GMC Yukon class action over faulty tail lights dismissed

Update:

• A judge in U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida dismissed a potential class action lawsuit alleging certain 2017 to 2019 model year GMC Yukon full-size SUVs had faulty tail lights.
• The judge noted the plaintiff, Rhonda Small, did not actually own a GMC Yukon affected by this problem; rather, it was registered to a corporation. This means Small could not have suffered personal financial injury, according to GM Authority.
• Additionally, the judge ruled that since Small purchased the vehicle from a third-party dealer and not GM directly, she did not receive a GM warranty, according to court documents. 
• The potential class action alleged the Yukons had a defect that caused the tail lamp housing or assembly to become inoperative, resulting in brake lights that failed to illuminate, and thus posed increased risk of rear-end collision.

GMC Yukon tail light class action lawsuit overview:

• Who: General Motors (GM) is being sued by a woman who says she owns a GMC Yukon with faulty tail lights.
• Why: GM is fighting to get the case thrown out, arguing that its records show the woman doesn’t own the Yukon she claims to own.
• Where: The case is being heard in Florida.

(Nov. 9, 2021)

A woman who alleges the tail lights on her GMC Yukon are faulty should not be able to bring a class action lawsuit against General Motors (GM) because she does not actually own the vehicle, the auto manufacturer argues in a new court filing.

In a motion filed recently in a Florida federal court, GM said the class action brought against it by Plaintiff Rhonda Smalls should be thrown out, because she doesn’t legally own the SUV she refers to, CarComplaints.com reports.

Smalls alleges in her class action lawsuit that she owns a 2017 GMC Yukon which suffered from a faulty tail light which required a $671 replacement. 

She says GM knew about the defective tail lights in 2017 GMC Yukons, but did not issue a fix for customers who had this specific model, although it did extend the fix to owners of other model year GMC Yukons. She is suing for breach of warranty.

However, GM says the claims are “plainly false” because it did issue a free fix to 2017 GMC Yukon tail lights, albeit later than the other vehicles. 

Regardless of this element, GM argues that Smalls does not have standing to bring the lawsuit, anyway, because she is not the legal owner of the vehicle she claims to own. 

Instead, its records show a corporate entity owns the car, and received notice of the tail light fix.

The case comes as GM  faces another class action lawsuit alleging late-model Yukon SUV owners may be more likely to be rear-ended due to defective tail lamp housing parts. 

Have you had trouble with your GMC Yukon tail lights? Let us know in the comments! 

The plaintiff is represented by Freidin Brown, P.A., Pomerantz LLP, and Justice Law.

The GMC Yukon Tail Light Replacement Class Action Lawsuit is Rhonda Small, v. General Motors LLC, Case No. unknown, in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida

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