GM sues over millions spent on steering repairs

General Motors says it's costing tens of millions of dollars to repair shaky steering columns in its best-selling small car and other models, so it is suing JTEKT North America, which supplied the steering assemblies in the Cobalt, Pursuit, G5, HHR and other vehicles.

In the lawsuit, GM says customers have complained about unusual rattles, "clunks" and other noises. The automaker says it found excessive gear backlash, which causes problems under certain driving conditions.

GM says it has cost more than $30 million to deal with customer warranty claims, and the price is rising. A message seeking comment Monday was left with JTEKT, based in Plymouth, Mich.

The case was filed in Macomb County Circuit Court but moved to federal court in Detroit last week.