A class-action lawsuit was filed against automaker General Motors on Thursday over claims that several lines of its diesel trucks were outfitted with defeat devices to get around state and federal emission requirements.
The lawsuit was filed by several law firms, including Hagens Berman Sobol Shapiro, which succeeded in reaching billions of dollars in settlements against Volkswagen on behalf of vehicle owners and dealers. VW admitted that it tried to thwart environmental requirements.
Defeat devices turn off emission controls on cars to improve performance when they are in normal operation. But the devices are automatically turned back on when the vehicle senses it is being hooked up to emissions testing equipment.
GM denied installing any such devices, and a spokesman said the automaker is in full compliance with all EPA regulations. “These claims are baseless and we will vigorously defend ourselves,” GM spokesman Dan Flores told Reuters.
EPA has not accused GM of emissions violation, and Thursday’s lawsuit comes before any formal set of charges by state or federal authorities for violating the Clean Air Act as was the case with VW.
The lawsuit came after EPA and the Justice Department filed suit against automaker Fiat Chrysler earlier this week for using a defeat device in over 100,000 of its diesel vehicles to thwart emission rules.
The GM lawsuit said over 700,000 owned or leased diesel trucks with Duramax engines, including Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra pickups from 2011-2016 model years, had defeat devices.
