Detroit, Nov 15: Lawyers for some General Motors truck owners have filed a lawsuit against the automaker, alleging GM knowingly sold them defective vehicles that are so noisy they're unbearable to drive and impossible to re-sell. The class action lawsuit, filed in federal court in Detroit, claims that GM sold 800,000 trucks with the defective engines that rattle and burn gas at an excessive rate because of a design flaw that resulted in "piston slap."
Dan Powell from Orlando, Florida, was so incensed by the knocking on his 2001 Yukon XL sport utility that he created a website www.Pistonslap.Com, which discusses the engine problem and seeks feedback from others with the issue, according to a related article in the Detroit Free Press.
Powell is one of two GM truck owners named in the suit, the other is a Michigan man who bought a Chevrolet Silverado pick-up truck.
"Piston slap" is caused by excessive space between the engine's pistons and cylinders. Automotive industry experts claim that "piston slap" wastes fuel and produces significantly higher vehicle emissions due to incomplete combustion, or combustion of excessive amounts of lubricating oil, according to the lawsuit.
"Higher levels of fuel consumption and vehicle emissions increase exponentially as the miles increase due to accelerated wear to the internal engine components," the Charfoos and Christensen law firm said in a statement.
General Motors said it could not comment on the lawsuit which it has not seen.
Bureau Report