Top Class Actions’s website and social media posts use affiliate links. If you make a purchase using such links, we may receive a commission, but it will not result in any additional charges to you. Please review our Affiliate Link Disclosure for more information.
A recently proposed vehicle defect class action lawsuit alleges that a defect in the Infotainment System in certain General Motors vehicles, including GMC and Chevrolet models, poses serious safety risks.
The complaint was filed on Sept. 11, 2020 by plaintiff Karen Boddison in the United States District Court for the Middle District of Florida. It asserts that GM knew about and failed to remedy the defect which causes radio volume to unexpectedly spike at maximum level, potentially startling drivers and increasing the risk of accident.
According to the lawsuit, the problem also affects the Bluetooth system and the rearview image camera.
While the affected vehicles have not been subject to a recall, Boddison argues that the defect makes them “inherently unsafe.” She also asserts that GM failed to comply with the National Highway and Traffic Safety Administration safety regulation concerning the duration of the rearview image display.
What are the GM Radio Problems Claimed in the Class Action Lawsuit?
The GM radio problems alleged in the class action lawsuit concern an issue in specific Class Vehicles with an “IOR 7-inch in-dash Audio System.” According to the complaint, the defect causes the radio to suddenly blast without warning, which could cause drivers to become disoriented or distracted and lose focus on the road.
As claimed in the lawsuit, the same defect in the subject vehicles causes issues with the Bluetooth system — which continues a ringing sound during calls — and the back-up camera system which fails to disengage despite shifting from “reverse” to “drive.”
Plaintiff Asserts GM Radio Defect Makes Affected Vehicles “Potentially Ticking Time Bombs”
In the complaint, Boddison contends that owners of the affected vehicles are driving in “potentially ticking time bombs while GM knowingly exposes its customers” to severe injuries or fatality while making millions on the Class Vehicles. She argues that GM’s assurances that their Class Vehicles are safe is misleading marketing and that she was falsely induced into buying a vehicle that she would not have purchased, or paid as much for, had she known about the defect.
Boddison claims that two months after purchasing a 2019 Chevrolet Colorado, “she was subjected to the sudden and jarring blast from the radio.” She states that after explaining the issue to the technicians at the dealership, a diagnostic revealed what Chevrolet referred to as a “software anomaly” for which software updates were not available at the time to make repairs.
On one specific occasion, Boddison alleges she was driving with the radio at a low volume “when the volume suddenly ‘ramped up’ to the maximum level” and the “sudden and jarring sound momentarily disoriented her causing her to lose control and veer off the road almost colliding with a roadside object.” She also states that she experienced Bluetooth issues and malfunctions with the image display.
Despite having experienced similar repeated incidents of GM radio problems while driving, Boddison says that Chevrolet denied her request for warranty repairs and was informed that no repairs were available for the defect.
Boddison asserts claims against GM under Florida’s Deceptive and Unfair Trade Practices Act, Breach of Express Warranty, Breach of Implied Warranty of Merchantability, Fraudulent Omission, Unjust Enrichment, Negligence, and Violation of the Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act for failure to comply with the written warranties.
What Vehicle Models Have GM Radio Problems?
According to the Technical Service Bulletin issued by GM in December 2019, and referenced in the complaint, GM acknowledged that the radio in certain vehicles “may ramp up to maximum without input to the volume controls.” The bulletin lists Chevrolet models Colorado, Equinox, and Silverado models made in 2019, as well as the 2019 GMC Canyon and Sierra 1500 among those with the radio defect. GM attributed the defect to the possibility of a software issue.
A service bulletin issued by GM in March 2020, indicates that GM had identified problems with the Infotainment System in specific makes and models of their vehicles. The bulletin stated that “a continuous improvement software update is being released” to address the issues associated with the radio volume, rear view camera, and phone problems, among several other issues.
As specified in the March 2020 Technical Service Bulletin, the affected vehicles include 2020 Chevrolet models Blazer, Camaro, Colorado, Equinox, Silverado 1500, Silverado 2500HD/3500HD, Sonic, and Trax. The 2020 GMC models Canyon Sierra 1500, Sierra 2500HD/3500HD, and the Terrain, were also listed, as well as the 2020 Holden Equinox.
The complaint asserts that the software update “only reduces, but does not eliminate, the dangerous and disorienting volume spikes” as a result of the GM radio problems.
What Can Consumers Do if They Purchased a GM Vehicle with Radio Problems?
Vehicle defects not only cause the potential for serious injury — they can be time-consuming to deal with and costly. Consumers who purchased a GM vehicle with radio problems or another car with a vehicle safety defect may be able to join a class action lawsuit or be entitled to a class action rebate. An attorney who handles class action lawsuits concerning vehicle safety defects can advise consumers of their legal rights and remedies.
The GM Vehicle Safety Defect Lawsuit is Boddison v. General Motors LLC, Case No. 8:20-cv-02139-WFJ-AEP in the United States District Court for the Middle District of Florida.
Join a Free Vehicle Safety Class Action Lawsuit Investigation
If you own a vehicle that you believe has a safety defect and you are outside of the warranty period or you believe the defect should be covered by the warranty and it’s not, or you or a family member have been injured by a safety related defect, you may qualify to join this vehicle safety defect class action lawsuit investigation.
This article is not legal advice. It is presented
for informational purposes only.
ATTORNEY ADVERTISING
Top Class Actions is a Proud Member of the American Bar Association
LEGAL INFORMATION IS NOT LEGAL ADVICE
Top Class Actions Legal Statement
©2008 – 2024 Top Class Actions® LLC
Various Trademarks held by their respective owners
This website is not intended for viewing or usage by European Union citizens.
12 thoughts onLawsuit Alleges GM Radio Problems Increase Potential for Collision
I have a 22 high country Silverado radio on our fm will not pick up stations very little signal does anybody else have this problem
2018 Arcadia Denali radio is irratic.. jumps all over from screen to screen i can no longer use my GPS because the screen jumps.. no longer listen to a radio station channels change. When switching from reverse to drive the back up camera doesn’t go off screen sometimes so I have to shift back & forth sometimes to get the camera off screen.. i guess the warranty was up in 1/2021. I bought the vehicle around 3/2021 & problem started happening around 6/2021 ?♀️ $40,000 vehicle I’ve only owned it a few months & cant even use some of the features I bought the vehicle for ?♀️
I ordered a 2018 Chevy Silverado and at about time their warranty ends, my “infotainment system” began acting erratic. It would jump from station to station, display the various screens of functions, bounce back and forth and up and down, call Onstar on it’s own, scroll through all the stations, and a portion of the screen is no longer able to be used because she’ll when the now light gray function button is touched, nothing happens. I can’t adjust balance, bass, midrange, or high frequencies. I can’t even use the manual dial since all but three numbers on the pad have turned from their original color to the non functional light gray.
Needless to say, this is quite a distraction when traveling in this vehicle.
I have 2012 Gmc Terrain radio turns on when it wants,it is a safety issue,when it shuts down my onstar shuts off,backup camera does not work,blinker and safety belt chime off.Had it serviced at Dealership ,told me I needed new navigation SD card$,200.00 put new SD card in …same problem? Oh and interior lights out when radio shuts down,at night.Infotainment system is junk
I HAVE A 2019 CHEVY COLORADO AND A FEW MONTHS AFTER I BOUGHT IT NEW THE RADIO STARTED ACTING UP, IT WOULD BLAST AT TOP VOLLUME PERIODICALLY AND THE SCREEN GOES BLACK AND VOLLUME KNOW WONT ADJUST VOLLUME. I HAVE TAKEN IT TO JIM TRENARY CHEVROLET IN TROY APPROXIMATLEY 8 TIMES FOR THEM TO JUST DO A COMPUTER UPDATE WHICH NEVER HELPED. AFTER REPEATLY GOING TO DEALER AND TAKING TIME OFF OF MY JOB TO GO HAVE THE PROBLEM TAKEN CARE OF IT HAS BEEN ALMOST A YEAR AND FINDALLY AFTER LOOSING MY PATIENCE DEMANDED A NEW STEREO WHICH IS NOW ON ORDER. I FEEL I SHOULD BE COMPENSATED FOR MY LOSS TIME AT MY JOB AND REPEATED TRIPS FOR OVER A YEAR TO TRY AND GET SOMETHING DONE.
I have a 2019 Chevy Trax. I have had blue tooth issues and abrupt radio issues since the day I bought it. The first time the radio blared and wouldn’t turn off or down I was on an interstate off ramp and had to stop in the road and get out because it was so loud. Scared the crap out of me. Thankfully it was late night and no one was behind me. But I’m an Uber driver and had this happen with passengers in the car too. Every time I reported the issue they said I just needed to get out of car wait two minutes and restart car!!! Well when it happens at least once a week I feel that’s not right. And it’s affecting my employment. A whole year later I see other GM vehicles have this issue. I pray they do a buy back but I have suffered unnessesary emotional and physical scares as a result of this year and a half long battle. Luckily I recorded some of the instances. Because they kept saying bring it in when it does it well it doesn’t always do it when repair is open. And they replaced it once and it did not fix it!! Ugh!!!
Please add me. I own a 2019 Buick Encore Preferred with an 8” radio that is experiencing the same issues! It’s been happening for MONTHS. While driving my screen goes black, my backup camera display stays on screen for a minute or longer after switching from reverse to drive, my audio when trying to listen to the radio won’t turn up because it thinks it’s connected to a phone when there’s no phone connected via USB or Bluetooth, my Sirius XM favorites disappear or display as grayed out where I can’t select them, most of the time I can’t use Apple Car play because it stops working randomly while using it for maps. I’ve had so many issues with this radio. I took it to the dealership, they said they couldn’t reproduce the car so “nothing is wrong” and said there’s no software updates for it. I’m not sure that I believe that since it says it was last updated in 2018 (would have to be at the factory) and this is a 2019 model purchased in May 2019. I find it hard to believe they’ve pushed no updates in almost 3 years. I reached out to Buick, the refer me to the dealer. I started researching and found tons of forums where other Encore owners are experiencing the same thing! Even other Buick models that were a part of the TSB to update the software to 22.9 who say that did not fix their issues. If I could just give the car back, I WOULD. I have no idea what to do now since the dealership and Buick have been no help. Get it together GM!!
I own a 2019 Buick Encore Preferred with an 8” radio that is experiencing the same issues! It’s been happening for MONTHS. While driving my screen goes black, my backup camera display stays on screen for a minute or longer after switching from reverse to drive, my audio when trying to listen to the radio won’t turn up because it thinks it’s connected to a phone when there’s no phone connected via USB or Bluetooth, my Sirius XM favorites disappear or display as grayed out where I can’t select them, most of the time I can’t use Apple Car play because it stops working randomly while using it for maps. I’ve had so many issues with this radio. I took it to the dealership, they said they couldn’t reproduce the car so “nothing is wrong” and said there’s no software updates for it. I’m not sure that I believe that since it says it was last updated in 2018 (would have to be at the factory) and this is a 2019 model purchased in May 2019. I find it hard to believe they’ve pushed no updates in almost 3 years. I reached out to Buick, the refer me to the dealer. I started researching and found tons of forums where other Encore owners are experiencing the same thing! Even other Buick models that were a part of the TSB to update the software to 22.9 who say that did not fix their issues. If I could just give the car back, I WOULD. I have no idea what to do now since the dealership and Buick have been no help. Get it together GM!! If possible, please add me to this class action. I’m also located in Florida.
The attorney handling this class action suit is mr. Nelson out of San Diego California. Phone number is (619)238-1333
Please add me