- Case: Client v. General Motors
- Claim Type: CA Lemon Law
- Vehicle Year: 2018
- Vehicle Model: Chevrolet
- Vehicle Make: Silverado
- New/Used: New
- Contract Type: Lease
- Specs: N/A
- Defects & Repair Attempts:
-
- Airbags
- After a crash at 45mph, the vehicle was totaled and ended up in a river embankment. The airbags failed to deploy after this crash, which put the clients life in danger.
- Headrests
- The client stated that the rear seat headrests failed to stay in place after being adjusted and would instead drop down to the position they were previously in.
- Suspension
- The vehicle would slightly drift to the left when being driven. The client believed that the problem was caused by a leaf spring in the rear of the vehicle being unaligned. Eventually, the vehicle started drifting more to the right, despite the dealership claiming that all suspension problems were repaired. The faulty suspension also caused strong vibrations throughout the vehicle.
- Transmission
- The client noticed that the transmission would overheat when the vehicle was backing a trailer slightly up a hill. Because of this, the car wouldn’t be able to move again until the transmission had cooled down. The dealership would fail to repair this defect as well.
- Airbags
- Class Actions:
- Francis, et al v. General Motors, LLC (Case 2:19-cv-11044-DML-DRG)
- Transmission Lawsuit
- Kim Bostick, et al. v. General Motors, LLC (Case: 5:19-cv-02451-VAP-SP)
- Chevy Shake/Powertrain lawsuit
- Francis, et al v. General Motors, LLC (Case 2:19-cv-11044-DML-DRG)
- Recalls:
- Service Brakes (20V603000)
- Service Brakes (19V645000)
- Electronic Stability Control (19V761000)
GM faces lawsuit over airbag, headrest, suspension, and transmission issues with 2018 Chevrolet Silverado.
A client, who had traded in a 2019 Toyota Tacoma in exchange for a leased 2018 Chevrolet Silverado, was facing several problems with their vehicle. Only a year after starting the lease, the client noticed several issues with the 2018 Chevrolet Silverado 1500. The client described these issues as:
- Airbags – After a crash at 45mph, the vehicle was totaled and ended up in a river embankment. The airbags failed to deploy after this crash, which put the clients’ life in danger.
- Headrests – The client stated that the rear seat headrests failed to stay in place after being adjusted and would instead drop down to the position they were previously in.
- Suspension – The vehicle would be pulled to the left when being driven. The client believed that the problem was caused by a leaf spring in the rear of the vehicle being unaligned. Eventually, the vehicle started pulling more to the right, despite the dealership claiming that all suspension problems were repaired. The faulty suspension also caused excessive vibrations throughout the vehicle.
- Transmission – The client noticed that the transmission would overheat when the vehicle was backing a trailer slightly up a hill. Because of this, the car wouldn’t be able to move again until the transmission had cooled down. The dealership would fail to repair this defect as well.
The client attempted to get these issues fixed over a period of six months by taking the vehicle back to the dealership to get it repaired, but the dealership failed to repair most of the problems and the client ended up having to return multiple times to the dealership.
The issues with transmissions aren’t new for GM. In 2019, a class-action lawsuit, Francis, et al v. General Motors, LLC (Case 2:19-cv-11044-DML-DRG), was filed. This class-action lawsuit alleges that the Hydra-Matic 8L90 and 8L45 transmissions on various models and makes manufactured between 2015-2019 by GM were jerky and performed erratically. The models and makes included in this lawsuit were:
| Model & Make | Year(s) |
| Chevrolet Silverado | 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019 |
| Chevrolet Colorado | 2017, 2018, 2019 |
| Chevrolet Corvette | 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019 |
| Chevrolet Camaro | 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019 |
| Cadillac Escalade/Escalade ESV | 2015, 2016, 2017 |
| Cadillac ATS/ATS-V/CTS/CT6/CTS-V | 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019 |
| GMC Sierra/Yukon/Yukon XL | 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019 |
| GMC Yukon Denali/Denali XL | 2015, 2016, 2017 |
| GMC Canyon | 2017, 2018, 2019 |
GM is also facing a class-action suit, Kim Bostick, et al. v. General Motors, LLC (Case: 5:19-cv-02451-VAP-SP), which alleges that a dysfunctional powertrain causes shaking in many cars, including the 2018 Chevrolet Silverado. This shaking is so common that it has become known as the “Chevy Shake.” The vehicles that had this issue are:
| Model & Make | Year(s) |
| Chevrolet Silverado | 2014, 2016, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019 |
| Chevrolet Escalade | 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020 |
| Chevrolet Suburban | 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020 |
| Chevrolet Tahoe | 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020 |
| GMC Sierra | 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019 |
| GMC Yukon/Yukon XL | 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020 |
GM vehicles are also subject to numerous recalls. The 2018 Chevrolet Silverado alone has been recalled twice for the Service Brakes (19V645000, 20V603000) and once for issues with Electronic Stability Control (19V761000).
Problems in vehicles are common and these problems often cause safety issues, such as the airbag failure the client faced. According to the NHTSA, in 2020 alone, there were a total of 886 vehicle recalls, which affected 54,900,946 vehicles nationwide. If you find yourself in a situation similar to the one our client faced, don’t feel hopeless. There are laws in place throughout the United States to protect consumers in these kinds of situations. In California, the Song-Beverly Consumer Warranty Act, better known as California Lemon Law, protects consumers from manufacturing errors in warranted vehicles in cases where the manufacturer is unable to fix a vehicle’s issues after multiple attempts.
When our client from earlier researched the situation they were in and discovered California Lemon Law, the client reached out to the Margarian Law Firm. The Margarian Law Firm specializes in Lemon Law cases in California, such as the one this client faced, Dealer Fraud cases, and consumer class actions. After reaching out to the Margarian Law Firm, the client was no longer hopeless and finally had the ability to stand up for themself against General Motors. Soon after, the Margarian law firm filed a lawsuit against GM. The lawsuit is still ongoing, but compensation is expected from GM to the client for the vehicle. In California Lemon Law, compensation could include a buyback of the subject vehicle, the payment of attorney’s fees, or a cash settlement.
