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 son owns one of these vechiles we have been fighting with GM to get this taken care of and they have messed with us so long now the warranty is over. It he is below the mileage. He can not afford 5300 to get this fixed. And we showed the dealership the letter in the glove box that he found after purchase saying the preciouses owner had it check for an oil consumption problem and it shows it had it. Cable Dahmer on Noland rd in Independence Mo sold them the vechile knowing it had the problem did not tell them about this problem and did not fix the SUV. The warranty was almost over by the time they bought the car we have been fighting with GM for over 6 months and have had two oil consumption checks and oil changes and still no one to help fix the problem. What can we do to get this resolved. Start another lawsuit? Help please
I own a 2012 equinox. Never got a letter that was sent out on excessive fuel consumption and have had multiple problems with my vehicle and have contacted chevrolet several times about the issues. I will never purchase another vehicle from them again which is a shame because had they fixed the issues I would have completely purchased another equinox but after these issues and no help with anything or never getting special notices that are supposedly sent out I won’t deal with a company like this ever again. Ill go foreign next time. They at least recall their issues like this and fix their problems.
I own a 2010 GMC Terrain. We replaced 2 motors. I don’t recall ever receiving a letter in the mail about the lawsuit.
I have a letter from lawsuit but don’t know how to go about it please help me with this situation. 7734141558
I have 2011 GMC terrain and have had nothing but problems with the motor. Never told anything about it until class action letter
2013 chevy equinox purchased December 2018 unaware, untold about the oil burning at high rates, the warning sensor for low oil doesnt work so I realized one day when coming to a stop my vehichle would jerk forward as if I where pressing the gas and break which I was not. I recently had the oil changed but felt there was something wrong I checked the oil it was empty. I filled it and brought it back for another oil change. Every 2 weeks I have to add more oil who can help me get more information on this lawsuit. If I had been educated by the sales man I wouldn’t have purchased this vehichle
I had bought a 2012 chevy equinox in 2018 and sold that piece of crap a year later. I had bought the equinox at 85k miles, and by the time 95k miles hit, it was in the shop. Turns out my timing chain had jumped multiple spots on top of cam and crank shaft and valve issues, which was the cause of oil consumption. But it doesn’t state anything about piston ring wear specifically on my receipt from the shop. 2 months and 2000 miles later, it was in the shop for the exact same reason. Camshaft, crank shaft, and valve issues, then my timing chain jumped, and engine would run low. I got rid of that thing faster than a fat kid could eat a whole cake. Im just worried they wont accept my claim because nothing in my receipt from the mechanic shop states anything about “piston ring wear” even though, all of what i said above, is actually caused my oil consumption. crossing my fingers.
I own a 2013 GMC Terrain and have incurred costs over $6,000.00 as a result of a total engine failure and oil consumption concerns. I was not informed of this issue by GMC or the dealership until I received notice of the settlement.
I have a 2013 Terrain that has had issues off and on for the past year. Finally someone at the shop advised me of this issue with these types of cars. When i reached out to the dealership they said there were no open recalls on my car except a windshield wiper. Is there a way to see if my car is part of this??
I am currently dealing with my 2014 Chevy equinox burning oil as well. I just had it in the shop for another $300 last week. Even getting the car serviced, it’s still running terrible. I am always current on oil changes and maintenance as well.