GM Hit With Class Action Lawsuit For Defective Paint On Large SUVs
17
Sponsored Links
GM was recently hit with a new class action lawsuit that alleges the automaker knowingly sold a variety of full-size SUVs with defective paint. Plaintiffs state that the paint on affected vehicles is prone to defects, which could result in rather steep repair bills. The law firm representing the plaintiffs is now seeking to represent anyone who leased or purchased an impacted SUV in the state of California.
The new class action lawsuit was brought forward by four vehicle owners and was filed in a California federal court on July 9th. The class action lawsuit lists a variety of GM full-sized SUVs as potentially affected by the defective paint issue, including the 2015 through 2020 Chevy Tahoe, the 2015 through 2020 Chevy Suburban, the 2015 through 2020 GMC Yukon and Yukon XL, and the 2015 through 2020 Cadillac Escalade and Escalade ESV. The lawsuit alleges that the exterior paint on these vehicles is prone to cracking, clouding, and delaminating over time.
“Although the defect manifested over time, [General Motors] knew or should have known of those issues prior to sale of the [vehicles]; yet GM continued to put the latently defective class vehicles on the market,” the lawsuit claims.
One of the plaintiffs says that they purchased a used 2017 Chevy Tahoe LT in 2019 and that by 2022, the vehicle’s paint was showing visible defects. The owner attempted to polish the paint, but the problem persisted, leading the owner to talk to a professional detailer who stated that the problem was with the clear coat. The owner states that the cost to repair and repaint the vehicle would be upwards of $10,000 and would require sanding the exterior down to bare metal, which would affect the car’s resale value.
The plaintiffs are represented by Steven W. Ritcheson, Taylor C. Bartlett, and Jeanie Sleadd of Heninger Garrison Davis LLC. The lawsuit is filed under case number 2:24-cv-05786 in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California.
In related news, GM was hit with a separate lawsuit in April that alleges that the automaker’s key fobs were easily hackable, specifically those for the Chevy Camaro, enabling thieves to steal the vehicle without triggering the alarm.
Subscribe to GM Authority for more GM legal news, GM business news, and around-the-clock GM news coverage.
Sponsored Links
Don’t they use the same paint on all their vehicles? I am pretty sure the touchup codes are the same across vehicles and even across brands. Sounds like a money grab by an ambulance chaser class action lawyer.
Thank goodness you don’t own any of these affected vehicles, good luck plaintiffs.
it affects some not others. some tahoes do have premature failure on the hood but not on the roof. some all over but its quite common on the hood which would point towards application issues or batch paint issue (since they paint same parts in batches)
people dont garage their stuff which on dark colors, 5 years is plenty time in the right conditions to bake a clearcoat..
“Don’t they use the same paint on all their vehicles?”
Don’t a lot of manufacturers use the same supplier as well? Remember the 90’s with both GM and Ford paint falling off.
Anyway this area uses liquid road chemicals, and “cracking, clouding, and delaminating” are the least of your worries. You WILL have rust holes starting somewhere after the body warranty expires.
I thought so too. PPG I think is the big one. I thought BASF as well.
I don’t know I’ve owed seven GM vehicles and I’ve never had trouble with the paint. Speaking of the 90s I believe it was Honda who also had peeling paint issues streaks would go up the hood and roof down to the bare metal. I live in the northeast so I try to wash the salt off my car in the winter time it’s not easy but it helps a little bit… bottom line is unless your vehicle is garage kept and professionally waxed daily then your going to have trouble with a 8, or even 4 year old car. It’s funny and fishy how this comes to light now on 2015 through 2020 vehicle that nobody has any idea how well it was taken care of I can see if it where a 2 or 3 year old car then fine it shouldn’t have anything wrong with the paint.
GM repainted the whole top from stem to stern on my ’92 Olds Achieva at 90k miles. And they did a dam good job.
It SHOULD also include ALL the Chevy and GM express and Savana vans as well! I consistently see white vans on the road whose hood is almost down to the bare metal.
They should also include the 2019-2024 Silverados as they too have defective applications, I’ve had the 2022 and 2023 models and both have had poor or chipped paint.
But in GMs defence they went good on all the paint defects.
But not without pulling a few teeth!
Have a 2018 Chevy suburban. It literally looks like someone took sandpaper to my hood and roof. GM would not cover the repair. Tell me they’ll give me a great deal repainting it. Screw you it’s ridiculous to pay $60,000 for a vehicle, and three years later it’s falling apart. I’ve been a GM girl since I was 16 now 50. I will never buy another GM product. My 2023 Corvette had paint issues that were covered under warranty. The paint was literally chipping away. Absolutely ridiculous. They know there’s a problem and they don’t contact people just tell them that there’s a problem .
We have a GM pickup at work and the white paint is peeling off the tailgate. Under the paint there is no primer just shiny steel.
This lawsuit should extended to all 50 states
I live in FL and I have the same issue with my 2023 Yukon. Could you believe it?
gm has had off/on problems with their paint for many years. Used to be certain silver & light blue paints that would show up regular, but usually after the warranty had expired of course. 1990s didn’t see as much. Our 2002 Pontiac had problems with a roof panel & it was explained that it was due to the paint/metal prep. We even tried having a very good paint/body shop fix it, but turns out that due to gm’s poor prep, only fix would be replacing the sheet metal.
There’s issues with Malibus too. I have a 2016 and the paint has is cracking on the roof. I have a friend with a 2018 Malibu with the same issues. Its pathetic!
Happened on my 2015 Suburban and currently happening on my 2021 Suburban
My 16 gmc yukon xl Denali has this issue on the hood and right above the windshield. It started in 2020 only 4 years old but since the warranty had run out i was told there was nothing gm could do. Keep in mind I live in Va., not a state that’s known for too much summer heat. This vehicle was $97,000 brand new and had a $100 paint job, just ridiculous.