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
My wife owns a 2012 with 124,000 we contacted gm about a year and a half ago with 112,000 about the problem and was told they would do nothing about it so now we are 4,000 over will we still be covered
we have a 2012 gmc terrain 2.4l it uses a quart of oil or more about every 1 to 2000 mls we were told that the suit would not cover us because it has 153000 miles is this true?
I have a 2013 equinox around 60,000 miles the engine made a wierd rattling sound and I had to add an additional quart of oil between oil changes. the dealership said they could find nothing wrong with the vehicle so i kept driving it for another year. We took a couple of long trips and the low oil light did not come on causing timing damage. the repair cost were around $ 3200. Head repair, timing set, gasket kits, new oil pump. After driving the vehicle another 3,000 miles the same issue occurred this time the damage was not repairable and the engine had to be replaced. I have spent almost 7 thousand dollars on repairs and towing. I would like to know how to start the process of filing a claim.
We just got rid of my 2012 equinox, we had to put oil in it every 2 days. 2018 put over 2,000 in repairs. We got rid of it cause my heater would quit working after 2 days would come back on.
I filed a class action form in February of 2018. I did this online through classaction.org. I received a reply from Jordan Crowe, with Whitfield Bryson & Mason, LLP. The reply stated that they had received my email and documents concerning the excessive oil consumption of the Chevy Equinox. I have kept up with the case and saw where it has been settled. I called the number for Ananlytics Consulting, LLC, however they told me my vin # wasn’t included in the settlement. I find this quite absurd!!! I would like further explanation, why certain vin #’s are excluded. I am in the process of hiring my own lawyer,so any feedback from you would be greatly appreciated. I need to be reimbursed for the expenses I have incurred, and for the $2500 plus to fix my Equinox.
I received a letter that includes my VIN #, which leads me to believe I qualify. However, my 2013 Equinox had a 3.6L engine. Is it also included in this class action? Not sure how my VIN # got tagged if it doesn’t qualify.
Hi, My husband has a 2016 Equinox with 102,000 miles on it. The vehicle broke down on 35E in rush hour traffic. He had no indication of a problem. Car shook, oil pressure light failed, no check engine light came on. The motor is burnt out. GM has denied a claim to pay for it. Right now we have filed a claim with MN Attorney General. I don’t really expect that anything is going to come out of it. Mauer Chev in IGH wants $8,500 to replace the engine. We still owe $16,000+ on vehicle. Would like to talk to you.
I own a 2011 Chevy Equinox which has been using oil and requiring oil changes more frequently. Instead of the normal oil change being every 3000 miles, at 1800 miles the oil pressure gauge and Change Engine Oil Soon displays in the Warning Menu.
I have a 2013 Chevrolet Equinox that I financed with 71,000 miles about 3 years ago. I have already had the engine replaced due to metal shavings in the oil pan from a failed timing chain due to oil consumption and my oil light never came on. That engine replacement was covered under my extended warranty. Now my car sits at Shakopee Chevrolet in Shakopee, MN needing yet another engine because there is a hole in the engine due to oil consumption and the light never came on but I am between my 3,000 mile oil change after adding 2 quarts of oil 2 weeks prior to the engine completely giving out on 1/19/2020. Vehicle currently has roughly 161,000 miles and I still owe $7,500 on the vehicle. Please help me. I just had to finance another vehicle because the repair bill to fix the issue is more than the value of the vehicle with a new engine. Very frustrating. PLEASE HELP ME!!!
Hi, My husband has a 2016 Equinox with 102,000 miles on it. The vehicle broke down on 35E in rush hour traffic. He had no indication of a problem. Car shook, oil pressure light failed, no check engine light came on. The motor is burnt out. GM has denied a claim to pay for it. Right now we have filed a claim with MN Attorney General. I don’t really expect that anything is going to come out of it. Mauer Chev in IGH wants $8,500 to replace the engine. We still owe $16,000+ on vehicle. Would like to talk to you.
I bought a 2012 equinox in march 2019 that i make payments on from a dealership in pa this march i will have it a year, right now it sits at the dealership with broken timing chain cracked block and cracked exhaust manifold along with bent pistons the dealership hadnt offerd an extended warranty nor have a loaner car avaible its been there almost a month they are asking over 3k to fix it