Lawsuit: GM favored cops on Impala repairs
Impalas like this 2007 Chevrolet Impala SS, are the subject of a lawsuit filed in June 2011 that claims General Motors Co. fixed a defective part on police versions of the Chevrolet Impala but didn't correct the same problem in hundreds of thousands of other Impalas. Credit: AP
DETROIT -- A lawsuit claims General Motors Co. treated the police better than it did average citizens when taking care of a defective part in 2007 and 2008 Chevrolet Impalas.
The suit alleges 2007 and 2008 Impalas have defective spindle rods, which connect the suspension to the rear wheels. The defect causes the wheels to misalign, which makes the tires wear out faster. The tires could also wear out unevenly, increasing the risk of a blowout.
GM fixed the part on police versions of the Impala three years ago but didn't correct the same problem in hundreds of thousands of other Impalas, according to the lawsuit filed last week in Detroit.
Donna Trusky of Blakely, Pa., who bought a new Impala with Goodyear tires in February 2008, claims that before she reached 6,000 miles, the tread on her rear tires was so worn she had to replace them. Typically, tires should last for 30,000 miles or more. Her lawyers are asking the judge to certify her lawsuit as a class action.
According to the lawsuit, GM sent a bulletin to dealers in June 2008 telling them to replace the spindle rods and tires on affected police vehicles. It also authorized dealers to reimburse police who had purchased replacement tires as long as the reimbursement request was made before July 31, 2009.
But GM allegedly didn't offer the same remedy to non-police owners. The company sold a total of 423,000 Impalas from those model years. GM spokesman Alan Adler said 23,800 of those cars became police models. As of the end of last year, there were 3,686 Impalas from those two years registered on Long Island, according to Michigan-based data provider R.L. Polk & Co.
Adler confirmed that GM issued a service bulletin for police cars from the 2007 and 2008 model years because of rear suspension problems.
At least 30 other drivers have sent complaints about the issue to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. While none has reported an accident related to the problem, several drivers said the rear of the car tends to swing out, especially when driving on snow or ice. NHTSA hasn't opened an investigation into the Impala's suspension system, which is usually the first step in the process that can lead to a recall.
