GM killed 124 people with faulty ignition switches[1], yet the brand still survived. It's a cost calculation: will the brand damage outweigh the benefit to the company? Sadly, human lives don't factor into that equation.
Sadly, that’s a common occurrence with big automakers.
I can’t say anything about GM‘s rep in the US, but here in Europe they are not doing so well. Chevrolet was killed in 2015, and Vauxhall/Opel are doing only ok-ish. Chevy had SO many recalls in the years before they killed it.
[1] http://money.cnn.com/2015/12/10/news/companies/gm-recall-ign...