General Motors has agreed to a historic $35 million civil penalty resulting from the automaker’s handling of a recall of more than two million vehicles for ignition switch problems.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) announced the agreement and Consent Order on Friday, noting that it was the single highest civil penalty amount ever paid as a result of a NHTSA investigation of violations stemming from a recall.

“Safety is our top priority,” said U.S. Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx in a statement. “Today’s announcement puts all manufacturers on notice that they will be held accountable if they fail to quickly report and address safety-related defects.”

The recall leading to this substantial fine affected the the Chevrolet Cobalt and other GM cars. These models contained a flawed ignition switch that could shut down the engine if it was jiggled or bumped, according to Consumer Reports. When that occurred, airbags would become inoperable and drivers would lose control over other safety features like power assist to the brakes and power steering. GM linked the problem to at least a dozen deaths in more than 30 crashes, NPR reports.

As part of the consent order, GM additionally agreed to unprecedented oversight requirements. The company will provide NHTSA with full access to the results of GM’s internal investigation into the recall, will take steps to ensure its employees report safety-related concerns to management, and will speed up the process for GM to decide whether to recall vehicles.

“We have learned a great deal from this recall. We will now focus on the goal of becoming an industry leader in safety,” said GM CEO Mary Barra in a statement. “We will emerge from this situation a stronger company.”