Class action suit sought over GM engine noise

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Old 11-15-2003, 11:35 AM
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Class action suit sought over GM engine noise

Saturday, November 15, 2003


Class action suit sought over GM engine noise

Truck owners say 1999-2002 Chevy and GMC pickups and sport-utes exhibit loud knocking, excessive exhaust

By Associated Press


DETROIT -- A Florida couple and a Michigan man have filed a lawsuit against General Motors Corp., claiming their trucks had such noisy engines that they were useless.

Kim and Daniel Powell of Castleberry, Fla., and John Lott of Brownstown Township, Mich., filed the suit Friday in U.S. District Court in Detroit, their lawyers said.

Attorney Ann K. Mandt of Charfoos & Christensen said the plaintiffs have asked the court to certify the case as a class action.

GM spokesman Brian Akre said the company had not seen the suit and had no immediate comment.

In a statement, Charfoos & Christensen said GM has sold more than 800,000 vehicles since 1999 with defective engines that produce excessive exhaust emissions and "knock" so loudly that the owners "are unable to effectively use their vehicles and can certainly not sell or trade them for fair value."

J. Douglas Peters of Charfoos & Christensen said he's aware of at least two instances in which GM has bought back a truck from an owner because of the engine noise.

GM has acknowledged the problem, which it said surfaced when it moved to a new family of engines. But the automaker said it does not affect engine performance and that it was corrected in later-model vehicles.

According to dealer service bulletins obtained by the Detroit Free Press for a story Friday, vehicles with the engine knock problem include 1999 through 2002 Chevy and GMC pickups and sport-utility models with 4.8-, 5.3- and 6.0-liter V8 engines.

The bulletins say the noises are not detrimental to the vehicles.

"I paid almost $35,000 for this truck. The truck is almost worthless," said Greg MacNeil, who bought a 2001 Chevrolet Silverado two years ago. "In good conscience, I couldn't sell this truck to someone else."

GM officials say carbon and the amount of clearance between the piston and the cylinder wall are the primary causes of the knocking engines.

GM spokesman Tom Read said the automaker has addressed the issue by making design changes to the piston in some 2002 vehicles and all 2003 vehicles with the noise. GM has cut the amount of space between the piston and the cylinder so the amount of rocking is reduced.

General Motors Corp., http://www.gm.com
Old 11-15-2003, 05:21 PM
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Bingo: "In good conscience, I couldn't sell this truck to someone else."
Old 11-16-2003, 06:32 AM
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Haha.... gotta love Unites States
Old 11-16-2003, 08:35 AM
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I wonder how loud the noise really is.... Is it unbearable or just people getting sue-happy again??
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