GM Sued by Diesel Truck Owners Over Emissions -- Update
May 25 2017 - 1:37PM
Dow Jones News
By Mike Spector and Mike Colias
General Motors Co. was accused in a lawsuit by owners of
diesel-powered trucks of using illegal emissions software that
allowed the vehicles to bypass government emissions tests and
pollute far beyond legal limits on the road.
Owners of heavy-duty Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra Duramax
pickup trucks sued GM in a Detroit federal court on Thursday,
accusing the auto maker of using so-called defeat devices that
allowed the vehicles to pass emissions tests, though they would
then emit nitrogen oxides two to five times above legal limits in
normal driving conditions. The suit targets more than 705,000
vehicles currently estimated to be on the road, with model years
between 2011 and 2016.
The suit says GM promised its diesel-engine technology would
turn heavy fuel into a "fine mist" and deliver low emissions that
were a "whopping reduction" from the previous model. Instead, GM
used three defeat devices that turn down emissions controls when
the vehicle is not being tested, the lawsuit alleges.
"These claims are baseless and we will vigorously defend
ourselves," GM said. The Detroit auto maker said the vehicles
comply with all U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and California
Air Resources Board emissions regulations.
Law firm Hagens Berman Sobol Shapiro LLP filed the purported
class-action lawsuit. The firm represented consumers in
class-action litigation consolidated against Volkswagen AG after
the German auto maker admitted to using defeat devices in nearly
600,000 diesel-powered vehicles in the U.S.
The litigation comes on the heels of the U.S. Justice Department
filing a civil lawsuit against Fiat Chrysler Automobiles NV on
Tuesday, accusing the Italian-U.S. auto maker of using defeat
devices in nearly 104,000 Jeep Grand Cherokee sport-utility
vehicles and Ram pickup trucks with diesel engines. Hagens Berman
has also sued Fiat Chrysler.
Fiat Chrysler has denied using illegal software intended to dupe
regulators, and contends it can update software in affected
vehicles to address concerns of U.S. and California environmental
regulators.
Volkswagen, referenced numerous times in Thursday's lawsuit
against GM, eventually agreed to civil settlements and pleaded
guilty to criminal charges to resolve a Justice Department probe.
The settlements with consumers, dealers, regulators, states'
attorneys general, and U.S. prosecutors collectively total more
than $25 billion, depending on how many vehicles Volkswagen
repurchases.
Write to Mike Spector at mike.spector@wsj.com and Mike Colias at
Mike.Colias@wsj.com
(END) Dow Jones Newswires
May 25, 2017 13:22 ET (17:22 GMT)
Copyright (c) 2017 Dow Jones & Company, Inc.
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