A California federal jury has returned a $102 million verdict against GM in a class action lawsuit that alleges the automaker hid an engine defect that led to excessive oil consumption, resulting in engine damage, stalling, and premature breakdowns.
5.3L Vortec V8 engine
Per a recent report from Street Insider, the case was tried in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California, with the lawsuit led by national plaintiffs’ trial firm DiCello Levitt on behalf of owners and lessees of GM trucks and SUVs sold between 2011 and 2014 in the states of California, North Carolina, and Idaho. The lawsuit was filed late in 2016 and pertains to vehicles equipped GM’s Generation IV Vortec 5300 LC9 gasoline engine.
According to the lawsuit, internal GM documents demonstrate that the automaker was aware of a defect in the engine’s piston rings, which could result in excessive oil consumption. Excessive oil consumption can lead to engine damage and eventual engine failure.
In 2010, GM recommended that dealers clean the engine piston rings in order to address the issue, which ultimately proved to be ineffective, leading to GM employees and engineers recommending that the piston ring design be changed. Further engine design changes also proved ineffective, with oil consumption issues continuing until the Generation IV Vortec 5300 LC9 gasoline engine was sunset following the 2014 model year.
Per Street Insider, the federal jury found that GM had violated the breach of implied warranty of merchantability to California plaintiffs, the breach of implied warranty of merchantability to North Carolina vehicle owners, and breached the provisions of the Idaho Consumer Protection Act. Each of the 38,000 class members were awarded $2,700, brining the total damages to $102.6 million.
The GM Generation IV Vortec 5300 LC9 gasoline engine has been the target of multiple lawsuits over the years due to alleged excessive oil consumption issues, with vehicles covered including the 2011- through 2014-model-year Chevy Avalanche, Chevy Suburban, Chevy Silverado, Chevy Tahoe, GMC Sierra, GMC Yukon, and GMC Yukon XL.
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Comments
Hopefully GM take there Quality in building vehicles more serious like Ford Has. 🤓
Huh? Ford has the highest warranty and recall costs in the industry. Their CEO even commented on this in his recent presser to Wall Street.
Well deserved.
I have an LC9…… it’s actually the most reliable motor I’ve ever owned. Every single car out there has a lemon or 2. When you sell close to a million a year… yeah there’s going to be several with issues.
This lawsuit has been thrown out in many other states. It’s only commifornia that continuously screws everyone over. Maybe it’s time for automakers to just leave California till this failed state gets its act together.
Let the record stand that commifornia let’s this lawsuit through, but Tesla autopilot killing literally dozens of people??? Crickets
Lucky for the folks in the other states that are benefiting, that California stepped in
“The most reliable motor I have ever owned”
Clearly you haven’t owned many cars.
Plaintiff’s lawyers must have used a metallurgical expert or two to argue ring composition and wear relationship. Remember, plaintiff’s lawyers get 40% of final verdict. This is a huge win for them.
Of course, GM will appeal. GM knew going into this trial it was going against a stacked deck. GM knows it can not win a case in the state of California. It would be hard press for GM to find 9 rational jurors in this state of prima donnas where everyone thinks that California is a country or very privileged goofballs.
Doesn’t anybody pull a dipstick anymore? There’s a reason they put one in every engine. If you read the owners manual, every one that goes to print recommends periodically checking the oil level in your engine by pulling the dipstick when the engine is cold, and keeping the oil level between the max and min levels marked on said dipstick. Oh, it’s California, and nobody is expected to take responsibility for their inaction in any matter, and everything is idealized and optimized just for them.
Problem 1 is people who feel that burning oil means engine is bad, regardless of the actual cause. In fact, this is the problem: people check their oil and obsess over it, regardless of other oil level fluctuation causes like temperature and water accumulation.
Problem 2 is that burning oil deposits the anti-wear oil additive metals on the cats, which leads to premature failure, a CEL, and an expensive repair. This is worse on diesels with DPFs and European gas engines with GPFs, since the metals will get trapped in the filter, permanently clog them, which leads to fuel mileage degradation and an eventual replacement. A related problem is on gas direct-injection engines, oil in the cylinder can trigger preignition, where a single event can grenade your engine.
Exactly! I have only recently been informed of this after a 3 year ordeal with replacing my expensive cats and every other related things they want to put the blame on like all 4 O2 sensors (2 forward & 2 back), exhaust manifold gaskets, new plug. Wires and plugs (done just before cats), pcv valve, map sensor, thing at the gas tank, and so on only to find out the new cats are destroyed by the oil consumption and will not get covered under warranty. I have been GM all my life, 60 years now, and most likely will never buy one again after the last several with all their problems. I have a 2001 Dodge Ram that I know call my number 1.
Excessive oil consumption is a thing. Any engine under 100k miles shouldn’t be using oil between changes. They are poorly designed engines.
Most class action plaintiff’s lawyers are law firms fishing on a contingency fee basis for a large settlements to enrich themselves using the class plaintiff’s as pawns in this process. They love an issue from a large substantial entity, hence the possibility of a great return.
General Motors, it’s lawyers, the Plaintiffs lawyers, and the plaintiff’s all need to do a root cause analysis of subject premature oil burning engines by taking crankcase oil samples, while hot, and analyzing them for element amounts on an atomic absorption spectrophotometer. Caterpillar dealers perform this service.
Determination can then be made if it’s premature ring wear, liner wear, whatever wear. Crystalline Silica could be a factor at play. The air induction system could be the issue. Caterpillar and it’s dealers use fluid analysis to determine wear, maintenance intervals and warranty considerations. Let’s get to the root cause people.
Well people let’s face it gm never made a good car
Forget about great. Oh and reliable na not gm. By 30 thousand mile it’s time for the junk yard. The only engine that was bullet proof was 3.5 liter from late eighties early nities. And only Buicks got that engine and one Pontiac. Just listen to Scotty kilmer videos. American cars suck and your a fool if you buy one. Oh sorry early 90s subberban with the push rod was good according to him.
I have over 300,000 miles on my 02 Silverado. GM has Great PowerTrains. You must work for a competitor!
GM’s LS engine is considered by many to be one of the most durable and reliable engines ever built. Even my old LT engine in my 1986 C4 Corvette had 151,000 miles on it when I sold it, and my dad’s 1985 Corvette has over 150,000 miles on it. SO your statement about being ready for the salvage yard at 30,000 miles is absurd and inaccurate.
John M
It’s GM & All other Manufacturers Mentality; if they are not having a problem, they cut back on cost $25 at a time. Until they have a problem, at Say $250 savings?
Then then will spend $25 at a time to minimize the problem. But they will never go back
To the Original Cost! Check it out!
When GM Unionized In 1933, the Design Criteria was A Car should not last MORE THAN THREE YEARS!
Amazingly, TODAY MOST CARS HAVE A STANDARD THREE YEAR WARRANTY!🤷🏼♂️
ICE Engines usually last 200,000 miles but Bodies Rust Away. Because THE FOAM
RUBBER, USED BETWEEN METAL PANELS, RETAINS MOISTURE 🤷🏼♂️
Instead of using Silicone or other Caulking Material🤷♀️
We too are ex-GM owners of pickups. My wife switched to RAM for her horse business. She was impressed with the luxurious interior and smooth ride. At this point I agree. So far only 1 warranty repair in 30,000 miles. It is much better than our last GMC.
Wondering if GM will get a handle on current engine problems. My wife has talked to many GM truck owners in the horse show community who are unhappy. Her five best friends now driving 4 RAM and 1 Ford.