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On Thursday, General Motors Co. was sued for illegally tweaking hundreds of thousands of Duramax engines for cheating emissions tests. The mechanism behind this deceit might be similar to the ones that Volkswagen AG used to pass routine tests. This event marks the fifth automaker that has been served for breaking the law in the exactly same way as VW.
Duramax Engines Show Signs of Cheating Emissions Tests
The plaintiff is a law company in Seattle that has extensive expertise in the auto industry. They received notifications regarding General Motors products from more than 705,000 owners and lessees. All of these disappointed customers purchased pickup trucks with Duramax engines. The model years vary starting with the 2011 and ending with 2016.
The lawsuit claims that the company upgraded their vehicles with around three gears that are supposedly cheating emissions tests. These probations are screened by federal authority and they can take place without the notification of the car producer. So far, company’s spokespersons denied such allegations.
“These claims are baseless, and we will vigorously defend ourselves.”
General Motors declared openly that all its vehicles are in compliance with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and its standardized metrics of exhaust emissions. Moreover, all GM cars are also designed according to the tough standards of California.
The court is going to investigate allegations of consumer protection law and racketeering violations. Moreover, the plaintiff is looking to obtain indemnities for prejudices such as refunds, punitive damages, and restitutions for assets that lost their resale worth.
General Motors Was Just Ending another Major Scandal
This is not the first time General Motors has to answer for serious allegations. It was only recently when the company settled for around $2.5 billion in penalties for legal issues. These concern some ignition switches that didn’t work well. This weakness in vehicles might have been responsible for 124 deaths. This issue regards brands such as Renault SA, Peugeot SA, Fiat Chrysler Automobiles NV, and Daimler AG.
Analysts are already thinking ahead of the lawsuit. They suggest that almost one-eighth of GM full-sized pickups might be involved in this fresh legal battle. As such, this problem can generate enough negative publicity to drive potential customers away to competition such as Ford Motor Company.
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