General Motors is under fire in a nationwide class action lawsuit alleging that the side blind spot alert system in its Chevy Cruze vehicles is not reliable and is easily prone to damage from water, snow, and debris.
Plaintiffs Anthony and Lisa Hudson filed the Chevy Cruze class action lawsuit last week in Michigan federal court hoping to seek redress for GM’s purported failure to inform customers that the collision sensors in the Chevy Cruze vehicles do not function as promised.
GM sells an optional “Enhanced Safety Package” for the 2013-2018 Chevy Cruze vehicles that includes a “side blind spot alert system” that is marketed to “reliably warn the driver if another vehicle is in the driver’s blind spots on the right and left quarters of the vehicle.”
In May 2015, when the side blind spot alert system malfunctioned on their 2013 Chevy Cruze, the Hudsons took the vehicle to an authorized GM dealer, understanding that the limited warranty was part of the Enhanced Safety Package they purchased for an additional $790. The dealer purported to repair the system under the warranty and the Hudson’s Chevy Cruze was at the dealer for about a month, as parts were on back order. But, the couple alleges that that was just a delay tactic because GM knew or had knowledge of the volume of problems with the side blind spot alert system.
However, the Hudsons contend that the placement of the Chevy Cruze side blind spot alert system sensors on the rear bumper easily renders the system inoperable by debris, rain, water on the pavement, or snow. Furthermore, the Chevy Cruze class action lawsuit says that the sensors and related wiring are poorly sealed and makes them prone to damage.
According to the Hudsons, purchasers of the Chevy Cruze side blind spot alert system did not receive what they paid for, despite GM’s representation that the functioning of the system is covered under the automakers’s limited written warranty.
However, the complaint states that because the problem with the sensors is inherent in the design of the vehicle, GM does not and cannot make them function effectively when a vehicle is brought in for service. If the sensor has been damaged, GM will replace it with a new sensor in the same problematic location.
“GM rapidly acquired actual knowledge that the sensors were not so protected, as a result of complaints and warranty claims. GM continued promoting and selling the “side blind spot alert system” without making necessary corrections,” the lawsuit states.
The Hudsons are seeking to represent a nationwide Class of all consumers who purchased 2013-2018 Chevy Cruze vehicles equipped with the “side blind spot alert system”, who presented their vehicles to a GM dealer for service with respect to the system, where the vehicle was serviced for such problem under the GM limited written warranty.
The Hudsons and the proposed Class are represented by Daniel G. Romano of Romano Law PLLC; Daniel A. Edelman and Cathleen M. Combs of Edelman Combs Latturner & Goodwin LLC; and Frank Melchiore.
The Chevy Cruze Class Action Lawsuit is Anthony Hudson and Lisa Hudson v. General Motors LLC, Case No. 2:18-cv-11574-AC-SDD, in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan, Southern Division.