Chevy Volts Have Steering Defect, Class Action Lawsuit Alleges

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Last week, General Motors LLC was hit with a class action lawsuit in New Jersey federal court that alleges some of its Chevrolet Volt vehicles are equipped with a defective steering system that can cause the steering wheel to freeze while driving, creating a safety risk.

Plaintiffs Christopher Johnson and Tara Follari-Johnson allege that 2011-2014 Chevrolet Volt vehicles have a defective steering system that may malfunction while the car is in motion. According to the Chevy Volt class action lawsuit, this steering defect “causes the steering wheel to lock up, bind, or stick at highway speeds. This renders the driver temporarily unable to control the direction of the moving vehicle.”

Johnson and Follari-Johnson allege in the steering defect class action lawsuit that they leased a new 2013 Chevrolet Volt vehicle in November 2012. Shortly after purchasing the vehicle, they noticed the steering wheel would sometimes bind up when the driver attempted to make adjustments to keep the vehicle in the appropriate lane while driving. They allege the vehicle would drift to the left and right and that the steering felt “loose” when driving at highway speeds. They claim that they brought their vehicle in to authorized GM dealerships on multiple occasions to repair the steering defect, but they continue to experience the problem.

The Chevy Volt class action lawsuit alleges that General Motors “knew with certainty or were reckless in not knowing that the Class Vehicles and the steering system were defective and not fit for the intended purpose of providing consumers with safe and reliable transportation.”

The plaintiffs allege that GM should have known about the steering defect based on pre-release testing data, early consumer complaints to GM, consumer complaints to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and resulting notices from the agency, dealership repair orders, testing conducted in response to consumer complaints, and other internal sources.

Further, the plaintiffs allege that GM replaces the defective steering components with similar components that do not correct the defect. According to the Chevy Volt class action lawsuit, GM “implemented this temporary and illusory fix to ensure that the Steering Defect occurs outside of the warranty period so that Defendants can unfairly shift financial responsibility for the Steering Defect to Plaintiffs and Class Members.”

As a result of GM’s conduct, the steering defect class action lawsuit alleges that lessees and owners of the Chevy Volt vehicles have suffered financial injury due to the cost of repairs and diminished value of their vehicles. Further, their vehicles allegedly continue to experience steering problems that put them at serious risk while driving. According to the steering defect class action lawsuit, safety is very important to Johnson and Follari-Johnson. They claim that they would not have leased a Chevy Volt if they had known about the steering defect.

Johnson and Follari-Johnson filed the Chevy Volt class action lawsuit on behalf of themselves and all current and former New Jersey owners and lessees of 2011-2014 Chevrolet Volt vehicles.

The plaintiffs are represented by Joel T. Glucksman of Scarinci Hollenbeck LLC and Jordan L. Lurie, Robert K. Friedl, Tarek H. Zohdy and Cody R. Padgett of Capstone Law APC.

The Chevy Volt Steering Defect Class Action Lawsuit is Johnson and Follari-Johnson v. General Motors LLC, Case No. 2:14-cv-07924, in the U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey.