Cruze Sedan

Make
Chevrolet
Segment
Sedan

Last week in California a class-action lawsuit was filed against General Motors, alleging its Chevrolet brand "falsely and deceptively marketed its Cruze Diesel as a 'clean vehicle.'" Oh, and that it used emissions-cheating software. Haven't we heard this before? Volkswagen, please stand up. According to The Detroit News, the suit was filed on behalf of six individuals who are seeking buybacks as well as a $2,000 or more reimbursement for buying the more expensive Cruze diesel over the regular gasoline version.

They're also seeking compensation on any "fix" and extended warranties that haven't been used, plus punitive damages. GM states that "These claims are baseless and we will vigorously defend ourselves." How do the plaintiffs know their cars are polluting more than they should? They used a portable emissions measurement system which indicated higher C02 levels than claimed. "Diesel emissions fraud didn't stop with Volkswagen or Mercedes," said one of the law firm's managing partners representing the plaintiffs. "GM has proven that it too placed greed and profit ahead of thousands of owners who paid premium prices for what they thought were clean diesel cars." But here's what we're wondering:

If GM did in fact use a "defeat device" like VW, wouldn't it have issued a recall or, at least, admitted its mistake in the wake of Dieselgate? Wouldn't it had been best to come clean (pun intended) before a lawsuit such as this emerges? Common sense says GM (or any other automaker not wanting to suffer what VW is now going through) would but, then again, it also covered up faulty ignition switches for several years.