In the face of a spreading defect-liability crisis, General Motors (GM) can't seem to get its story straight. The company is struggling to clarify whether it wants to apologize to consumers, mollify regulators, or shout down plaintiffs' attorneys. The automaker agreed on Friday to submit to unusually close and ongoing federal scrutiny in the wake of a massive recall of almost 2.6 million small cars. GM has signaled it will try to limit its liability by invoking the terms of its 2009 bankruptcy restructuring, which aimed to allow the company to leave behind legal troubles associated with the pre-Chapter 11 "old GM."