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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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2,085 thoughts on$42M GM Chevy Equinox Oil Guzzling Class Action Settlement Approved
I had a 2016 equinox how do I file a claim?
I purchased a used 2012 Equinox in Iowa. Currently it is in the shop and the engine may need replaced. Do I have any claim in the class action?
I have a 2015 Equinox. It has the same problem! I didn’t know anything about this problem until now. I can get the oil changed and a moñth later the message comes up saying get the oil changed soon. Not only that but when my husband or son check’s the oil they have to add oil!! It’s always low. It burns the oil!! What do I do, if anything?
Yes, I own a 2013 Chevy Equinox LT, cane I get some help with that the lawsuit’s?
Yes thankyou, please contact me concerning the class action lawsuit against GM for the 2013 Chevy Equinox LT
I bought my 2013 Equinox in 2020. The first of 2021 I noticed I was always having to add oil but didn’t understand why. Since then I’ve had continuous problems with my car. When I called the dealership after having it to my local mechanic multiple times, I was told I would have to pay at least $500 for them to break it down and check it over because my warranty I purchased had just ran out. My car drinks oil almost as bad as I drink my Pepsi. My engine light, my traction light, and now including the tire pressure light most recently, continue to come on. I cut it off, pull out the key and it still putters. I’ve had it in the shop multiple times and unless I can fork out hundreds to thousands of dollars to the dealership I’m not able to get this fixed…even after I told them to check the lawsuit information. Really?
I bought a new 2018 equinox in Sept. 2019 from a dealer that had 100,000 mile warranty. They sold dealership later rhat year. In 2021 I had to put new engine at 64,000 miles. GM paid for half. I paid $4900. I think dealership should have honored the sellers warranty.
I purchased a new 2012 GMC Terrian VIN#2GKLREKXC6380349. I was notified 3 times of the recall due the oil consumption issue. Each time I returned the vehicle to the selling dealership, 2 times it was returned to me as ok the 3rd time it was returned as expired warranty due age.
I’m still experiencing the problem at 80,000 miles.
What options do I have in correcting this problem based on this lawsuit?
I have a chevy equinox 2014. I had timing and tension replaced less than two week ago and they did an oil change. no oil is showing up on my dipstick at all. No oil on the ground either. This is the second time when I bought the car in March 2023 they said they did and oil change but when I checked it no oil so I ended up adding 3.5 quarts so my oil must be burning somewhere. The spark plugs were covered in oil and they replaced the valve cover gasket and sealed it. I am in Indiana.
I purchased a 2016 Equinox and after hitting 60K miles, I started having to frequently add oil. I have 75K miles now. I had an oil change 3 weeks ago and just had to add 2.5 quarts of oil. I know this is wrong and just started to investigate this and see this is a common problem with the ecotec and model year of this car. Is this class action lawsuit still valid in Illinois?
My mother has a 2010 and I recently became aware of the consumption she’s noticed. I had a look at it and could tell the rear main seal had been replaced, and also that the PCV lines were clogged. I cleaned them out and installed an oil catch can (which i recommend EVERYONE does). I just recently decided to research more about this class action I heard about… is this still on going? Could I call the Chevy dealership tomorrow and get a free piston ring upgrade? Thanks
I had a 2010 equinox that had an oil consumption issue that the dealship made me do an oil consumption test that took me past the warranty date. Then the transmission failed at 110,000 miles. The transmission replacment cost more than the value of the vehicle at the time. I had no choice, but to get another vehicle and leave the equinox in the lot.