Opinion ID: 1829871
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Did the trial court err in admitting GM's internal reports of other stalling problems in vehicles with this engine?

Text: GM argues that the trial court erred in admitting 251 CAS and TAN reports into evidence. GM argues that the problems dealt with in the vast majority of the internal reports were not substantially similar to the alleged problem in this case. GM contends that only 3 TAN reports and 5 CAS reports indicated that a replaced PROM definitely had repaired the stalling problem. Additionally, GM argues that only 8 TAN reports recommended the updating or replacing of the PROM. GM contends that replacing the PROM is the first repair that is done when a customer complains of stalling. The plaintiffs claim that all 251 reports mention stalling problems and that the reports gave GM notice of problems with this model engine. The plaintiffs contend that 186 of the reports mention the ECM, the PROM, or the sensors as the part repaired or the cause of the stall. The plaintiffs contend that the trial court did not abuse its discretion in allowing these reports into evidence, because, they argue, the reports were all substantially similar to the stalling problem in Lewis's pickup truck. All rulings on the admissibility of evidence under the substantially similar standard must be considered on a case-by-case basis. See, C. Gamble, McElroy's Alabama Evidence, § 64.04(1) (4th ed. 1991). The admissibility of such evidence is within the discretion of the trial court, and the court's ruling will not be reversed absent an abuse of that discretion. Alabama Power Co. v. Brooks, 479 So.2d 1169 (Ala.1985). In Brooks, the plaintiff was injured when his drilling machine came in contact with uninsulated power lines owned by the defendant. This Court held that the admission of an article that contained a summary of nationwide accidents with the same machine or a machine similar to the one involved in the suit and under the same or similar conditions was proper for showing that, nationwide, there was a problem with this type of machine coming in contact with uninsulated power lines. The article was also relevant as to the degree of care exercised by the defendant in maintaining this type of power line. GM relies on Keller v. Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co., 521 So.2d 1312 (Ala.1988), for the proposition that the substantially similar standard has been severely restricted by this Court. In Keller, supra, the plaintiffs were injured after a tire on their automobile failed, causing the automobile to leave the road. The trial court properly refused to admit evidence of the failure of other tires over a six-year period because the plaintiffs failed to prove that the accidents occurred under the same or similar circumstances and because the plaintiffs failed to show that the failures were identical to the tire failure in that suit. In the instant case, the 251 reports contained evidence of stalling problems in other vehicles with the identical engine as the one in Lewis's pickup truck. The trial court did not abuse its discretion in determining that these reports were substantially similar to the problem in the present case. The plaintiffs claimed that Lewis's pickup truck stalled because of a defect in the fuel delivery system. All 251 reports from GM's dealers and customers state that the engine stalled or idled. The majority of the reports specifically mentioned the ECM, the PROM, or sensors connected to the ECM, which controls the fuel delivery system, as the problem or the repair needed. We find no abuse of discretion in admitting the reports.