Generac class action overview:
- Who: Plaintiffs James W. Dawson Jr. and Edmond C. Hill Jr. are suing Generac.
- Why: Dawson and Hill both claim the company sold defective standby generators.
- Where: The Generac class action lawsuit was filed in a Florida federal court.
A new class action lawsuit alleges Generac sold standby generators that, while marketed as reliable backup power solutions, actually contain a hidden defect that causes them to fail during power outages.
Plaintiffs James W. Dawson Jr. and Edmond C. Hill Jr. filed the class action lawsuit against Generac Power Class Generators Inc. and Generac Holdings Inc. on Oct. 18 in a Florida federal court, alleging violations of state and federal consumer laws.
According to the lawsuit, the Generac standby generators were marketed as reliable backup power solutions but actually contain a hidden defect that causes them to fail during power outages.
The allegedly faulty generators were sold between 2021 and 2024, include the 22kW and 24kW models, and are part of Generac’s Standby Generator product series.
Defective generators leave consumers without power, lawsuit claims
The lawsuit centers on an alleged defect in the generators’ slip rings and carbon brushes.
This alleged defect accelerates wear and tear, leading to malfunction or even total failure during power outages, the lawsuit says. According to the plaintiffs, this issue leaves consumers, particularly those in hurricane-prone areas, without power when they need it most.
The lawsuit claims that this malfunction poses a life-threatening risk to individuals who rely on uninterrupted power for medical equipment.
The plaintiffs allege Generac knew about the defect but failed to inform consumers before purchase. The company has allegedly provided only temporary fixes, such as replacing the worn-out parts, which does not permanently solve the issue.
“Despite knowing the widespread nature of the defect, Generac has failed to recall the generators or provide a permanent solution,” the lawsuit says.
Dawson says he purchased the 24kW model in March 2022. Before Hurricane Ian hit Florida in Sept. 2022, Dawson contacted Generac to confirm his generator would work in the event of a power outage. However, after running for just 30 minutes, the generator failed, leaving Dawson without power for nearly a week. Dawson and others have since reported multiple repair attempts without permanent resolution, he alleges.
As a result, the plaintiffs seem to represent anyone in the United States who bought one of the allegedly defective Generac generators. The plaintiffs are suing for violations of state and federal consumer laws and are seeking certification of the class action, damages, fees, costs and a jury trial.
Meanwhile, last year, Generac was hit with a class action lawsuit alleging it manufactured and sold defective generators that can expel fuel when they are opened, presenting both fire and burn hazards.
What do you think of the allegations against Generac in this class action lawsuit? Let us know in the comments.
The plaintiff is represented by Reginald J. Clyne, Chanelle Artiles and Gabriel C. Sanchez of Quintairos, Prieto, Wood & Boyer P.A.
The Generac class action is James W. Dawson Jr. et al. v. Generac Power Class Generators Inc. et al., Case No. 8:24-cv-02412 in the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Florida.
Don’t Miss Out!
Check out our list of Class Action Lawsuits and Class Action Settlements you may qualify to join!
Read About More Class Action Lawsuits & Class Action Settlements:
Washington residents: Did you receive a ‘refer a friend’ text for Capital One, Venmo, Tesla, Coinbase, or another company?
September 23, 2025 | Legal News
88 thoughts onGenerac class action alleges some models have alternator defect
I work in the industry. Generac dealers literally call Generac Generators “Genejunk” The only reason they sell them is because of Generacs Marketing is so big and they make money of the repairs and service. Most will not put them on their own homes! Do yourself a favor, Buy a Briggs and Stratton Home Standby. More Power, Longer warranty, and most importantly reliable!
Generac has a five year warranty. It sounds like the problem may be with whomever you are using to service and repair your generator. I understand that parts can be defective but not sure how brand new parts would wear out
which model is this class action suit generac 22 kw is what i want to buy i have one but dont want to have another problem
We purchased Generac in recent years and ours went out several times and have been told by the contractor that it was the motherboard and had been charged a tremendous amount of money to repair it and it still does not work. We have an elderly parent that we care for on an oxygen machine and without our generator it’s dangerous to not have that equipment running at all times. Please add us to the class action lawsuit asap.
We purchased Generac in recent years and ours went out several times and have been told by the contractor that it was the motherboard and had been charged a tremendous amount of money to repair it and it still does not work. We have an elderly parent that we care for on an oxygen machine and without our generator it’s dangerous to not have that equipment running at all times. Please add us to the class action lawsuit asap.
Continued from above I just purchased my Generac 7/03/23 and I have medicated I help to keep cool. I had to leave my house with medication just to keep it cool, lots of money for poor equipment
Please add our family to this lawsuit as we have a Generac 24KW purchased in 9/21. This unit had a catastrophic failure in 1/2024 and has had multiple issues, reoccurring since this failure. Now, with another failure, for replacement of parts that were replaced in 7/24, we are told that we are responsible for this replacement and labor. This has been a completely unreliable generator. It catastrophically failed two and one-half hours into a tornado, the generator brushes, alternator, wiring harness and controller were replaced at this time. March of 2024, the tech came out and said the magnetos were bad and the controller again. Replaced the controller and did not come back until July 2024 to replace the magentos and the controller was bad again. Replaced the controller and magnetos at that time and here we are again, on December 18, 2024, it failed its weekly test. The tech came out the next day to perform maintenance and found the magnetos are bad again. Now the company is saying that the parts are out of warranty and the company is providing us an estimate of $910.49 to fix the repeat, repeat and problematic issues. Please will someone assist us with the never-ending saga of a lemon law appropriate generator.
Thank you,
I have a 18 kw air cool 200SE, It stop working an my light where out in this last storm i would start it and it cut off again code 2800,
Please add me to this class action suit against Generac. I purchased a 22K full house unit in JUNE of 2022. one of many built/sold during the COVID era produced at Generac, this bad batch continues to fail as ours did during the power outages caused from hurricane BERYL in the Houston TX area. Our Generator has only 16 hours ran, more of it is during its weekly exercising. The code 1902 appeared and I am reading and being told while that the brushes, rings and Rotor have a short to ground causing the power output to failure. Parts are warrantied, but not the labor charges which is a bunch of crap, they should recall all these and provide/ install new ones at their cost. Some Authorized Service Centers aren’t available to come out until January 2025!
I have this exact same problem.
I have a 18 kw air cool 200SE, It stop working an my light where out in this last storm i would start it and it cut off again code 2800,