By Top Class Actions  |  March 17, 2026

Category: Auto News
Chevrolet, GMC, and Buick dealership
(Photo Credit: JRomero04/Shutterstock)

GM class action overview:

  • Who: Samantha Cook and Donna Cook filed a class action lawsuit against General Motors LLC.
  • Why: The plaintiffs claim GM sold vehicles with defective engines that can suddenly fail and catch fire.
  • Where: The class action lawsuit was filed in Delaware federal court.

A new class action lawsuit alleges General Motors sold Buick and Chevrolet vehicles with defective engines that can suddenly and catastrophically fail and catch fire while driving.

Plaintiffs Samantha Cook and Donna Cook claim the engines, found in certain 2024 and newer Buick Encore, Envista, Chevrolet Trailblazer and Trax models, contain a defect that can cause them to suddenly lose power, leak fluids and catch fire.

Samantha Cook and Donna Cook argue the alleged defect poses a “serious safety risk” to both drivers and passengers. 

“The abrupt loss of motive power and the potential for engine-compartment fires place drivers, passengers, and surrounding motorists at imminent risk of collision and serious injury,” the GM class action says. 

Samantha Cook and Donna Cook are looking to represent a nationwide class of individuals who purchased or leased one of the affected vehicles.

GM engine defect leaves drivers stranded, class action claims 

Samantha Cook and Donna Cook argue the alleged engine defect leaves drivers stranded on the road, often in dangerous situations.

Further, Samantha Cook and Donna Cook claim GM knew about the engine defect but failed to disclose it to consumers, and has issued multiple technical service bulletins to authorized repair facilities acknowledging the problem, but has not offered a permanent fix.

“Defendant not only refused to disclose the problem to consumers, but also actively concealed, and continues to conceal, its knowledge concerning the Engine System Defect,” the GM class action says. 

Samantha Cook and Donna Cook claim GM is guilty of breach of warranty, fraud and unjust enrichment, and of violating consumer protection laws. 

The plaintiffs demand a jury trial and request declaratory and injunctive relief and an award of compensatory, exemplary and statutory damages for themselves and all class members.

Another GM class action claims the automaker knew for several years about a dangerous engine defect that causes sudden power loss, but failed to disclose it to consumers before they purchased or leased the affected vehicles.

Did you purchase or lease a Buick or Chevrolet vehicle with a defective engine? Let us know in the comments.

The plaintiffs are represented by Russell D. Paul of Berger Montague PC; Adam A. Edwards and William A. Ladnier of Milberg, PLLC; and Tarek H. Zohdy, Laura E. Goolsby and Ahmed H. Yousef of Drake Law Firm.

The GM engine class action lawsuit is Cook, et al. v. General Motors LLC, Case No. 1:26-cv-00229 in the U.S. District Court for the District of Delaware.


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93 thoughts onGM class action claims Trax, Trailblazer, other vehicles have defective engines

  1. Alyse McDonald says:

    Please add me to the class action lawsuit please. I bought a Chevy Trax in Nov 2023. I haven’t had any real issues.. I had issues with my stereo system and it sounds like a clicking sound when I drive… Not loud but noticeable.

  2. Randi Rosati says:

    I purchased a 2024 Chevy Trax in October of 2023 and have had different issues since day one. 5/8/26 the motor had blown while driving through town (25 mph), no noise, lights or warnings prior to this. Had picked up many small pieces of metal motor parts along the road. Its currently at the dealership and waiting for what their plan is to fix.

  3. Donna R Springs says:

    I purchased a 2024 Buick Encore April, 2026. Please add me to this law suit!

  4. Samantha says:

    Purchased my (2015) GM Terrain, for $8600, the dealership had just fixed the timing, assured everything was good to go, said I might need to “top off the oil” – not a big deal. But it was taking 4 extra quarts of oil a month, then the engine quit. Left me stranded without a vehicle and without a job. Estimates to fix or replace can cost as much as what I paid for it! These manufacturing mistakes should be corrected, not ignored as an extra “side hustle”. I think its too convenient that they’re ignoring “this-2015 era” of the terrain and equinox, the engines are just too much for an average income family to be able to work into a budget.
    GM has known for several years. That statement is exactly why my vehicle is relevant. My 2015 is the “several years” just like this article states, they know my vehicle year “generation” is severely being punished for it.
    I actually love mine and have customized it quite a bit, cosmetic wise. The terrain is a practical spaced, good riding and comfortable vehicle and so damn reliable (when the engine is not leaving you stranded to “figure it out”). Right now, because I refuse to sell it, I got quite a good looking lawn ornament.
    Just hope GM does us a solid and opens a full recall on all our years, so we can get these engines fixed correctly so they sustain the life of their bodies. They knew after 100,000 miles the engines would start breaking down, and yet, wanted to do lifetime warranties for only original owners.
    The vehicle itself should have lifetime. Not the owner.

  5. Layla Jones says:

    I was gifted a 2024 Chevy trax for my 18th birthday within less than a year and a half and 15,000 miles the problems with the turbocharger in my engine started. Within the past 7 months the turbo has gone out and had to be replaced four times one time my car was in the shop for over a month leading me to have four loaner cars. I have had it go out on the highway going 70 mph and leading me to nearly wreak due to my engine rapidly deaccelerating.

  6. Calvin says:

    Bought my wife a 2025 trailblazer and had issues from day one sensors and brakes car shutting down completely while in traffic and not restarting to the point of it getting smashed in a accident in the middle of i4 with kids in the car dealership wouldn’t fix it properly and finally got fed up and sent it back to them because it was dangerous to even sit in the driveway now of course they still want every penny owed even though they were responsible for not sharing the information with me about possible recalls at time of sale fair warning never trust Chevrolet or Gm dealership your money is all they want not the fact you and your family could be hurt by their defaulty vehicles

  7. Nathan Johnson says:

    My bought one of those (2026 Traverse LT) POS on 10/7/25 from Ourisman Chevrolet of Marlow Heights MD and its been in and out of their shop every since she’s own this Death Trap!!! So now; they expect her to pay them over 5k for them to take that POS back in order for them to pay off her loan to her credit union, WTF??? Pay y’all for Breach of Contract and Violating Consumer Safety Etc; GTFOH!!!

  8. SANDRA HUGHES says:

    I bought a 2025 chevy trailblazer rs. I parked it in the garage and not long after my garage was on fire. My car burned so bad that there was no evidence of where it started. I lost everything. My house, my garage and car.

  9. Veronica DeAngelo says:

    I bought a 2024 Chevy Trax Brand new. 7 miles on it. I own the car outright. We have had engine and electrical problems from day one. They blow it off and say its the codes. Well let me tell you Victory Lanes GMC in Fort Myers Florida totally ruined my car. My boyfriend and I were on vacation and we got an emergency message going across the dashboard. Onstar is messaging us,saying there’s a crucial engine issue call roadside right away. We took it to the dealership mentioned and they asked when we had an oil change. I said 3 weeks ago. Well there was no oil in my car. And the dealership i. Pa didn’t change my oil. I call BS. I trust my dealership. They change the oil,, engine light does not go off. The gentleman Daniel Sanchez whom was our advisor said “they were going to let the car run a half hour to see what happens. Well nothing happened, check engine stayed on. Mr Sanchez continues to tell us the forced the check engine light off. So 3 days later we’re on I95 traveling home. The motor blows in my car. A nightmare a frigging nightmare. I am in the middle of taking action against the dealership in Florida. But I sure do hope we get this settled. Good luck everyone. Stay safe and god bless

  10. Kelly T says:

    I bought a 2024 Chevy Trax as well – In early March 2026 I was on the 401 expressway heading to Ottawa FROM the United States (Michigan) – All of the sudden a gush and clunk sound came from my engine and I lost all power and had to safely and quickly maneuver my vehicle to the safest spot I could on the expressway while also not hitting anyone in the same moment. I felt severely unsafe as I had to sit on the left side of the expressway with cars zipping right next to me. Officers never made it to the scene and blocker trucks also never made it to the scene . . . about an hour later a tow truck came and I was informed that OnRoute wanted to take my vehicle to the “nearest GM dealership” which was New York! even further from my home. To add salt to the wound, the tow truck driver couldn’t even take me to New York because he didn’t have a passport, their best foreseeable plan was to leave me stranded in a “safe location” at 1am in a plaza in a very sketchy area filled with men, no bathroom no safe / warm place to stay for the night. I was left to bunker myself in the car in very cold conditions until I managed to get distant family members to pick me up at 4am. I managed to pay an extra towing fee to get it sent to a dealership in Canada and got an entire engine replacement, they failed to mention the car had an issue with the starter afterwards since it got “cleared”. – so unknowingly I drove this car home and had further issues with my vehicle stopping dead in the road not once more but twice! Causing two more tow ins and nearly two months collectively without my car… Now I’m being told this isn’t covered under warranty and that it falls under a different case. I’m over my head in fees for rentals, repairs, and loss of work, and not to mention I am NOT comfortable taking this car on the road again, to potentially risk my life for a fourth time… I want nothing to do with this car, I’m terrified to drive it, and mi stuck with it until the foreseeable future… insane! I’m paying for GM to kill me at this point…

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