AUTOS

Let Courts Decide on Pickups, GM Asks: The auto maker asked the Transportation Department to cancel a planned public meeting on the safety record of its full-size trucks and have the matter settled by the courts. General Motors Corp. Senior Vice President Thomas Gottschalk made the request in a letter to Stephen Kaplan, the department’s general counsel. The company estimates there are 6 million trucks with so-called side-saddle fuel tanks still on the road. Critics say the tanks are likely to explode in side-impact crashes. Transportation Secretary Federico Pena has said the 1973-87 model trucks pose an “unreasonable risk” to drivers and passengers. He scheduled a public meeting for Dec. 6 to discuss whether the pickups should be recalled.