The complaint for this class action makes the startling statement that the General Motors vehicles in this case “were engineered to fail.” This is because, the complaint alleges, the Generation IV Vortec 5300 engines installed in certain 2010 to 2014 vehicles consumes abnormally large amounts of oil. “This excessive oil consumption,” it says, “results in low oil levels, insufficient lubricity levels, and corresponding internal engine component damage.”
The Nationwide Class for this action is all current and former owners of a Class Vehicle that was bought or leased in the US. A Massachusetts class has also been defined, for those who bought or leased their Class Vehicles in that state.
The Class Vehicles include any of the following equipped with the Generation IV 5.3 Liter V8 Vortec 5300 LC9 engine:
- 2010-2014 Chevrolet Avalanche
- 2010-2014 Chevrolet Silverado
- 2010-2014 Chevrolet Suburban
- 2010-2014 Chevrolet Tahoe
- 2010-2014 GMC Sierra
- 2010-2014 GMC Yukon
- 2010-2014 GMC Yukon XL
The excessive oil consumption has more than one cause, but the complaint alleges that the primary one is that “the pistons rings that GM installed within the Generation IV Vortec 5300 Engines fail to keep oil in the crankcase.”
Another cause is the Active Fuel Management (AFM) system, which changes the vehicle from eight- to four-cylinder mode. It sprays oil onto the piston’s skirts, dirtying the rings and causing oil to migrate past them.
Also, the complaint says, when the vehicle is operating on four cylinders, “the lack of combustion in the four inactive cylinders invites excessive oil migration into the combustion chambers. Combustion controls upward oil migration by providing an opposing force and by assisting piston ring sealing, and when it’s absent the oil consumption accelerates.”
In addition, the complaint calls the vehicles’ PVC system “flawed.” This system “vacuums atomized oil from the valvetrain into the intake system,” which also adds to the oil consumption.
The oil migration problem also dirties spark plugs, which can cause a weakened spark or no spark, which the complaint says causes “engine misfires and shutdown events.”
To make all of this worse, the vehicles’ Oil Monitoring System does not actually monitor the oil levels. “Rather,” the complaint claims, “it monitors engine conditions, such as revolutions and temperature, to calculate the expected deterioration in oil quality and thus the time for a recommended oil change. … The result is a system that directs drivers to travel thousands of miles with inadequate engine lubricity levels,” the complaint alleges, “wearing out and damaging moving internal engine components…”
Other results of the excessive oil consumption problem may be “excessive engine noise, abnormal vibration or shaking, piston cracking, head cracking, and, ultimately, engine seizure.”
According to the complaint, GM has been addressing the issues with stopgap solutions and has never offered a real fix for the problem.
Article Type: LawsuitTopic: Automobile, News
Most Recent Case Event
Chevrolet, GMC Vortec Engine Vehicles Excessive Oil Use Complaint
January 21, 2021
The complaint for this class action makes the startling statement that the General Motors vehicles in this case “were engineered to fail.” This is because, the complaint alleges, the Generation IV Vortec 5300 engines installed in certain 2010 to 2014 vehicles consumes abnormally large amounts of oil. “This excessive oil consumption,” it says, “results in low oil levels, insufficient lubricity levels, and corresponding internal engine component damage.”
Chevrolet, GMC Vortec Engine Vehicles Excessive Oil Use ComplaintCase Event History
Chevrolet, GMC Vortec Engine Vehicles Excessive Oil Use Complaint
January 21, 2021
The complaint for this class action makes the startling statement that the General Motors vehicles in this case “were engineered to fail.” This is because, the complaint alleges, the Generation IV Vortec 5300 engines installed in certain 2010 to 2014 vehicles consumes abnormally large amounts of oil. “This excessive oil consumption,” it says, “results in low oil levels, insufficient lubricity levels, and corresponding internal engine component damage.”
Chevrolet, GMC Vortec Engine Vehicles Excessive Oil Use Complaint