A judge in Florida federal court has put her stamp of approval on a $42 million settlement agreement which resolves three lawsuits claiming that General Motors sold vehicles with an oil consumption defect.
Plaintiffs Ellen Berman and Dayana Guach allege that General Motors model year 2010-2013 Chevrolet Equinox and GMC Terrain cars that have 2.4-liter Ecotec engines suffer from the defect that consumes oil at a very high rate.
The primary cause of the defect is malfunctioning piston rings, which are prone to premature wear, the judge’s order states. The defect necessitates the need for the car owner to replenish the car’s oil more frequently.
The plaintiffs filed suit in September 2018, claiming that General Motors breached their written warranties under the Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act and violated the Florida Deceptive and Unfair Trade Practices Act.
Two other class action lawsuits were subsequently filed, based on similar allegations. The judge’s approval of the settlement resolves the claims in these three cases.
Starting in 2014, General Motors issued Special Coverage Adjustments (SCAs) for the model years 2010-2012 of the class vehicles, the judge’s order reads.
The SCAs were put into effect to extend the class vehicles’ warranty for piston replacement beyond the normal warranty expiration period, which was five years or 100,000 miles.
“The SCAs provided that owners of Class Vehicles could take their vehicles to a dealership and undergo an oil consumption diagnosis. If the diagnosis indicated excessive oil consumption, GM would replace the piston rings for free, if the vehicle was within certain time and mileage limitations,” the judge states in her order.
The Settlement Class is defined as: “All persons within the United States who purchased or leased, at any time before the Preliminary Approval Date, a new retail or used model year 2010, 2011, 2012, or 2013 Chevrolet Equinox or GMC Terrain vehicle equipped with 2.4 liter Ecotec engines, manufactured prior to the Production Change, and who have not executed a prior release of claims related to Class Vehicle oil consumption or resulting piston or engine damage in favor of GM.”
In addition, the judge’s order states that, for model year 2010-2012 class vehicles, owners will be able to get a free replacement of piston assemblies at authorized dealerships.
Also, Class Members who already paid for covered repairs but who did not already submit a claim under the Special Coverage Adjustments will have 120 days to submit a claim.
For model year 2013 class vehicles, Class Members will receive free piston assembly replacement. Also, those who previously paid out-of-pocket for repairs can file claims for reimbursement of expenses.
Each Class representative will receive $4,500 as a service payment, which the judge determined to be “appropriate, fair, and reasonable.” This award is being paid by General Motors separately from the funds being made available via the settlement agreement.
Also, the attorneys for the plaintiffs will receive fees of $3,390,351, which is eight percent of the settlement value. Class Counsel will also receive reimbursement of $109,649 for litigation expenses.
Do you own one of the class vehicles mentioned as part of the settlement? Leave a message in the comments section below.
Top Class Actions will post updates to this class action settlement as they become available. For the latest updates, keep checking TopClassActions.com or sign up for our free newsletter. You can also receive notifications when this article is updated by using your free Top Class Actions account and clicking the “Follow Article” button at the top of the post.
The plaintiffs are represented by Rachel Soffin, Gregory F. Coleman, Adam A. Edwards and Mark E. Silvey of Greg Coleman Law PC, Robert Ahdoot of Ahdoot & Wolfson PC, and Daniel K. Bryson and J. Hunter Bryson of Whitfield Bryson & Mason LLP.
The GM Chevrolet Equinox SUV Oil Consumption Defect Class Action Lawsuit is Ellen Berman, et al. v. General Motors LLC, Case No. 2:18-cv-14371, in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida; Hindsman, et al. v. General Motors LLC, Case No. 3:17-cv-05337, in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California; and Sanchez, et al. v. General Motors LLC, Case No. 1:18-cv-02536, in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois.
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.
2,106 thoughts on$42M GM Chevy Equinox Oil Guzzling Class Action Settlement Approved
We own a 2013 equinox has low compresiion in middle 2 cylinders and has missfire due to loss of compression due to bad psiton rings
I bought a 2010 equinox in Dec 2017 w 102,000 miles. Never got any notices and it now drinking a qt of oil per week. Fo I have any options?
I have a 2014 GMC terrain with 93k on it. after 3000 miles it is down 3 quarts and no low oil pressure light is coming on. Would this vehicle be covered?
My 2013 equinox is drinking so much oil. I also sounds like a race car. The screen inside has been replaced twice. There is already a recall for another part and I will be taking it in tomorrow to get that piece fixed.
I own a 2010 chev equinox with that engine. I too noticed it uses more oil than normal. This is the first I’ve heard about this. Funny thing, today the car killed on the road. It was acting like it was out of oil. It would start but shut off right away. I had it towed home to discover oil running out the bottom. I added oil and it started and ran with oil streaming from the underside. I began to research what it could be and this popped up. How do I learn more about this class action.
I own a 2012 Chevy equinox and its breaking me. It definitely does consume sn immense amount of oil. I have 1,2xx miles left st this moment for next oil change and its already at the low point in which I have to buy an entire oil change again.
This is the most expensive vehicle I’ve owned EVER!
We bought a used 2011 Equinox in 2016. It uses an enormous amount of oil. It’s a very expensive car to own.
I have a 2010 equinox that uses excessive oil and when you start it up most of the time it sounds like a diesel engine at first then mellows out in a few seconds.
In the news article I see where the law firm got their money (and probably the judge as well)but what about the consumer that got screwed .Any information on if we can get compensation ?!!
This lawsuit leaves out alot of people. We bought our 2012 equinox 2 yrs ago. It sucks up oil like crazy. I understand the issuse but GM will not fix. Why was there not a recall on this. Just tying to pay it off just to at rid of it
Have a 2011 never received the letter for the suit and called gm today they told me sorry but there not going to do anything. I think gm should replace the motor for me.
I have one of these vehicles. I took it to the dealership and they told me that it was past the years allowed and mileage. I just paid almost $7,000 six months later to the dealership due to a blown engine. Mine is a 2012. I did receive the lawsuit I formation in the mail, but I had just went past the years allowed and my mileage was over 120,000.