New GM said not responsible to fix Impala made by old GM
 

GM says bankruptcy excuses it from Impala repairs

http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/...77I0Z820110819

New GM said not responsible to fix Impala made by old GM

* Suspension problem said to cause excessive tire wear

By Jonathan Stempel

NEW YORK, Aug 19 (Reuters) - General Motors Co (GM.N) is seeking to dismiss a lawsuit over a suspension problem on more than 400,000 Chevrolet Impalas from the 2007 and 2008 model years, saying it should not be responsible for repairs because the flaw predated its bankruptcy.

The lawsuit, filed on June 29 by Donna Trusky of Blakely, Pennsylvania, contended that her Impala suffered from faulty rear spindle rods, causing her rear tires to wear out after just 6,000 miles. [ID:nN1E7650CT]

Seeking class-action status and alleging breach of warranty, the lawsuit demands that GM fix the rods, saying that it had done so on Impala police vehicles.

But in a recent filing with the U.S. District Court in Detroit, GM noted that the cars were made by its predecessor General Motors Corp, now called Motors Liquidation Co or "Old GM," before its 2009 bankruptcy and federal bailout.

The current company, called "New GM," said it did not assume responsibility under the reorganization to fix the Impala problem, but only to make repairs "subject to conditions and limitations" in express written warranties. In essence, the automaker said, Trusky sued the wrong entity.

"New GM's warranty obligations for vehicles sold by Old GM are limited to the express terms and conditions in the Old GM written warranties on a going-forward basis,"

If true, then thats terrible. I mean, if they're celebrating 100 years of Chevrolet right now, then I'd say they are claiming rights to everything Chevrolet from this past century. Including problems in cars made in the dying days of General Motors Corp.

That said, why is it a class action lawsuit and not a recall issue?

this should scare all of us....
 

That one's news to me. I guess some stuff they will stand behind, and some stuff they will try to sweep under the rug using any means necessary if it is really expensive.

I haven't heard of them doing stuff like this to other 2009 and earlier warranties. Hell, they just sent me 4 free service visits for my 02 Alero this spring.

Yeah, I have to agree with you on this one. I don't see it looking good for GM in a PR sense with everything going on with the economy. I feel bad for all of those who own one of these affected vehicles. We are all going through rough times right now and anyone who bought a Chevy Impala during those years should be treated as loyal and or future customers that GM wants to keep to the brand. On principal, this is a defect fixed on future models and even though it was under old GM management, new GM should take the loss and cover the fixes. Yes it is a lot of money, however in the end when you treat your customers the right way, they will come back.

Reuters? Yes scary, almost as bad as Edmunds or Motortrend.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wIdmkETuWeM

except the feds can require a recall if they want to

Change you can believe in

:laughabove:

Exactly. People buying new Impalas right now would seem to be pretty loyal customers (they'd almost have to be, wouldn't they).

On a side note, didn't the Toyota based Pontiac Vibe have a similar issue?

Key word "want."

wow. New gm talking down about old gm...mmmmkkaaaayyyyy.

I'm more scared riding in my brother's '72 Chevelle. Safety was not a major concern back then. Crashes that were fatal back in the day, are ones that people walk away from now.