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 have a 2012 equinox and I have to change my oil every month or 2 a month bc oil disappears and the engine starts to knock it’s crazy and I don’t travel like that in town only and I out less then 1000 miles a months
I sent in paperwork in April still no check. I will never by a cheverolet again! Very upset!!!!!!!!!
I sent my paperwork in same time, no check, no word from anyone. Wonder whats gojng on?
I have a 2011 Chevy Equinox 2.4 and yes is had been using quite a lot of oil. I took it to my local chevy dealer where I always gave it services because as I’m driving the engine light will come on and another light that says low pressure. When the low pressure light comes on I have to immediately get off the highway because the vehicle will shut off. Now the dealer is saying that the engine is gone along with the catalytic converter. I am still paying the loan for this vehicle. The cost of repair is $5,000
Hurry call 888-970-0698 July 16 2020 ends claims
How do I find out if my 2013 Equinox is in this group?
Bought a 2012 Equinox in 2018. 2 months ago had the timing chain replaced among other things. This past week it showed an empty crankcase on the dipstick. 5 qts oil added, dealer says needs piston/ring job. Never got a letter or any indication of this problem. Called GM they say my VIN isn’t included in any service bulletin. How do I file to be part of the settlement?
Has any one received a check???? I need to buy a new car due to second engine now going on car…….I will never buy a Chevy again and I have told numerous people to stay away from chevy
Has any one received a check???? I need to buy a new car due to second engine now going on car…….I will never buy a Chevy again and I have told numerous people to stay away from chevy
Also anyone have to replace transmission. Mine went at 30000 miles
I have a 2011 Chevy Equinox.. I’m having the same problem. I purchased this car used 6/30/2019……
I was unaware of these issues or this lawsuit. How do I get involved with the lawsuit ? I kinda like the car but can’t stand the fact I have to check my oil every 3/4 days to make sure I have oil in the car before I get my day started.
Please lead me in the right direction!!! Thank You
I purchased a 2012 Chevy equinox. It was our purchased 7/172019. I am now having to replace the engine. I have the Ecoteo engine. I need help and info re class action suit.
I can’t begin to explain how frustrated I am with this issue and how GM is handling it. First off, the service rep at the dealership appears to be taking this case personal, as he tried to tell me the throttle plate was sticking, and turn me around saying the issue was fixed, my 2013 Equinox died in the lot and again when I brought a tech out to witness.
Now I am working with a Senior Advisor from GM and she is telling me to complete the oil consumption test. I refuse to drive a vehicle that dies on me.
The hangup is, I had to get timing fixed last year, most likely due to low engine oil, so now GM is saying that the mechanic I used needs to fix the timing. It ran fine after the timing work was done. It’s obvious the 2.4L Ecotech rings issue is the cause of all this. Now I can’t get GM to touch it until I get timing done, again, and do the engine oil consumption test.
Any help on next steps to get this resolved is appreciated! I refuse to pay for another timing chain replacement due to a cost reduction backfire GM tried and got caught on.
I bought used 2010 Equinox that was using excessive oil. I took it to the dealership for recall repair. Was told they have to monitor oil consumption before GM would agree to repair. The dealership made me bring it in every 1,000 miles for oil level check. That took 8 months & when I finally fulfilled their requirement for repair they discovered too late, engine blown. $6,500 to replace motor. I opted to purchase another vehicle and they kept my Equinox
I have a 2011 Chevy Equinox that had been giving me issues for over 2 years. I had bought it used from a dealer. I never received a letter or anything regarding the issues with the rear main seals. I would go through oil like crazy with keeping oil in my car as I once my oil would get low, my car would shake even though my oil gauge said I was at 75%. this car has been a nightmare and I finally decided once I paid it off, I would sell it. The day I made my last payment in February of 2020, the next day my car started shaking as i was driving down the highway and someone yelled at me that my car was leaking something and to pull over as there was smoke. I pulled over and luckily no fire started, but blew the seal and my engine. Now it sits as it needs over $4000 work with only $125,000 miles on it, but I could not afford to fix it and hesitant with all the issues. So sad to be told that I am over my miles as I have documentation for all my oil changes and issues with the car needing oil etc. I wish I knew about this problem and had some help with getting the issues fixed before I now ended up with a junker sitting around.