GM defective paint class action overview:
- Who: Four owners of vehicles made by General Motors are suing the company.
- Why: The plaintiffs say General Motors used defective paint on its vehicles. It was prone to cracking, clouding and delaminating.
- Where: The GM defective paint class action lawsuit was filed in a California federal court.
This new class action alleges that General Motors sold cars coated with defective paint. That causes the vehicles’ exteriors to peel, crack, become cloudy and delaminate.
Plaintiffs Bryon Lyman, Kelly McAteer, Jason Merkel and Mark Volk filed the class action lawsuit against General Motors LLC on July 9 in a California federal court. They allege violations of state and federal consumer laws.
The class action refers to paint on 2015-2020 Chevrolet Tahoes, 2015-2020 Chevrolet Suburbans, 2015-2020 GMC Yukons, 2015-2020 GMC Yukon XLs, and 2015-2020 Cadillac Escalades.
“Although the defect manifested over time, [General Motors] knew or should have known of those issues prior to sale of the [vehicles]; yet GM continued to put the latently defective class vehicles on the market,” the lawsuit alleges.
The Lawsuit alleges that the paint issue is an expensive fix
The class action contains many consumer stories about the issues with their vehicles’ paint jobs.
Lyman says he bought a used 2017 Tahoe LT in California in 2019. He alleges that In early 2022, he began noticing issues with the vehicle’s paint. Despite his efforts to polish the car himself, the problem continued. A professional detailer later diagnosed it as a “clearcoat issue” and buffed the car. Lyman says that only provided a “bandaid” fix.
Lyman states that to repair and repaint the vehicle fully, he would have needed to spend over $10,000. This process would involve sanding the car down to bare metal. Lyman alleges that would significantly depreciate his car’s value.
GM likely knew about the defect, plaintiffs allege
The lawsuit alleges that the problem is not unique to Lyman’s Tahoe. Many other General Motors customers suffer from the same defect. It’s allegedly repeatedly leading to peeling, cracking, cloudiness, flaking, bubbling, erosion, and microblistering of the clearcoat.
The plaintiffs say they expected their “luxury” vehicles to be of good quality and had no reason to anticipate the paint issues. Had they known, they would not have bought the vehicles or paid less for them. The lawsuit says General Motors knew or should have known about the defect due to the high number of customer complaints.
The plaintiffs seek to represent anyone in the United States who bought or leased a class vehicle in California. They’re suing for breach of warranty, unjust enrichment, fraud, and violations of state consumer laws. The plaintiffs are asking for class action certification, damages, fees, costs, and a jury trial.
Meanwhile, consumers recently filed class action lawsuits against General Motors (GM) over claims involving alleged vehicle defects, unlawful data collection and sharing and hackable key fobs. GM also expanded a recall last month over concerns certain GMC Sierra and Chevrolet Silverado vehicles contain tailgates that can inadvertently unlatch while the vehicle is parked.
Are you affected by this GM defective paint lawsuit? Let us know in the comments!
Steven W. Ritcheson, Taylor C. Bartlett, and Jeanie Sleadd of Heninger Garrison Davis LLC represent the plaintiffs.
The GM defective paint class action is Bryon Lyman et al v. General Motors LLC, Case No. 2:24-cv-05786 in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California.
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:
455 thoughts onGM class action claims Chevy Tahoe, Cadillac Escalade and other vehicles have defective paint
I have a 2019 Cadillac Escalade that I purchased in august of 2021. I paid 67k for my truck. I noticed the paint on my hood peeling in September of 2022. I bought it to the attention of the Cadillac dealer where I purchased it, but it was out of warranty so they declined resolution. As time went on and serval car washes later, the issue worsened. I place my truck in the shop for repair in July 2024. It cost me $1100. I was told at the shop that this will be a constant issue with the paint for the foreseeable future
I have a 2017 Chevy Tahoe the hood of my car is terrible😔 the clear coating is gone also on my car side view mirrors. I paid too much money for my car to look like this. What can be done about this?
I have a 2015 Tahoe with clear coat break down on the hood and roof. What can be done to get this fixes by GM?
I have a 2015 Chevrolet Silverado High Country and the roof and sides where the windshield is and the left rear door are is severely damaged by peeling badly. Was going to get a new vehicle, but some people told me they will stick you good on the trade in value because of these defects.
I have a 2016 Tahoe with these paint problems.
I have 2015 GMC 1500 Denali with pearl white. In the last 2 years the paint has started delaminating from the metal on various spots on the cab. Auto body repair man gave a price of over $1,000 just to do the hood. It is happening in several places and the areas are getting larger as the paint flakes off from the metal.
I have a 2017 Cadilliac Escalade that I have kept in pristine condition all of a sudden my hood and roof started to look like a white shadow coming through I can’t believe that G M will not recognize this problem and correct it
I have a 2017 GMC Yukon that the clear coat is deteriorating. Was told there was nothing GMC could do. Tried to trade it in and they gave me a horribly low offer because of the hood/roof paint condition. It shouldn’t be as bad as it is for a 7-8 year old car!
I have a 2017 chevrolet suburban and around 2022 i started to notice the the roof and the hood of my car becoming cloudy and deaminate. I asked the dealership about it but they said my warranty was up and nothing they could do.
Yes I had a Black 2015 LT Tahoe, paint went within 2 years and GM repainted. Was a nightmare
I have a 2015 Yukon Blk hood and roof faded.
I have a 2017 Tahoe Premiere and the hood and top is doing the same thing, I reached out to GM and even informed them is a known issue and class action lawsuit and won’t do anything but pay so much for a vehicle and got no where with them nor dealership willing to fix it! Something needs to be done especially price paying for it
Colorado well taken care of paint job sucks clear coat peeling regular car wash & wax