General Motors Sued Over “Misrepresenting” Towing Capacity Of Pickup Trucks
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There’s a reason no automaker truly wanted to step up to the plate and be the first to adopt the SAE J2807 towing standards. If you need a brief refresher on what SAE J2807 is all about, we’ll cut to the chase.
SAE (Society of Automotive Engineers) J2807 is a standardized test created to curb the fluff automakers were able to stuff trucks with during their own towing “tests”, which could easily inflate towing capacity numbers and not live up to real-world performance. General Motors officially adopted the J2807 towing standard for all 2015 model year trucks and beyond, and official pulling figures did fluctuate, as you can see in this table.
| 2015 1500 Regular Cab | 2WD | 2WD Difference From 2014 | 4WD | 4WD Difference From 2014 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6'6" Box | 6,100 lbs. / 2,767 kg. – 4.3L (3.23 axle) 7,000 lbs. / 3,175 kg. – 5.3L (3.08 axle) 9,000 lbs. / 4,082 kg. – 5.3L (3.42 axle) | - 300 lbs/ -136 kg - 4.3L (3.23 axle) - 300 lbs/ -136 kg - 5.3L (3.08 axle) - 300 lbs/ -136 kg | 7,600 lbs. / 3,447 kg. – 4.3L (3.42 axle) 6,700 lbs. / 3,039 kg. – 5.3L (3.08 axle) 8,700 lbs. / 3,946 kg. – 5.3L (3.42 axle) | unchanged - 4.3L (3.42 axle) - 400 lbs/ -181 kg - 5.3L (3.08 axle) - 400 lbs/ -182 kg - 5.3L (3.42 axle) |
| 8' Box | 6,100 lbs. / 2,767 kg. – 4.3L (3.23 axle) 7,000 lbs. / 3,175 kg. – 5.3L (3.08 axle) 9,000 lbs. / 4,082 kg. – 5.3L (3.42 axle) | -200 lbs/ -91 kg - 4.3L (3.23 axle) -200 lbs/ -91 kg - 5.3L (3.08 axle) - 1,200 lbs/ - 544 kg - 5.3L (3.42 axle) | 7,400 lbs. / 3,357 kg. – 4.3L (3.42 axle) 6,500 lbs. / 2,948 kg. – 5.3L (3.08 axle) 9,500 lbs. / 4,309 kg. – 5.3L (3.42 axle) | unchanged - 4.3L (3.42 axle) - 400 lbs/ -181 kg - 5.3L (3.08 axle) - 400 lbs/ -181 lg - 5.3L (3.42 axle) |
So, GM has been sued over misrepresenting its towing ratings following a class-action lawsuit out of California, according to Legal Newsline. Apparently, Richard Quintero visited a GMC dealer with the intention of buying a 2013 GMC Sierra, which was rated at 6,900-pound towing capacity. Instead, he saw a 2014 model year Sierra that allegedly was rated at an 8,800-pound tow rating, and purchased that vehicle instead.
With the 2014 Sierra, Quintero intended to pull a trailer and golf kart, which are said to weigh in at 7,700 pounds. However, a GM letter to Quintero and other customers stated that the capacity was actually 6,700 pounds. That adjusted figure would suggest that the truck he bought is a 2014 Sierra Regular Cab 5WD with a 6’6″ bed, 5.3L V8 L83 and 3.08 rear axle. Officially, however, there was no GM truck that took a 2,100-pound hit in its tow ratings upon adopting J2807.
Quintero and others in the class suit seek restitution, as they were “damaged” by the inflated, which were released prior to J2807 adoption. As such, they would not have purchased the 2014 Sierra had they known its true towing capacity, or they would have desired to pay less for the truck, according to the lawsuit. The damages sought after by the lawsuit exceeds $5 million.
The GM Authority Take
This scenario is rather interesting, though we’re not ones to say how this case will hold up in court. That said, we will keep an eye out for the conclusion. But we will point out that the 2013 Sierra Quintero was originally interested in would not have been fit for the towing job, either.
Official details can be found by looking up the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California Case number 5:15-CV-02530-JGB-KK.
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I tow more than that on my Impala
How was it determined that the actual capacity was less than the rated capacity? Who determined this?
According to the 2014 trailering guide, there is no Chevrolet 1500 rated to tow 8,800lb.
My 2014 Chevy Crew Cab 4×4 with 3.42 gears and 15,000lb GCWR is rated to tow 9,600lb.
In 2015 the same truck is rated to tow 9,200lb. In 2015 GM adopted the J2807 standard.
Since the 2014 and 2015 are mechanically identical, my 2014 is over-rated by 400lb. Am I happy about that? No. Can I live with it – yeah. Anyone that tows a lot will tell you that if you are that close to your rated limit you probably need a bigger tow vehicle. And yes, the article is about a GMC not a Chevy. I check the GMC trailering guides and they are the same as the Chevy.
You can tow with 3.08 gears.My 1081 1500 4×4 has 3.08,I keep up with the 4.10s and 411s.
The truth (SAE J2807) will set you free. Your lies are gonna’ cost ya’ to the tune of $5M+. Beware Ford, Dodge, Toyota, Nissan, Honda, your day will come. Adopt SAE J2807 for the consumers and let the truth be told.
I wonder if the guy, that has sued know ,what all is involved before hooking up to a load ? Like subtracting what is carried in the bed of the truck, the weight of the trailer and the boat , or Travel trailer with full load of H20 or the number of passengers he is carrying in the truck ! All those extras come off that 8800 lbs for that 2014 .
The guy is just looking for a paycheck. This type of scum is the problem with America, a bunch of sue happy losers. He will never win as his truck wasn’t rated for what he wanted to pull anyways. He should have gotten 3.42 gears, that’s his fault and maybe the salesmans fault for not putting him in the right truck.
How the hell is this lawsuit for 5 million plus? At most he should demand an exchange for a truck with 3.42 gears.
I recommend getting his limbs torned off by tying him against a tree and using his truck to tow!
This is where *I think* a plaintiff should pay all attorney & court costs for both sides if they lose.
Would far rather see GM fight this than settle giving this deuche & his attorneys a check for anything.
My buddy pulls his 8000lbs pulling tractor and over 4000lbs of tractor weight on a 24ft goose neck trailer with his 2015 f150 ecoboost. If chevy couldn’t pull a boat and a trailer then buy a ford.
Too bad you didn’t actually understand what you just read in the article. Typical ford troll.
BTW – Per the 2015 Ford trailer towing guide the most he can safely tow is 12,100lb. Reg cab, 2wd, short box, 3.73 gears. Not a very popular combination so he is most likely over loaded. Can the truck physically do it? Yes. Is it a good idea to do on a regular basis? Not at all. Time to move up to the F250. Too bad Ford doesn’t use the J2807 standard for the F250 or F350.
It’s easy to talk about some else’s truck. My buddy with the same ecoboost as your buddy was pulling a 5400lbs camper when he blew his engine. Figured it was a lemon and no big deal since it was under warrantee (just over a year old). Problem is the dealership wouldn’t cover the engine because he was towing a trailer and this apparently voided the warrantee. Isn’t that the reason to buy a truck? Ford’d numbers are great, but i’d rather stick with a brand that actually backs up their claims when things go wrong.
talk about reality…. you buy a new truck with a specific advertised tow capacity and blow an engine only for the dealer to tell you there is no warranty repair on the truck due to damage from towing something using their own rating ? WOW… why is this not a shock…
I bought a 2015 with the 3.08 gears and it wouldn’t pull my 18ft roundabout boat efficiently. The pickup was so horrible it was dangerous pulling out on busy streets. It was lucky to have enough acceleration to get itself out in traffic. Something I didn’t notice on my 15 minute drive but was completely disappointed after my purchase. I was also told by the dealer that it would pull my trailer with no issues and that was a stretch. My truck also has 20 inch tires that made acceleration even worse. These trucks was a POS and I hope GM has to pay damages. I traded mine in 3 weeks ago for a dodge.