A new class-action lawsuit out of New Jersey is alleging that General Motors sold the 2011–2014 model years of the Chevy Volt despite knowing that the plug-in hybrid electric vehicles featured a faulty (allegedly) steering wheel that occasionally freezes up while driving, according to recent reports.
The class-action lawsuit was filed in New Jersey’s federal court on December 19th by plaintiffs Christopher Johnson and Tara Follari-Johnson. The plaintiffs have proposed a countrywide class-action lawsuit comprising 100+ people, looking for $5 million for the alleged issue.
The lawsuit makes no mention of any car crashes caused via the alleged steering wheel fault. Interestingly, the lawsuit makes the claim that GM was fully aware of the issue but went ahead with sales anyways, without addressing it.
The claim has also been made that when GM has been made aware of a defective steering rack that it has simply replaced it with other defective parts.
“When class members present to GM’s authorized dealerships complaining of the steering defect, the dealerships recommend repairs such as replacing the steering rack or steering gear assembly,” the plaintiffs stated in their lawsuit. “However, these repairs only temporarily mask the problem.”
According to the plaintiffs, GM is as a result of its actions in violation of the Consumer Fraud Act of New Jersey, the Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act, and (based on a report by BigClassAction.com) “in breach of implied warranty of merchantability and express warranty and common law fraud.”
“Complaints that consumers filed with National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and posted in discussion forums demonstrate that the defect is widespread and dangerous and that it manifests without warning,” the complaint stated. “The complaints further indicate defendants’ knowledge of the defect and its danger.”
The lawsuit plaintiffs are currenty being represented by Joel T Glucksman of Scarinci Hollenbeck LLC and Jordan L Lurie, Robert K Friedl, Tarek H Zohdy, and Cody R Padgett of Capstone Law APC.
It’s hard to say if there’s smoke here or not (to my eyes anyways). Have any of our readers had these issues or related ones?
Related: True Cost Of Owning A Chevy Volt Might Surprise You
Image: Chevy Volt in Chicago, via Yaromir / Shutterstock.com
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