— More than eight years ago a General Motors oil consumption class action lawsuit was filed about vehicles equipped with LC9 5.3-liter V8 Vortec 5300 engines.
Those vehicles are allegedly equipped with defective piston rings that cause several engine problems, including excessive oil consumption.
Although the Vortec engine settlement is moving forward, GM denies all wrongdoing and liability and forcefully denies the vehicles are defective.
The three GM owners who filed the class action lawsuit, Garret Tarvin, Gabriel Del Valle, and William Davis, Jr., contend the 5.3L Vortec LC9 engines have defective piston rings and assemblies that cause excessive oil consumption.
The 5.3-liter engines allegedly wear out prematurely, and the worn piston rings not only cause the vehicles to use too much oil, but the plaintiffs claim the vehicles suffer many other problems.
According to the 5.3L engine class action, the piston rings damage the spark plugs, cause rough idling and acceleration problems, and the check engine lights activate. Additionally, the lawsuit alleges the piston rings and oil consumption can eventually cause the 5.3L LC9 engines to fail.
General Motors supposedly knew the Vortec engines consumed too much oil when the vehicles were first sold but failed to warn consumers about the piston rings.
Multiple GM oil consumption class action lawsuits have been filed over the years, with most of them dismissed. This GM class action, Siqueiros v. General Motors, was also dismissed in 2017, but the judge allowed the plaintiffs to modify and refile their claims.
The original GM 5.3L engine class action included customers nationwide, but the engine settlement involves only three states.
The GM engine settlement includes these vehicles in California, Idaho, and North Carolina manufactured on or after February 10, 2011, and equipped with Generation IV LC9 5.3-liter V8 Vortec 5300 engines.
- 2011-2014 Chevrolet Avalanche
- 2011-2014 Chevrolet Silverado
- 2011-2014 Chevrolet Suburban
- 2011-2014 Chevrolet Tahoe
- 2011-2014 GMC Sierra
- 2011-2014 GMC Yukon
- 2011-2014 GMC Yukon XL
Any GM vehicle that has already received piston replacements (upgraded piston rings) under warranty for free is excluded from the engine class action lawsuit settlement.
Specifically, the GM engine settlement includes customers in the three states, but note the conditions regarding if the vehicle must have been leased or purchased directly from a GM dealer, of if the vehicle must have been in new condition.
—California: Includes all current owners or lessees of a GM vehicle that was purchased or leased in new condition in California as of May 23, 2022.
—Idaho: Includes all current owners or lessees of a GM vehicle that was purchased or leased from a GM dealer in Idaho as of May 23, 2022.
—North Carolina: Includes all current owners or lessees of a GM vehicle that was purchased or leased in North Carolina as of May 23, 2022.
According to the GM engine settlement, it's estimated affected customers (class members) in the three states will receive $2,149 each.
After spending more than eight years in court, the settlement agreement says the three GM owners who sued will receive $30,000 each, and the lawyers representing vehicle owners will receive $57,000,000.
Nothing is official until a class action settlement final approval hearing is held October 2, 2025.
The GM 5.3-liter engine class action lawsuit was filed in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California: Siqueiros, et al., v. General Motors LLC, case No. 3:16-cv-07244-EMC.
The plaintiffs are represented by Beasley, Allen, Crow, Methvin, Portis & Miles, P.C., and DiCello Levitt LLP.
The same lawyers are also involved in a GM 5.3L engine class action lawsuit settlement for certain Oklahoma vehicle owners.