A recent class action lawsuit filed in the U.S. District Court in Ohio claims General Motors‘ 5.3-liter LC9 V8 engine burns high amounts of oil and has other design flaws that could lead to engine damage.
The suit alleges the 5.3L V8 engines found in a number of 2010-2014 model year GM vehicles have flawed piston rings that don’t maintain tension well enough to keep oil in the crankcase. Additionally, the PCV system may vacuum engine oil out from the valvetrain and expel it into the intake, where the oil is then taken in and burned in the combustion chambers.
The active fuel management compounds the oil burn problem, as well. The system uses an oil pressure relief valve that sprays oil directly onto the piston skirts, but this oil spray can allegedly overload the piston rings, leaking past the rings and burning off, or accumulating on the surface of the combustion chamber and causing carbon buildup. Furthermore, the plaintiff says the oil monitoring system will not inform the driver about the low oil levels, so some owners may not be aware when the engine runs low on oil.
These issues can lead to spark plug fouling, ring wear, lifted collapse, bent pushrods, camshaft wear, valve wear, rod bearing wear, rod breakage and other major failures in the engine, the class action suit claims.
According to Car Complaints, GM told dealerships to carbonize the rings and combustion chambers of affected vehicles, but it did not remedy the problem. GM also apparently knew about potential problems with the engine as far back as 2007, based on consumer complaints and Technical Service Bulletins it issued. The TSBs indicate the problems are caused by PCV issues, piston rings and the active fuel management system.
GM redesigned its 5.3-liter V8 engine after the 2014 model year, using redesigned piston rings and adding a shield to deflect oil away from the piston skirts. The newer versions of the engine also feature an oil level sensor and new valve covers. Vehicles involved in this class action were all built between 2010 and 2014. They include:
The plaintiff in the lawsuit is looking to represent current and former owners or lessees of affected vehicles in the United States that have experienced similar problems. The case is Szep v. General Motors LLC (Case No. 1:19-cv-02858) and was filed in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Ohio.
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Source: Car Complaints
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Can I join a lawsuit in the states if I’m from Canada ?
I have a 2013 Suburban and it's consuming oil at a rapid pace. I want to address the issue before it turns into a major repair bill.
I have a 2013 suburban. @103,000 I noticed excessive oil consumption. Not very knowledgeable about engines but for now I installed a Range device that stops it from going into AFM mode. Getting ready to install an oil catch can and hope to make it last for now. I’m a 3rd Gen Chevy man so I wish Someone at GM would own the company and fix this issue. It’s a dream.
It says they were aware of the problems with the engine going back to 2007 why aren't they including all cars back to 2007 in a suit
I have a 2008 Yukon that the engine has been rebuilt, and the AFM is messing cylinder #4 again. Any help?
Seems to me this GM authority is bunch of BS....I left A comment about my 2013 Silverado burning oil and fouling plugs.....and plainly ask how to join this class action Lawsuit..and never got not one response back...and for your Vehicle. Get a Range AFM Disabler. Or Diablo sport AFM Disabler Change your Spark plugs.and try that..I done this to my Silverado seems to be helping so far...Good luck...
I have a 2017 Suburban 5.3 engine and it is in the shop for the second time. This time it’s the #2 plug at 28,000 miles the #1 plug went 3 months ago. I am presently in the DIRTY FIX IT dance with the LIARS in Autonation’s service department, very deceptive and sneaky people. Despicable behavior you would expect from CRIMINALS! These engines are a disaster!
I am having the same issue my plug #6 went out in less than 4 months I am getting oil in them. This is so frustrating😡
The 5.3L engine is a great one.Get an oil catch can and all is well.$149@JLT Performance saves any GDI engines.Oil blow bye which is natural on GDI engines gets put back in,only it causes corrosion and carbon build up.This starts from the first time it is turned on.I don't have any engine issues with my 5.3L and 6.2L LT1 because I am an educated car guy.That is how dealerships get you,by not doing your homework.Ram,Ford, Toyota,Honda, Nissan,etc. all have these same issues with Gasoline Direct Injection engines.The oil catch can is the best way to go,it catches the oil and you empty at every oil change.Also I don't let anyone else change my oil,I control the brand of filter(Wix) and the brand and type of oil, synthetic instead of the semi synthetic oil that dealers use.This has made a difference in my experience.Sue all you want,it still won't change the nature of the GDI engines.
Does it have to be the 149@JLt?
Google 12-06-01-001. There you will find out there is a service bulletin on the issue we are having with our GMC vehicles. Hope it helps anyone.
2013 GMC Sierra using a quart of oil every 800 miles less than 50,000 miles can fighting this for over a year replace valve cover didn't change a thing
I bought a 2013 suburban from a Chevy dealer not aware about the excessive oil consumption. I change my oil every 3000. When I checked the oil holy mole it was 2 quarts low approx. AFM is a flawed design. At 120,000 miles all I could do is install the Range device in the OBD connector. I hope Chevy owns up to it. I also have a 2008 Honda Accord and it too had the same issue with excessive oil consumption. Honda owned up to the problem and settled in a class action suit. The Honda dealer did a rebuild free of charge.
Just want to clarify that according to Honda only the the ones built in USA have this problem. Not the Honda Accord Japanese imports.