GM Class Action Lawsuit Alleges Engine Oil Guzzling Defect

General Motors has been hit with a class action lawsuit by a consumer who claims that the company sold or leased 2010-2014 vehicles with a defective engine.

Dennis Vita claims that he owns a 2013 GMC Sierra equipped with a Generation IV Vortec 5300 Engine.

The plaintiff says he noticed that his vehicle started eating up an unusually high amount of oil, right around when it had 80,000 miles on the odometer.

Vita states that his Sierra consumes one quart of oil every 200 miles and that he has to change the spark plugs every 500 miles due to “fouling” from the excessive oil consumption.

The General Motors class action claims that GM did not disclose the oil consumption defect to Vita before he purchased the vehicle. The plaintiff argues that General Motors knew about the defect; thus, Vita purchased the vehicle with an incorrect understanding that he was getting a reliable vehicle.

Other vehicles that are subject to this defect include: 2010–2014 Chevrolet Avalanche; 2010–2013 Chevrolet Silverado; 2010–2014 Chevrolet Suburban; 2010–2014 Chevrolet Tahoe; 2010–2013 GMC Sierra; 2010–2014 GMC Yukon; and the 2010–2014 GMC Yukon XL, according to the GM class action lawsuit.

The plaintiff maintains that the Generation IV Vortec 5300 Engine in all of these vehicles consumes an improperly high quantity of oil that exceeds industry standards. This defect allegedly results in low oil levels, lubricity levels that are not sufficient, as well as damage to the internal engine component.

The main cause of the oil consumption defect is that the piston rings that are installed in the Generation IV Vortec 5300 Engine do not maintain enough tension to keep oil in the crankcase, the plaintiff alleges.

“Exacerbating the excessive oil loss and concomitant engine damage problems caused by the Oil Consumption Defect in the Class Vehicles is GM’s implementation of a defective Oil Life Monitoring System in each of those vehicles that fails to advise drivers of insufficient oil in their vehicles until those levels are critically low,” the General Motors lawsuit states.

The plaintiff argues that the problem is exacerbated because the Oil Life Monitoring system does not properly monitor oil level. Vita says the system monitors engine conditions which would calculate the expected deterioration in oil quality and will notify the driver when it is time for an oil change.

The complaint alleges that General Motors knows about the oil defect in its vehicles and has told its dealers to address the issue by performing stop-gap fixes of components of the Generation IV Vortec 5300 Engines.

These fixes, however, do not provide a complete and adequate remedy for the oil consumption defect that affects each of the Class vehicles, according to Vita.

In addition, the plaintiff claims that General Motors did not disclose the oil consumption defect to consumers who were thinking about purchasing the Chevy and GMC vehicles.

In November 2019, GM agreed to pay $42 million to settle a class action that claimed 2010-2013 Chevrolet Equinox and GMC Terrain vehicles with a 2.4-liter Ecotec engines guzzle oil at a high rate. 

A similar class action lawsuit was filed against General Motors in December 2019 by a consumer who claims that the Generation IV 5.3 Liter V8 Vortec 5300 engines suffer from comparable engine failure defects.

Do you own one of the vehicles listed in this class action lawsuit and it suffers from an oil consumption defect? Leave a message in the comments section below.

The plaintiff is represented by Peter B. Katzman of Morea Schwartz Bradham Friedman & Brown LLP, Greg G. Gutzler Adam J. Levitt, John E. Tangren, and Daniel R. Ferriof of Dicello Levitt Gutzler LLC, and W. Daniel “Dee” Miles, III, H. Clay Barnett, III, and J. Mitch Williams of Beasley Allen Crow Methvin Portis & Miles PC.

The GM Engine Defect Class Action Lawsuit is Dennis Vita v. General Motors LLC, Case No. 2:20-cv-01032, in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York.

Read About More Class Action Lawsuits & Settlements:

Iraq and Afghanistan War: How Many US Soldiers Died?

Whole Foods Class Action Says Rice Milk Contains Fake Vanilla

Hurricane Insurance Claims May Be Expedited Under Consumer Protection Act

Medical Waste Junk Fax Class Action Settlement