Cadillac Class Action Lawsuit Alleges SRX Sunroof Defect Causes Leaks

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A class action lawsuit has been filed against Cadillac Automobile Company, a division of General Motors LLC, alleging certain 2010-2013 model year Cadillac SRX vehicles were designed and manufactured with a defective sunroof design that causes outside water to leak into the passenger compartment.

Plaintiff Kelley Gaines alleges the affected vehicles have defective sunroof seals and/or sunroof drains that allow water from outside the vehicle to enter the passenger compartment, causing property damage such as wet carpet, mold, and damage to interior components.

She seeks to represent herself and a Class of all current and former owners or lessees of 2010-2013 model year Cadillac SRX vehicles in California who paid for repair and/or replacement of their vehicles because of the leaky sunroof defect.

According to the Cadillac leaky sunroof class action lawsuit, Cadillac has denied warranty coverage for issues associated with the sunroof defect, including the costs associated with cleaning the vehicles and repairing and/or replacing component parts, including wiring and electronic modules.

The Cadillac class action lawsuit notes that Cadillac issued a bulletin to technicians about the water leak, which indicated the most common potential causes as a void in the seal or a problem with the sunroof drain hoses. The alleged issue with the sunroof drain hoses is that they are too short and therefore subject to a higher level of tension that may cause them to disconnect and allow outside water to leak into the passenger compartment.

“Based on its own Service Bulletins and Customer Satisfaction programs, Defendant had actual knowledge and notice, or in the exercise of reasonable care should have known, during the warranty period covering the Class Vehicles of the existence and nature of and correction for the Leaking Sunroof defect,” the Cadillac class action lawsuit alleges.

Even though Cadillac knew or should have known about the leaky sunroof defect, Class Members had to pay to repair the damage caused by the leaking sunroofs. Gaines asserts Cadillac has failed to provide Class Members with a permanent remedy for the sunroof defect and has excluded them from the Customer Satisfaction program and warranty repairs.

According to the Cadillac class action lawsuit, Class Members have incurred and will continue to incur out-of-pocket costs and expenses to repair, replace and/or clean parts of the vehicle that have been affected by the leaking sunroof defect.

More than 222,000 Cadillac SRX vehicles are reportedly affected by the alleged leaky sunroof defect.

Gaines says her Cadillac SRX vehicle experienced the leaking sunroof defect in February 2017, when she noticed the floorboard carpet was soaking wet. She took the vehicle to be repaired, and it was allegedly determined the right front sunroof drain hose was loose. Both sunroof drain tubes were replaced, according to the Cadillac class action lawsuit.

The cost of repairing the sunroof defect and cleaning the vehicle’s carpets cost Gaines more than $1,000, the Cadillac class action lawsuit says. She filed a claim with her automobile insurance company, which paid a portion of the costs, but Gaines says she was still required to pay her insurance deductible of $250.

The Cadillac class action lawsuit asserts claims for breach of express warranty, violation of California’s Consumer Legal Remedies Act, California’s Unfair Competition Law, unjust enrichment and declaratory relief.

Gaines is represented by Robert A. Waller of Law Office of Robert A. Waller Jr. and Patricia L. Zlaket of Zlaket Law Offices APC.

The Cadillac Leaky Sunroof Class Action Lawsuit is Kelley Gaines v. Cadillac Automobile Company, et al., Case No. 3:17-cv-00989-LAB-JLB, in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of California.