GM Lawsuit Alleges Certain Buick, Chevy Vehicles Prone to ‘Catastrophic Engine Failure’

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General Motors (GM) has been hit with a class action lawsuit that alleges the automotive manufacturer knowingly sold vehicles with defective engine assemblies and related components, posing an unreasonable safety hazard to consumers.

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The 56-page defective product lawsuit claims that certain newer Buick and Chevrolet vehicles manufactured by General Motors are prone to “sudden and catastrophic” engine failure during normal operation, often involving a connecting rod ejecting through the engine block, leading to “rapid” loss of power and steering assistance, fluid leakage and potential fire.

The vehicles at issue in the General Motors lawsuit include the following models equipped with a 1.2-liter turbocharged inline 3-cylinder gasoline engine, referred to as the “class vehicles”:

• -Buick Encore, model years 2024 to present;
• -Buick Envista, model years 2024 to present;
• -Chevrolet Trailblazer, model years 2024 to present; and
• -Chevrolet Trax, model years 2024 to present.

The case says that one of the “most concerning” consequences of the defective engine components is a “complete” loss of acceleration and steering assistance, particularly when the vehicle is on a highway or driving at high speeds, creating an “acute and unreasonable” safety risk to owners and lessees of class vehicles. Owners, the filing states, frequently report hearing a “knocking sound” or “loud mechanical bang” directly before the vehicle decelerates “uncontrollably.”

The case says class vehicles may “shudder violently” as the engine seizes or eject a connecting rod through the engine block, and smoke and fluid discharge may obscure visibility for other motorists. The case reports that some owners witness flames “emanating” from under the hood within seconds of the engine failure.

According to the lawsuit, consumers have filed a multitude of complaints about class vehicles with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). The following is a sample of the complaints cited in the lawsuit [sic throughout]:

“Driving down the highway at a normal speed and the engine made a loud noise and then quit. We took it to a dealership and they said the engine is  blown. They said there was a huge hole in the side of the engine.”

“[H]e and his friend heard a loud pop sound, followed by all the lights on the instrument panel flickering like crazy, smoke coming from under the hood, and then the car slowing to a stop, still in the road. Luckily they were able to get out because all the doors, except the driver door, locked including the trunk. …This could have been very detrimental and had a very different outcome.”

“While driving at approximately 60mph, the engine suffered a catastrophic failure. According to the licensed Chevy service repair shop, the engine ‘threw a rod that resulted in a hole in the engine block.’ The car immediately lost power while driving on the highway with my wife and young child. The result of this scenario was lucky enough to avoid serious injury.”

Per the lawsuit, General Motors has been aware of the engine defect since at least 2022, due to pre-release testing data and other sources “not available to consumers,” but has taken no meaningful steps to address the “widespread and dangerous” problem. On the contrary, the company has allegedly concealed and continues to conceal the engine defect.

Additionally, the filing states that General Motors sold the class vehicles with a 5-year/60,000-mile limited powertrain warranty intended to cover the engine, transmission, drive system and transaxle, along with a 3-year/36,000-mile “bumper to bumper” new vehicle limited warranty.

The lawsuit contends that General Motors breached the requirements of its warranties by either refusing to cover sudden catastrophic engine failure or performing “superficial repairs” that fail to address the problem. Strangely, the suit says, the auto company’s authorized dealers in many cases claim the catastrophic engine failures are due to “normal operation.”

When consumers can find a dealership willing to replace the engine, the replacement engines are on a multiple-month-long backorder, the lawsuit says.

“As a result,” the case summarizes, “consumers are left with vehicles that suffer recurring failures, diminished safety, and substantial out-of-pocket expenses for engine replacement and related damage.”

The General Motors class action lawsuit seeks to cover all individuals and entities in the United States who purchased or leased a class vehicle.

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