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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So..my husband I filed our “claim” by the date requested. Just received notice that our claim was denied. We submitted all the necessary paperwork, letters from our mechanic, etc….only to be told it was denied. They said of course we have 10 whole days to respond contesting the denial. But my question is…Is it even worth it at this point to contest? Did anyone receive an approved claim? I would bet my paycheck no one will receive a settlement.
I’m done with GMC’s
It’s still possible that someone got the claim approved so then usually they won’t bother to find this forum to discuss this issue. But I agree with you per what we’ve seen by now that obviously this law firm is trying to deny all the claims as their initial response. If someone just gives up, they just pay one case less. If someone contests, they might look into the specific case to see if it’s a strong case or weak case then they would determine if they would approve the case or not later on. Anyway, they have nothing to lose to deny in the initial response. I would suggest everyone at least contest with a letter to keep the dispute ongoing. In another word, they won’t be able to get away from this so easily. My question to whomever here knows legal things better than I do is “Is there anyway we (all the victims who have financial loss due to this GM engine defect) could hold this law firm accountable to reimburse the loss rather than benefiting themselves from legal perspective?” Personally I feel what they do is kind of fraud so we might have to sue them? Or write a formal letter to GM?
When I received the letter and it said you don’t need a lawyer I got a lawyer. I sent in all the proof and made copies of what I sent in. My lawyer said the same thing about contesting so we are sending in the letter from the mechanic explaining that it was in fact because of the oil consumption. If they deny again we will start with a formal letter to GM and then from there make our own law suit to GM about my car. And GM can end up filing a suit against the firm that did the class action for not paying out.
I am doing the same and if denied again I will seek additional legal advice. Sent my letter back on Wed.
Good luck finding legal advice .. I called just about every attorney in our area and none of them deal in class action suits!
This is my second time around, unfortunately my warranties are up this time. Dealership quoted me 8700 for an engine plus labor. Lol guess I’m walking and bumming rides from now on. I just spent all of my savings 6 years ago to pay cash for this car. And it only lasted 2 weeks before it started knocking the first time. Almost 2 years the second time. I was told the car would go to 300,000 and above with regular maintenance. Jokes on me.
try a private mechanic. Our engine cost us $5500 total still alot but cheaper than buying a new car as ours was paid off as well.
Guess that’s what I get for trying to buy american made cars. Next car I get will be so foreign
I guess they just sent out a mass response letter to all of us. I receive mine this week as well and of course DENIED. I will send my response this weekend.
I’ve given up . Good luck to all . You can take GM and stick it where the sun don’t shine. The end
This is a long shot, but if there is someone out there that got a check of hasn’t been denied yet, what did you include with your claim? I too submitted some of the same things as above but was denied. Not sure what I need to submit with my claim in order to be approved. Any help would be appreciated.
I got a check for only $600 out of the total $4,800 due…I sent 35 pages filled with all my receipts, proof from the internet that the problems I had/paid for tied into the Oil Consumption problem…an estimate on how much the dealer said it would cost to put in the new pistons, etc…to fix the problem. I did not know that I would have only 10 business days to refute their measly check, but I did find out in time and sent them a detailed letter along with the original 35 page PDF file I sent them….hoping, and praying, they will review the info and find in our favor. Hope this helps you in some way.
This is the email they sent me as to how to contest the too low check:
Thank you for your email,
If you wish to contest the amount of your check, within ten (10) business days of your receipt of the letter you must mail (via the United States Postal Service to the address listed below) a detailed written statement, including your claim number (which is in the upper right corner of the letter), with the reasons and grounds for contesting the denial of your claim. Your written submission must also include a copy of the letter and any documentation which supports your request for further review of the denial of your claim. Your written submission will be further reviewed and you will be advised in writing of the results of that review within approximately 45 days of the date we receive your submission.
All correspondence regarding the denial of your claim must be mailed to the following address within ten (10) business days of your receipt of the letter.
2.4 Liter Oil Consumption Litigation
c/o Analytics Consulting LLC
P.O. Box 2003
Chanhassen, MN 55317-2003
Sincerely,
Office of the Claims Administrator
Jus thought a used 2015 Terrain from my cousin that works for GM. Haven’t even got to drive it once guess what’s wrong with it? Timing chain and all of the above same as the 2010-2013