GM defective paint class action overview:Â
- Who: Four owners of vehicles made by General Motors are suing the company.Â
- Why: The plaintiffs say General Motors used defective paint on its vehicles. It was prone to cracking, clouding and delaminating.Â
- 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.Â
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.Â
“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.Â
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.Â
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.Â
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.Â
Are you affected by this GM defective paint lawsuit? Let us know in the comments!Â
Steven W. Ritcheson, Taylor C. Bartlett, and Jeanie Sleadd of Heninger Garrison Davis LLC represent the plaintiffs.Â
The GM defective paint class action is Bryon Lyman et al v. General Motors LLC, Case No. 2:24-cv-05786Â in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California.Â
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458 thoughts onGM class action claims Chevy Tahoe, Cadillac Escalade and other vehicles have defective paint
I’m having the same issue on my 2016 Cadillac Escalade. The hood and the roof are fading and have turned white. It looks terrible on a luxury vehicle that was by no means cheap. Any help would be greatly appreciated.
I have 2014 Red Cadillac Escalade ESV Platinum . The hood and the roof from the front top of the windshield all the way back on top is fading and starting to turn like a white color. Looks terrible. Dealer said it needs to be re painted in order to fit the problem. Of course to repaint it is very costly.
I have a 2015 Chevrolet Tahoe LTZ and we are experiencing the same thing. My hood and top of my vehicle is both peeling very badly.
Experiencing the same problem with my 2016 Cadillac the hood and the roof , this is unbelievable! 50 plus, years ago My grandfather drove the Fleetwood Cadillac , I wanted to honor my late grand father by purchasing my Cadillac truck . Thank a lot Cadillac for your dishonor to your many customers .. Respectfully, Earnest Green
I am having a similar issue with my 2019 GMC Acadia Denali SUV.
I’m having the same issue with my 2016 Cadillac Escalade ESV Luxury Collection Pearl White paint. It’s peeling on the hood and the roof!
I bought a 2016 Suburban off the lot at the end of 2015, both the hood and front of the roof have this same issue. Also had to replace the transmission ($5,000) not long after the “warranty” expired.
We purchased a 2017 Tahoe for over $70k in Delaware and the hood and roof has a clouding and a spidering effect causing serious discoloration with some rust bubbles beginning to appear on the edges of the hood. It is maintained in excellent condition and waxed often. Will the judgement of this class action apply to vehicles not purchased in California if GM is found liable?
Same problem with my 2016 Truck, the entire hood is cloudy now.
We have a 2017 GMC Yukon with this exact problem. It is worsening by the day. Would love to be included in the suite.