Carlson v. General Motors Corp.

PHILLIPS, Circuit Judge:

This case involves alleged defects in 5.1-liter diesel automobile engines manufactured by the defendant-appellee, the General Motors Corporation (GM), in model years 1981 through 1985. In a seventy-four page amended complaint filed on behalf of 183 named claimants and a prospective class of “similarly situated” car owners1 — all of whom at one time purchased GM products equipped with diesel engines — plaintiffs charged that the engines were inherently defective and subject to frequent breakdowns, necessitating extensive and expensive repairs. Plaintiffs claimed,…