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.
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2,106 thoughts on$42M GM Chevy Equinox Oil Guzzling Class Action Settlement Approved
So I have a 2012 Chevy Equinox, I have been having this same problem since 2019. Never received a recall letter or repair letter. I have replaced the sensors twice and still the same problem.
The dealership tells me now I need the piston and or rings replaced, main seal, intake and exhaust cam actuators. all because of this Oil issue but GM does not have a recall or repair order for this.
I received a letter from GM last Friday addressing this issue BUT!!!!!!! they will only fix or replace catalytic converter and oxygen sensor. Nothing else even though this problem cause other parts of the motor to break down.
We are writing to inform you of a potential emissions part condition of degraded catalytic converter and/or oxygen sensors caused by excessive engine oil consumption affecting some 2012 model year Chevrolet Equinox vehicles with a 2.4L engine of the type you own.
The excessive oil consumption issue that causes this emissions parts condition is defined as an engine consuming a quart of oil or more in less than 2,000 miles [3,200 km] of driving. Signs your vehicle may have excessive oil consumption include that it needs frequent oil refilling, or that the engine creates an audible rattle or knocking sound, or that the engine oil pressure warning light illuminates on the instrument panel, or that the following message appears in the Driver Information Center: “Oil Pressure Low — Stop Engine.”
Do not take your vehicle to your GM dealer as a result of this letter unless you believe that your vehicle has the condition as described above.
What We Have Done: General Motors is providing owners with additional protection for this emissions part condition. If your 2012 Chevrolet Equinox engine is diagnosed with excessive engine oil consumption, as described above, which causes this condition within 10 years of the date your vehicle was originally placed in service or 150,000 miles (241 ,000 km), whichever occurs first, the catalytic converters and oxygen sensors will be replaced for you at no charge. Diagnosis or repair for conditions other than the condition described above is not covered under this special coverage program.
What You Should Do: It is a good idea to check the engine oil level at each fuel fill. Your vehicle owner manual has instructions on checking engine oil in the Vehicle Care section. If you believe that your vehicle has the condition described above, and it is within both the time and mileage limits set forth above, diagnosis, and repairs and adjustments if needed, which qualify under this special coverage must be performed by a General Motors dealer. You may want to contact your GM dealer to find out how long they will need to have your vehicle so that you may schedule the appointment at a time that is convenient for you. This will also allow your dealer to order parts if they are not already in stock. Keep this letter with your other important glove box literature for future reference.
So now the car just sits, needing a new engine.
I received this same letter! February of 2020 I spent $3,300 on the exhaust/engine. I checked the oil in it today and there was nothing on the dip stick… only 3k miles after a routine maintenance oil change. I was in complete shock! I am currently researching a way to hold GM responsible for not only the repair expenses, but the danger it has put me and my family in. This is ridiculous!!
I have a 2012 Chevy Equinox that I bought in 2014 and it only had 30,000 miles on it at about 50,000 miles on it I noticed it started consuming oil like crazy I was putting in 2 quarts every 2000 miles I’m at 68,000 miles and it still consuming oil and it rattles and shakes because no light comes on to tell you when it’s out of oil so you just have to keep checking it and putting oil in I know there was a class action lawsuit but I was not included in it and did not get my vehicle repaired it only has 68000 miles on it and it’s a piece of junk now
I have a 2011 chevy equinox , with the known problem. Please contact to discuss what additional steps need to be taken.
Now I have a radiator problem the valve wont close once we opened it to flush and drain the radiator fluid.
I have a 2012 Equinox that blew an engine in September 2020 with no oil warning. Now my second engine is acting up at only a quart low. Would like to file for class action.
In 2018 I purchased a 2012 Chevrolet Equinox from wetzel car dealership in Richmond, Indiana. With my down payment I qualified for an auto loan through Huntington bank. I completed all of the necessary paperwork, provided all of the documents that we requested, etc. The dealership did not provide any temporary license plates, registration, vehicle title or an affidavit to temporarily take the place of the title. After 30+/- days of waiting for them to produce the necessary documents for me to legally register my vehicle they were unable to provide any paperwork or forms. The Indiana DMV was unsuccessful when they searched for the information. It took nearly two more weeks for the dealership to provide the information needed. In November of 2018 I was able to pay off the loan from Huntington bank in full. I went to the title office to get the vehicle put in my name and the bank could not produce a title. They didn’t provide one until February of 2019 and it was backdated when I received it. In July of 2019 I had to repair timing belts and various sensors. In February of 2020 I was traveling on a 5 line highway with my infant in the back seat and the car engine completely stalled. It continued to stall, failed to accelerate and overall stopped running smoothly. “Check engine light” never came on and nothing notified me that there was an issue. I took it to my mechanic and he was amazed that I was even driving it. There was loose parts in the engine and he had to completely replace/rebuild the exhaust system and various components of the engine. The cost was well over $3,000. I took it for a routine oil change in December 2020, odometer was at 96k. I checked the oil today, odometer was at 99k, and there was no oil on the dip stick. A vehicle should not use that much oil in just 3k miles. I don’t even want to put anymore repairs or replacements into the vehicle because they cost more than what the vehicle is even worth. Purchasing this vehicle was the worst decision I have ever made and I’ve had issues with it since day one of owning it.
Hi there. I have a 2010 Chevy equinox that keeps breaking down. I have put 5,000 into it and it has been burning oil for about a year now. I have to put quarts of oil in it every week. How do I get information on this issue?
I have a 2013 Equinox and had the engine lock up at 123,798k miles due to no oil in the engine. No check engine light was on, no low oil warning light came on. I purchased it back in Aug 2020, got 2 oil changes which I have paperwork, I had it for 5 months when my car just shut off on the highway on Feb 20th, 2020 in Minnesota and it was -20 something outside at 5 in the morning. Then I was told at the dealership my car was high mileage and these things “happen.” Talked to someone at GM and gave me a run around saying I missed the cut off at 120k miles. I refuse to pay any more for the enginewhen I still owe on the vehicle. I need to get on this!!
I own a 2012 Equinox with only 64,000 miles on it (I know, we don’t drive it much), and we just started developing these symptoms. I had no idea this was a problem until our last oil change, when they found our engine had burned through all its oil. I had come in because we had the tell-tale lurching while stopped, and I assumed it was faulty spark plugs.
I hope we are not too late and out of luck.
I have a 2013 GMC Terrain that burns through oil.
I have a 2011 equinox that burns about a quarter every other tank. Sometimes faster depending on how far I drive. My car only has 115k miles on it!
I am an owner of a 2010 chevy equinox how do I get more Information on this mine is burn oil so fast