A federal lawsuit filed in Missouri claims Dollar General stores misled consumers and sold obsolete motor oil next to mainstream brands.
The case was granted class-action status and spans 16 states, including California, Colorado, Florida, Illinois, Kansas, Kentucky, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, New Jersey, New York, Ohio and Wisconsin, according to a case summary at CarComplaints.com.
Dollar General stores sold DG Auto SAE 10W-30 and DG Auto SAE 10W-40 motor oils that included fine-print disclaimers that read “not suitable for use in most gasoline powered automotive engines built after 1988” and “may not provide adequate protection against the build-up of engine sludge.” Both were classified as API SF, according to the lawsuit.
DG Auto SAE 30 containers had disclaimers reading “not suitable for use in most gasoline powered automotive engines built after 1930” and “use in modern engines may cause unsatisfactory engine performance or equipment harm,” according to Car Complaints. That was classified as API SA, which hasn’t been suitable for vehicles since 1930.
The DG Auto containers were allegedly sold on shelves next to mainstream vehicle motor oil brands, which plaintiffs claim was misleading consumers into thinking the DG oils were safe for cars. The bottles were marketed as “DG Auto” brand.
Dollar General claimed that consumers should have read the disclaimers.
The oil is manufactured by Dollar General corporate owner Dolgencorp, according to Courthouse News. A quart of 10W-30 currently for sale at Dollar General is $2.95 and advertises API SN and ILSAC GF-5 specifications.
