New Mass Lawsuit Hits General Motors, L87 V8 Engine Allegedly Defected From The Beginning

GMC Sierra 2025 which uses a 6.2 liter V8 engine engine. (Photo: GMC)

JAKARTA General Motors (GM) has again stumbled upon legal issues related to the V8 engine. A new class action lawsuit filed in the Eastern District of Wisconsin, United States, alleges that GM was aware of defects in the V8 L87 engine in its car from the start. The lawsuit claims that the machine's rod pads (rod bearings) are prone to failure, which could cause the engine to completely shut down or even a piston penetrate the engine block.

Carscoops reported on Tuesday, July 29, that the lawsuit hopes to emulate the success of other lawsuits against GMs that have succeeded in recent weeks.

The plaintiffs stated that the repairs offered by GM through recall of nearly 600,000 vehicles were inadequate.

The L87 engine itself is a 6.2 liter V8 engine used in several large pickup trucks and GM SUVs, including GMC Sierra,ION, Chevrolet Tahoe, Suburban, Silverado, and Cadillac Escalade.

The lawsuit is also based on the recall made by GM, which includes 597,630 vehicles. Meanwhile, the solution offered by GM is to replace the engine if necessary, but there are conditions only if the machine fails to be checked. Vehicles passing the inspection will only get thicker oil, new oil filters, and new oil caps. Vehicle owners are worried that their engine may pass the inspection, but it will still be damaged over time and distance. This lawsuit even alleges that engine replacement is not a good solution, because the installed replacement engine is also the same type L87.

In addition to concerns about mechanical repair, the plaintiffs demanded compensation to cover the decline in vehicle value and losses due to not being able to use their vehicles.

Interestingly, this is just one of at least two ongoing lawsuits against GM regarding the L87 engine. Another lawsuit, first discovered by CarComplaints, includes many of the same complaints and demands, but also accuses problems on the dimension and finishing of the craneshaft surface. The lawsuit was filed in the Eastern District of Michigan.

The problem with the V8 GM engine appears to be a sustainable pattern. Recently, GM was reported to have settled a lawsuit related to the 5.3 liter V8 LC9 machine which allegedly had a defective piston ring and assembled. The settlement ended with a compensation payment of 150 million US dollars by GM, where the lawyer in the case received 57 million US dollars, while the three main plaintiffs only received 30,000 US dollars (equivalent to Rp492 million).