with a formula for compensating victims of the flawed ignition system. His formula offers the families of those killed more than $1 million each.

General Motors said on Friday it is recalling 269,000 vehicles to fix a variety of defects.

The largest of the five recalls involves 202,115 Saturn VUEs, from model years 2002 to 2004, because of an ignition key issue that it says is possibly tied to two know crashes and one injury.

The Detroit based car-maker said the ignition key could possibly be removed while the vehicle is in the on position and that affected consumers should return the vehicles to a GM dealer for inspection. It plans to replace ignition cylinders and key sets, if necessary, at no cost to customers.

GM also is recalling 48,059 Cadillac ATS sedans and Buick Encore crossovers from 2013 for seat-belt flaws, as well as 14,940 Chevrolet Impala sedans from 2014-2015 for a defective console latch.

The two remaining recalls involve a small number of Chevrolet Aveo and Pontiac G3 models for a brake fluid issue, as well as a small number of Chevrolet Spark models for a suspension problem.

Shares remained about 1 percent higher after the announcement.

Earlier on Friday, Volkswagen and Ford Motor announced vehicle recalls as well.

—By Reuters with CNBC

The number of fatal accidents officially tied to defective General Motors ignition switches has continued to climb, with 21 death claims now approved by the company's victim fund.

Fund administrator Kenneth Feinberg recently confirmed the revised total, which is up from last week's total of 19 approvals for death-related claims.

The numbers are expected to continue climbing as the team works to review an additional 122 submissions involving fatal accidents, along with hundreds of additional filings seeking compensation for injuries.

GM has so far declined to explain why its death count, which still stands at 13, is so far below analyst estimates and the compensation numbers. Spokesman Dave Roman argues that the company's official estimate was based on "very different criteria," without elaborating, according to a statement provided to Reuters.

Safety advocates suggest the defective ignition switches may have been a contributing factor in at least 74 deaths.

GM recalls 117,000 vehicles

General Motors is recalling 117,000 vehicles for an issue that could cause the vehicle to stall or not start.

GM (GM) said that it is aware of no crashes, injuries or fatalities connected to the problem.

The issue affects a small number -- about 1% -- of the 117,000 cars and trucks, GM said.

The chassis control module -- a part of the vehicle's electronics system linked to the braking, steering, and suspension -- could be short-circuited by small metal fragments. If this happens, drivers may see a warning, such as the check engine light, turn on. Also the vehicle may stall.

This year, GM has recalled an unprecedented number of vehicles. After disclosing a fatal ignition switch flaw that went unreported for a decade, GM (GM) scrutinized its older vehicles for possible issues and issued over 60 recalls. Not counting Thursday's announcement, the automaker has recalled 29.4 million vehicles in 2014.

Thursday's recalled models are:

-- 2013-2014 Chevrolet Tahoe and Suburban.

--2013-2014 Cadillac CTS.

--2013-2014 GMC Yukon and Yukon XL.

--2013-2014 Cadillac Escalade and Escalade ESV.

--2014 Chevrolet Traverse.

--2014 GMC Acadia.

--2014 Buick Enclave

--2014 Chevrolet Express.

--2014 GMC Savana.

--2014 Chevrolet Silverado HD.

-- 2014 GMC Sierra HD.