GM class action lawsuit overview:
- Who: A car owner has filed a class action lawsuit against General Motors LLC.
- Why: The plaintiff alleges GM sold cars with a dangerous engine defect that causes sudden power loss in vehicles equipped with L87 V8 engines, including the Silverado, Tahoe, Suburban, Sierra 1500, Yukon and Escalade.
- Where: The GM engine defect class action lawsuit was filed in Michigan federal court.
General Motors sold cars with a dangerous engine defect that causes sudden power loss, according to a new GM class action lawsuit filed on Feb.18 in Michigan federal court.
The class action was filed by plaintiff James Powell II, who claims GM sold cars with an engine defect that can cause the vehicle to lose power, putting drivers at a serious risk of a crash.
According to the GM engine class aciton lawsuit, the defect affects GM’s L87 V8 engines, which were used in certain models of Chevrolet, GMC and Cadillac vehicles from 2019 to 2024, including:
- 2019-2024 Chevrolet Silverado 1500
- 2021-2024 Chevrolet Tahoe
- 2021-2024 Chevrolet Suburban
- 2019-2024 GMC Sierra 1500
- 2021-2024 GMC Yukon
- 2021-2024 GMC Yukon XL
- 2021-2024 Cadillac Escalade
- 2021-2024 Cadillac Escalade ESV
The vehicles were part of a preliminary investigation launched by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration in January.
Powell says the defect involves the bearings in the engines, which can fail and cause the engine to seize or the connecting rod to breach the engine block. This can result in a sudden loss of power while driving, which can be especially dangerous at high speeds, the lawsuit states.
GM knew about the engine defect but failed to disclose it, lawsuit claims
Powell claims GM has known about the defect for several years but failed to disclose it to consumers before they purchased or leased the affected vehicles.
According to evidence presented, GM has been aware of the engine defect since at least 2022, and likely prior to 2022, the lawsuit alleges.
The GM engine defect class action lawsuit is suing for violation of the Illinois Consumer Fraud and Deceptive Business Practices Act and similar state consumer protection laws for selling the vehicles without disclosing the defect.
Powell is seeking to represent all consumers who purchased or leased the affected vehicles in Illinois and several other states.
He is demanding a jury trial and is seeking damages for himself and all class members as well as an order requiring GM to fix the defect in the affected vehicles.
The lawsuit comes after GM announced a recall for more than 90,000 Cadillac and Chevrolet vehicles due to a transmission issue that can cause the front wheels to lock while driving.
What do you think of the allegations in this GM engine defect class action lawsuit? Let us know in the comments.
The plaintiff is represented by Nicholas Coulson and Julia Prescott of Coulson P.C.; Kevin Green and Daniel Levy of Goldenberg Heller & Antognoli P.C.; Christopher Petri of Byron Carlson Petri & Kalb LLC; and Mike Arias and M. Anthony Jenkins of Arias Sanguinetti Wang & Team LLP.
The GM engine defect class action lawsuit is Powell v. General Motors LLC, Case No. 2:25-cv-10479, in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan, Southern Division.
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32 thoughts onGM engine defect class action lawsuit alleges sudden power loss at high speeds
Bought a 2021 High county Tahoe in June. Hall Buick never told us it had a recall on the motor. Had it less than month, motor went out. The recall was from April 24, 2025. In talking with GM, the car dealerships were told not to sell any with recalls until the vehicle was fixed. I’ve made 2 payments, 2 insurance payments and GM says it could be months. I got an old Toyota truck, headlight out and battery bad as loaner. We call dealership and they never return our call. It’s about integrity and honesty. It may be months. The dealership that has the car, as we were out of town, said she just got a motor for one that went out in May. They could at least make payments on it for lying about the vehicle.
Motor ticking very loud in my 2019 Chevy trail boss
I have also experienced the ticking noise and a loud whistle also. Now my 2019 had no light indicators on but now will not start. Replace starter, Battery, check fuses and Rely also replaced push button switch and battery in remote still nothing. TRUCK has 71,000 miles on it I really regret buying a Chevy.
2024 Cadillac Esclade and engine light comes on called the dealership and there are no parts to fix it at the moment. You will get another letter about it in the mean time just be careful. My son has medical problems and we travel a lot for appointments out of town. I am worried every time we have an appointment that we will wreck. I have only had the car for 8 months and paid WAY to much for GM to know this and still produce with faulty parts.
Silverado 1500 stopped suddenly with no warning on major road. Have documentation with GM who refused to acknowledge any wrongdoing. Apparently other states have filed similar lawsuits.