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.
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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.
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2,106 thoughts on$42M GM Chevy Equinox Oil Guzzling Class Action Settlement Approved
I own 2012 Equinox. Chevrolet Dealer / GM repaired my engine that was burning oil but guess what now? The Dealer / GM refused to replace my damaged catalytic converters. Guess what? GM / Dealers are aware of this but they wont admit it. I have been going through catalytic converters like crazy. They don’t even sell the converters after market because of some big secret going on. I have 125000 miles and this will be the 7th time I replace the catalytic converters. I just had brand new ones installed just over 300 miles and now guess what? My check engine light just came on again and code reads catalytic converters going bad.
Dave
Do I have to just take my car to the dealership let them know about the class action lawsuit and they will fix it I have a 2012 Chevy Equinox eating excessive oil also
Im purchasing a chevy equinox ecoteck 2011 4cylinder stating to have oil issues
I also have a 2010 GMC Terrain which died yesterday – needing a new engine. The oil consumption tests didn’t solve anything, and we poured money into this vehicle with oil and repairs. The ‘throttle body’ also needed to be replaced. The cost of a new engine is more than the vehicle’s worth. Anyone know who to contact with this lawsuit??
I also have a 2013 chevy equinox that needed a new engine and yes it guzzled up a lot of oil. I received the notice in mail and FINALLY I received compensation for costs. Try this number… 1-888-970-0698. Hope that helps!
I, too, have a 2011 Equinox that without warning (no engine or oil lights on) shut down on the freeway in the middle of the night. I never received any information on potential problems or the class action suit against GM. I still owe on the vehicle, but have paid for a total loss appraisal and am getting the run around from my GAP insurer. Do you have any suggestions? Anything would help. Thanks! I appreciate any responsse.
I own a 2013 Chevy equinox how do I access the support of the class action suit .. my car guzzles oil like crazy and I have to get frequent oil changes since I’ve had the vehicles.. please advise how I can get this repaired
I bought a 2014 Chevrolet Captiva in 2017 that I cannot drive due to carbon build up in the engine and excessive oil consumption issues. I feel like gm and the dealership screwed me over as I cannot drive it and owe too much on it. I thank god my car didn’t die until I dropped my kids of at school as I live in Indiana and it’s the middle of winter.
I bought a 2013 chevy equinox last year. The oil consumption is pretty bad I have to add oil every other week. I’ve gotten part recalls done but nothing has came for the faulty piston rings.
I have a 2014 Chevy Equinox having the exact issues as most of the previous post. I have 97700 miles on the car last week noticed a strong oil smell followed by stabiltrack warning then engine power reduced, then low oil pressure. Rear main seal leak due to blocked PCV valve.
Is there a number you can call to check if your vehicle falls under this class action lawsuit?
I bought my 2013 Equinox in 2012. I’ve never had any breakdowns or obvious mechanical issues, until last week when things went catastrophically bad. As I started researching all the symptoms are exactly as detailed in this claim. The dealership first said it was the timing chain but called me a day later and said it’s the piston rings. They are charging $2500 and telling me that’s a deal because they have found some things that are covered in special warranties. Now that I read all this, should I be paying anything??????