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About POGO's Federal Contractor Misconduct Database (FCMD)

The government awards contracts to companies with histories of misconduct such as contract fraud and environmental, ethics, and labor violations. In the absence of a centralized federal database listing instances of misconduct, the Project On Government Oversight (POGO) is providing such data. We believe that it will lead to improved contracting decisions and public access to information about how the government spends hundreds of billions of taxpayer money each year on goods and services. Report an instance of misconduct »

General Motors Corp.

Breach of Contract and Negligence

Date: 12/19/1996 (Date of Settlement Approval)

Misconduct Type: Consumer Affairs

Enforcement Agency: Non-Governmental

Contracting Party: Non-Governmental

Court Type: Civil

Amount: $32,000,000

Disposition: Settlement

Synopsis: “Thirty-nine class actions have been filed in state, federal and Canadian courts against [GM], claiming that 1973-1987 model Chevrolet and GMC full-size pickup trucks are defective because their fuel tanks are mounted below the cab and outside the frame rails… In these actions, plaintiffs claimed that the fuel tank locations make the vehicles unreasonably susceptible to fuel-fed fires following side-impact collisions… An agreement for a nationwide settlement of the class actions pending in federal and state courts received final court approval on December 19, 1996… the settlement provides for approximately $4 million to fund motor vehicle fire safety research. The court ordered General Motors to pay plaintiffs' attorneys' fees and costs totaling approximately $28 million.”