GM class action alleges Equinox, Terrain, Envision vehicles have defective brakes

General Motors class action overview:

• Who: Three consumers filed a class action lawsuit against General Motors LLC.
• Why: The plaintiffs claim GM sold vehicles with a defective brake vacuum pump system.
• Where: The class action lawsuit was filed in Michigan federal court.

A new class action lawsuit claims General Motors sold vehicles with a defective brake vacuum pump system that significantly increases stopping distances and compromises drivers’ ability to brake effectively.

Plaintiffs Kaylee Thieme, Rebecca Gill and Meghan Morley claim GM knowingly chose profits over safety by selling the allegedly defective vehicles.

Thieme, Gill and Morley want to represent a nationwide class of consumers who purchased or leased a 2016-2020 Buick Envision, 2018-2022 Chevrolet Equinox or 2018-2022 GMC Terrain.

The plaintiffs argue GM breached its warranty obligations and engaged in unjust enrichment and unfair, deceptive and fraudulent acts or practices pertaining to the design, manufacture, advertisement and sale of the class vehicles.

“GM has knowingly allowed hundreds of thousands of vehicles with the brake vacuum pump defect to remain on the road, gambling with the lives and safety of the drivers, passengers and the public, for whom failure is only a matter of time,” the General Motors class action lawsuit says.

GM concealed brake defect from owners, class action claims

The plaintiffs argue GM concealed the brake vacuum pump defect from owners and lessees of the class vehicles, withholding its knowledge because once known to those owners, the defect would diminish the class vehicles’ intrinsic and resale value and cause GM vehicle owners to demand immediate and costly repairs.

GM knew of the brake vacuum pump defect as early as March 2017, when it issued a stop delivery order for affected vehicles identifying a safety-critical problem in the brake vacuum system, the General Motors class action lawsuit alleges.

“Instead of proactively recalling and replacing the defective brake parts, GM allows its unsafe cars to remain on the roads, endangering the public and forcing owners to pay thousands of dollars out of pocket when their brakes inevitably fail,” the General Motors class action lawsuit alleges.

The plaintiffs allege GM violated the Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act and consumer protection laws in Michigan, Arizona and New Jersey, among other claims, as well as engaging in fraudulent concealment and unjust enrichment.

In another class action lawsuit, consumers accuse General Motors of selling 2025 Chevrolet Traverse, GMC Acadia, Buick Enclave, Chevrolet Colorado and GMC Canyon vehicles with defective master brake cylinder assemblies.

Have you purchased a GM vehicle with allegedly defective brakes? Let us know in the comments.

The plaintiffs are represented by E. Powell Miller and Dennis A. Lienhardt of The Miller Law Firm P.C. and Ryan Clarkson, Yana Hart and Mark I. Richards of Clarkson Law Firm P.C.The General Motors class action lawsuit is Thieme, et al. v. General Motors LLC, Case No. 2:26-cv-10570, in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan.

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