GM sued for not recalling nonpolice Chevrolet Impalas to fix spindle rods

General Motors has been sued by the owner of a Chevrolet Impala who claims the company recalled police versions of the sedan to fix a tire-wear issue but did not recall civilian Impalas for the same problem.

According to the suit, filed in Detroit, GM issued a recall for police Impalas in 2008 for faulty spindle rods, which misaligned the rear wheels and led to premature tire wear. GM told dealers to replace the spindle rods, realign the rear wheels and replace the tires.

The company also told dealers to reimburse police departments that paid for repairs, but it didn't recall more than 400,000 civilian vehicles, the lawsuit claims.

The plaintiff, Donna Trusky, bought an Impala in February 2008 and had to replace her tires after only 6,000 miles, the lawsuit says. The dealership where she bought the vehicle covered the cost and performed a front-end alignment but didn't inform Trusky of the rear-spindle-rod issue. After 18,000 more miles the rear tires needed to be replaced again, according to the suit.

The lawsuit, which seeks class-action status, included 16 online complaints from Impala owners who have experienced the same problem.

"We routinely do not comment on matters in litigation," GM spokesman Alan Adler said. "We did issue a technical service bulletin for 2007-08 Impala police cars that contained repair procedures for a rear suspension issue that led to premature rear tire wear."

By Jake Lingeman