Settlement Reached In Class Action Oil Burn Lawsuit Against GM
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Earlier this year, a class action lawsuit was filed against General Motors over claims its 2.4-liter LEA Ecotec four-cylinder engine burned excessive amounts of oil due to a design flaw related to faulty piston rings.
Now the judge presiding over the case has approved the settlement terms between GM and owners of affected vehicles, which will allow them to have the 2010-2013 Chevrolet Equinox and GMC Terrain vehicles inspected and repaired if needed. The customers will also be able to receive reimbursement from GM for repairs they paid for out-of-pocket in an attempt to remedy issues with the engines.
The last time we checked in on this case, Judge Robin L. Rosenberg had put it into a holding pattern after customers objected to GM’s settlement terms. Judge Rosenberg wanted GM’s lawyers as well as customers’ lawyers pursuing the class action suit to agree to more “robust” settlement terms, as the initial settlement would not allow them to receive full engine repairs or replacements – only piston ring assembly repairs. The new settlement has more specific terms that will allow for “reimbursement for repairs and/or replacement of engine components that are or were required and solely caused by excessive oil consumption due to piston ring wear.”
Judge Rosenberg also wanted GM to personally reach out to owners of affected vehicles who had previously opted out of the settlement due to being unhappy with its terms. According to Car Complaints, GM will mail claim forms to 1,709 customers who opted out of the settlement, giving them another chance to participate in the revised settlement. Other owners of affected Equinox and Terrain models will also receive letters in the mail notifying them of the settlement.
The class action suit started out as three separate cases, which later consolidated into a single case that was heard in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida. It alleged that affected vehicles with the 2.4-liter LEA Ecotec engine may burn a quart of oil for every 1,000 miles the vehicles are driven. It also claimed the engines may have faulty spark plugs, low oil pressure, damaged timing chains and might produce a knocking sound. In some cases the engines would fail completely, according to court documents.
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Source: Car Complaints
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If anyone has friends that have these engines that are over the warranty period, go and talk to the GM dealer anyway. They have ways to get an over distance vehicle covered by warranty. It costs nothing to ask and if you or your friend bought the vehicle new from the dealership where you are trying to get this back warranty situation covered, make sure you tell the service adviser or service manager that you are a repeat new car buying customer.
Dealer told me my vin wasn’t included even though my 2013 has the same symptoms and is under 120,000 miles. Gave me a quote of $6,000 to repair though….
(November 2019) My 2013 Buick Lacrosse with the ecotec engine was running poorly. scheduled an appointment. Car would not start that day, had it towed in. they kept it a week and told me i need to rebuild or install a new engine. The car only has 74,000 miles on it. Reported this to GM, they reviewed and said your on your own, Had the car towed home and is sitting in my driveway. Don’t know what I am going to do ?????
Burn baby burn!
Post it on youtube and warn others not to buy from GM because of their poor customer support/service.
So much for bailing them out with billions of our hard earned tax dollars!
Thanks GM!
From an avid GM customer, starting in 1982 with 1980 Chevy Monza, followed by ; 1984 Chev Monte Carlo LS, 1990 Chevy Corsica, 1994 Olds Gutless, 1999 Buick century , switched to a 1996 Chrysler LHS, followed by a 2003 Chrysler Concorde lxi, and now my current 2012 chevy equinox 🙁
I`m buying a Honda, Nissan, or some other Non North American car next!
Buyer Beware!
I feel your pain! I will NEVER buy GM again. I have a 2012 Terrain and have been fighting GM for 3 years to no avail. It’s criminal, what they are doing. They KNOW, and HAVE KNOWN, these issues exist and refuse to do the right thing. I have been a lifelong customer as well.
I wish you the best of luck. Should I find any resolution to this I promise to share it with you, please do the same.
Hope you are well in these trying times.
Times are bad enough let alone dealing with GM`s flagrant disregard for their customers and taxpayers who were loyal to them.
Hey GM,
Keep getting your execs,and shareholders fatter. Your days are numbered.
I once sported a bumper sticker that read, “OUT OF A JOB YET? KEEP BUYING FOREIGN”
You fat cats out of a job yet?
😉
They told me that I need a new motor for my 2011 equinox. Its still at the mechanic shop haven’t heard anything from GM they’ve been giving me the run around. Now I have to fix this truck or come get and of course right now I don’t have $5000.
hey do you know what happen with this im going threw it now with my 2015 Impala its so sad
GM is full of beans. All they care about is PROFIT. SCREW OUR CUSTOMERS WITH POOR QUALITY AND SUPPORT FOR THEIR PRODUCTS.
THEY SUK!
WE WILL NEVER BUY GM AGAIN !
Same thing happened to me with only 70K miles. I have filed in the lawsuit hoping I will get compensation soon. I had to replace my engine in my 2012 Terrain.
Has anyone gotten any current information lately? I thought surely, by now, we would have received a notification in writing explaining what we should expect next 🤷♀️.I, like many of you, am out over $8k for a new motor and will probably never be able to sell this POS. I wish you all the best!
I haven’t.
Last time i was able to speak to someone they said because of the pandemic and all that, they postponed the actual date for another month.
Let me know if you got yours!
I was told the same thing in August and recently followed up again for an update.
I have been emailing them with no response after I mailed in all documentation in the spring. Anyone have a number we can call?
888-970-0698 this is the number to the claims office
I have tried calling. This number and it’s a general information line. When trying to talk to a rep, it makes me leave a message for someone but no one ever returns my call. Any help would be appreciated.
Don’t waste your time calling. They don’t have a clue about anything just as we don’t. Analytics is not a good claims administrator. Not BBB accredited, an F rating and many complaints. I honestly don’t see how GM or the courts chose them to handle the suit knowing this
Any updates by chance??
1-888-970-0698
I mailed all documentation in February. I called in July and August for updates. They confirmed they got my claim/documentation and I was told checks were going out in Mid August. Mid August came and went and I never received a check. I called again in Mid Sep, spoke to someone, he told me checks were going out mid September. It’s Oct 19 and I still have not received anything. I’ve called the phone number and now I’m just left on hold for 30 mins or more, no one ever picks up.
Just got through to someone (after a 20 minute hold), there are no updates, no timelines, no ideas or suggestions for when claims will be reviewed and checks will go out.
I been waiting also turn my claim for in February 2020 still nothing.
I bought my 2010 used in October of last year with 117,000 miles and had zero problems. I changed the oil on schedule and had no problems till about 300 miles from my next oil change when it started knocking like it was out of oil. Well despite never showing a low oil pressure indicator the dipstick was bone dry.
Who do we contact. I was just informed I will need to change the timing chain in my 2013 Terrain. Never received anything regarding the suit!
TJ- I would suggest you get the timing belt changed and sell your GMC. I’ve had 3 engines replaced- and I fill up oil almost as often as I do gas.
Did you ever find out who to contact, regarding your issue. I also never received anything about the lawsuit. I only received a recall from GMC for replacement of post-catalyst oxygen sensor. I’ve been having issue with the oil. I am having to change it a lot and my terrain makes a knocking sound.
I keep emailing and I am told wait for the mail, they can not confirm any details…. We are out $5500 on this and we owe our parents for helping us replace the engine! I hope this is not another big scam! How do we follow up with the courts if nothing happens?
how do you file in the lawsuit. im having the same issue right now same year and i still owe 4,000 on it
Good Luck! I had documents and everything on mine to prove this was my problem and was still denied.
I sent my claim from in 2/2020 and I have not received my money back for the repairs on my engine. I was informed by the claim from that I would be receiving my refund by August and this is December and I have received nothing.
Exact same thing they said to me
Same issue here with my 2011. Call the Highway Safety Committee 1-888-327-4236 and file a complaint so they can hopefully expand the VIN’s to include all of us that they forgot!
I have 2.4 2012 buick regal ecotec that burns oil every 1000 miles it was under warranty and said the same thing to me . But heard that their is a lawsuit against them anyone know that number.
The class action suit is only for the Chevy Equinox and the GMC Terrain, even though, I have read certain Buick models have the same issue, they are not covered. I own a 2012 Terrain – bought it new. This suit is a joke as well. If you have 120,000 miles or more you are not covered. My car had 125,000 when I got the first letter from GM. If you have paid out of pocket for engine repairs, you have to PROVE it is directly linked to the oil consumption issue. Trust me, GM has versed their customer service folks not to put anything in writing so it can’t be proved! I will never give GM another penny of my hard-earned money.
It is so sad to see GM going down the toilet. The best way to fix GM is a 6 letter word, T-O-Y-O-T-A.
toyota had the same issue you can run but can you hide?
Nancy is correct. GM has worked us over. They are found responsible for faulty engine and now they have DIRTY as lawyers who IMHO are getting paid a % for every dollar they don’t have to pay out. Complete Scam. Don’t worry GM, You may have taken 6K from my family, but I can hurt more over the years by telling everyone not to buy your product. I already know of 2 people who bought elsewhere in the last 18 months.
Well at least we should hope for a payout. Gives you just one more thing on your wish list . I’m thinking its gonna be by December. Don’t waste your time now . Please keep in touch if you hear differently. John
These comments are honestly the most information I could find regarding the status of the class action suit. I’ve had to have my engine worked on twice. Spent over $3K to get it fixed between the two situations and my 2013 Equinox is STILL burning oil. Done with this vehicle.
Time to bug the judge about GM’s delays
… my son bought a 2014 Equinox & has been told that it is the timing chain. He’s still paying on it even though it’s not worked since September 2019.
It has had all the same issues claimed in the lawsuit, EVERYTHING. The knocking noise is horrible. He’s been told that he will most likely have to replace the motor. Costs is RIDICULOUS either way.
Think there’s any chance that the 2014 could be covered? Opinions please & Thanks…👍
This issue was also covered by GM several years ago. I had an engine go due to oil consumption issue and replaced it with an engine that the timing chain went a year later (35,000 miles on replacement engine).
It looks like I will get reimbursed for the oil consumption replacement but I am too late to take action on the timing chain issue.
The 2.4L Ecotec was just a bad engine on multiple levels.
Hey David, Was the oil consumption issue on a 2014?
I have a 2014 and had to replace the engine a little over a year ago be cause of the oil consumption issue and the one that got put in is now having the same problems. GM told me they wouldn’t do anything.
Hello there. I have a 2014 Terrain and was just notified by my mechanic about this problem. Has anyone gained any ground? I was just told by my mechanic to call a GMC dealer and GOOD LUCK… So I’m guessing I’m gonna keep having to shell out money?
Hi David, we have a 2013 Terrain that we were told it needs a timing chain or a new engine. Was the engine you replaced yours with a new or used engine? We thought we had decided to replace the engine with a 6K price tag but will reconsider after reading your comment.
We also missed the lawsuit option and the car burned through so much oil we carried a case of oil in the car. This consumption didn’t keep the chain lubricated and caused th timing chain to go bad. It’s ridiculous, what a lemon of an engine.
I also have a 2014 with the same issues
Has anyone received their settlement check…..I so need a new car my roommate has been driving me to and fro to work and I think he is getting little tired of it!!!!
I haven’t.
Last time i was able to speak to someone they said because of the pandemic and all that, they postponed the actual date for another month.
Let me know if you got yours!
Not heard a word!
I have a 2011 GMC Terrain with 58,888 miles that this problem just now started about one month ago. My GMC dealer is telling me that the settlement for me has expired and I am no long eligible for repair. What are my options for repair. It is sad that because my car did not have the issue at the time of the law suit settlement, GMC holds no responsibility for the repair of my car.
My 2011 gmc terrain is burning oil. It has 74,000 miles an this just started. I want to fill out form for class action lawsuit against GM especially since they knew of the problem. I do not have thousands of dollars to fix the terrain. Can GM send recall to fix the SUV.
I have taken my car 2011 GMC Terrain to my GM dealer and was told that the GM notice in 2015 of my GMC Terrain the possibility of oil consumption has expired even though noting “do not take your vehicle to your GMC dealer as a result of this letter unless you believe that your vehicle has the condition as described above.” I did not have an issue at that time. I saved the letter. My Terrain only started it oil consumption November 2020 with 58,000 miles. The service manager told me that the date of service was the date I bought the vehicle which was 2011and the seven years and 120,000 miles was the end date and GM was not noted to do anything beyond that date. I was not offered any compensation from the dealer but was offered to bring my Terrain in and they will check my oil. I got better service from my mechanic than I can say from Bill Marsh Dealership. Their response to my survey gives me a number to another GM dealer downstate. I won’t be buying from a GM dealer any time soon.
I bought my 2010 Equinox from a used car dealer in march 2020. I started noticing it was using a quart of oil every thousand miles. Then came a rattle noise. One month after I bought it, I found out there was a class action law suit that had ended the month before. Even though it is a 2010 model it only has 69,000 miles on it. Last week the timing chain broke and messed up the valves. This should not happen with a vehicle that has this low mileages. I have it service as needed. It should be a RECALL, not just a class action claim
My 2011 acadia was the worst purchase I’ve ever made!! GM agreed that it was a manufacturer error but won’t replace the seized engine they know was defective!! Had to replace engine for a almost $8000
What Bommarito should have known about the GMC Terrain – Yet sold it to us anyway…
I bought a used 2014 GMC Terrain from Bommarito, Hazelwood Mo for $13000.. with 89000 miles.. drove it for about 3 weeks… it started shaking at every stop… took it to my Clark auto service.. they informed me it was 3 quarts low… How could that be I asked, the dealer delivered with a fresh oil change.. Then they informed me that it was common knowledge that the GMC Terrain has a serious oil consumption problem.. I wondered how Bommarito would even sell a model that has a known problem like this..So we adapted to that by checking the oil regularly… about a quart every 1000 miles or 2 weeks.. Recently, that wasn’t enough… checked the oil again.. added more.. . Back to the Clark Service: the diagnostic: Engine misfiring on cylinder # 3 due to low compression, low compression due to a burned-out exhaust valve… Clark recommended a new Jasper engine because of the extensive repair cost of $2500 – New engine would cost $6000.. I will never buy another car from Bommarito … for selling me a car with A class-action lawsuit filed against General Motors in 2019 stating that the excessive oil consumption is caused by faulty piston rings. Due to the faulty design, the engine burns about one quart of oil every 1,000 miles, causing damage and eventually engine failure. Jul 27, 2020.. Bommarito had to of known.. I will bad-mouth them to anyone who will listen…unless they step and do the right thing by me..
Yep,
This is the horrible GM customer support working !!
Good job GM way to step up !!
How many class action law suits does it take before GM will figure this out !!
I guess as long as they continue to sell vehicles GM just doesn’t care !!
I agree. GM doesnt care about legacy buyers who keep coming back. Thats why when you buy a new GM car you get a better deal if you are trading in a competitor car as opposed to being a life long GM buyer. Its a joke
I am a lifelong GM customer and have vowed to NEVER buy GM ever again. Ford, Toyota or Honda will get my business. I have a 2012 Terrain and have the oil consumption issue. GM and Dealer refused to repair because I had 125,000 miles on the car. The dealer did offer me a 10% discount off a $3500 repair which I refused. I still have the car and keep a watchful eye on the oil. And – don’t forget who bailed this company out! We did!
I am in the same boat due to the mileage on my vehicle. What a joke! That should not matter and the repairs should be covered no matter what. My vehicle is actually at the dealer right now because the rear main seal blew out and needs replaced. Talked to them about this settlement since we just got a letter in the mail and they said we were not covered because of the mileage. They told us to just call GM and complain to them. I’m sure that will do a whole lot of good!
I’m with you. My 2012 Terrain was covered because it had low miles. So what, yours just started later with the same problem. My issue now is that other parts needed replaced due to the oil consumption. Cam Phasers, Valve actuators, spark plugs, catalytic converter. I don’t know what is next. I sure don’t want to sell it to someone I know.
wow 10%
The GM 3.0 liter engines for the Equinox and Terrain are no better….experiencing many of the same issues as the 2.4 liter engines (excessive oil consumption, timing chain issues, etc, etc.) It’s a shame this engine wasn’t also included in the lawsuit. I sure wish to God that General Motors wouldn’t have done away with the 3800 engine. I’m getting way better gas mileage and reliability from my supercharged 96 Bonneville than I am with my 2010 Equinox LTZ. Absolutely shameful. I’m glad the affected owners will have a chance to be made whole.
So it burns gasoline AND oil? That makes it a “hybrid”.
With oil to gas ratios approaching a 2 stroke!
Show me any automaker and I will show you a case of failures and unhappy people. This is not just an exclusive GM thing.
Indeed! Fords 5.0 with the spray in cylinder liners gobble up the oil too.
I work with a guy who has a Terrain with this problem. The dealer told him there was nothing they could do for him, and to just keep adding oil. That’s a liter every thousand K. So eight cases of oil later…….
Same here, with an equinox. Adding a quart every two weeks, sometimes 2
I had a 2010 leased Terrain with this problem. I was extremely lucky that my dealer
voluntarily replaced the engine in 2012 with no discussion/no cost to me. That is what should happen in ALL of these cases!
Does this settlement apply to Canadian owners too?
Paul, did you ever find out? I live in the US but my car is from Canada.
When I worked at F*** customer service years ago, the official company policy was oil consumption up to a quart per 1,000 miles was perfectly normal.
cost cutting strikes again GM will NENER learn
73,000 Miles on my 2013 Buick ecotec, Lot of the same problems. Took to GM dealer in Nov. 2019, says new engine or rebuild. Talked with GM customer service, They will not help. Now I have a car that won’t run sitting in my driveway…….
How do I claim I now own a equinox an I’m having those issues
We just (today) received a letter in the mail about how the settlement and how to claim. GM dealer told us we don’t qualify because our mileage, which is a joke!
What is the qualifying mileage and how do we claim?
I too would like to know, as I never received any notice about this problem!!
I didn’t either! And now I need to replace my engine
Has anybody heard anything else about when the checks will be mailed out? First it was mid August, then mid September, now mid October? They’ve literally had all my forms and proof of repair since February. What’s the holdup?
I do change oil..or let me say “replace” oil every 2mos, and the recent one is today at roughly around 3500-4000k. I dont know but my oil keeps on draining. My dipstick is always below half or sometimes even lower. How can I claim having this horrible issues with my 2011 GMC Terrain…?
I have this exact issue. I only found out about it recently. How do I submit a claim to receive full reimbursement on my repairs? I own a 2011 GMC Terrain that I purchased from a Chevy dealership in 8/18.
How do we get part of this settlement?! We dished out over $1000 in January for repairs and were told we need all the pistons replaced due to the oil consumption and the GM representative said they won’t give reimbursement or lowering costs as the “extension on coverage” expired on our 2012 Equinox a few months ago. Help?
How do we get/file a claim from? I can’t find this info anywhere. Thanks.
People can call this # to see if their vehicle is covered 1-888-970-0698 . If you get their answering machine leave your #…they got back to me right away. I just got the forms to fill out to (hopefully) get my share of the settlement….they have to be filed by May….hope this helps some of you!
I recently bought a 2012 Chevy Equinox with the 2.4 L Ecotec engine and I have had nothing but problems with it I have spent over $1,000 and trying to repair and still have not resolve the issues how do I get in on this lawsuit action
What about the 2014 Chevy Captiva 2.4l eco which has the same exact issues. I put 2 quarts of oil in before next oil changes been throwing the P0420 code regularly due to oil blow by on the O2 sensor and now at shop for an oil change with a P0014 code which is the VVT or cam position just thrown (been hearing busted timing chains on this vehicle. It’s the same exact thing but my vehicle isnt included in this. I was never disclosed to me when I purchased my vehicle at Bill Walsh in Streator Illinois.
Ryan, I have a 2014 Captiva, too. A week ago it had a sudden, catastrophic loss of engine oil in the cold weather. I have been doing some research and GM issued a special coverage adjustment for the 2014 Captiva back in March 2015 that extends the warranty on the Captiva to 120,000 miles or 10 years. This adjustment covers the checking and replacement of the PCV system which can fail in cold temperatures. From what I can see, the fact that our vehicles are covered by that, we should be able to successfully sue them for putting a defective engine in our vehicles. GM did the same thing with the Equinoxes and they were successfully sued for the larger problems that arose from the SAME engine we have in our Captivas. I plan to push this issue, via a lawyer, until I get reimbursed for the death of my car’s engine. I encourage you to do the same.
Is a rebuilt or branded title covered in the settlement?
My name is Donald Hogans and I have been apart of this lawsuit for quite some time. I have a 2012 GMC terrain and was sent Information that a settlement had been reached. My issue is there was no contact information other than your website. This is time sensitive so can you please point me in the proper direction. Or give me a phone number, please
People can call this # to see if their vehicle is covered 1-888-970-0698 . If you get their answering machine leave your #…they got back to me right away. I just got the forms to fill out to (hopefully) get my share of the settlement….they have to be filed by May….hope this helps some of you!
I submitted my claim form back in February but haven’t heard anything. Who can I contact about the status of that form?
Me either nothing.
I have called Analytics LLC who is processing the claims. They said it is still under review (since April).
The hotline is 888-970-0698
I was told I wouldn’t be reimbursed because my 2013 terrain was over 120,000 miles. Which is bs I paid 14,000 at 102,000 and had it for barely over a year. Does anyone know if they change the qualifications
They would have found another reason not to pay. I promise you I will cost them more than the 6K they cost me. My family will never buy another GMC Product, ever.