GM class action lawsuit claims Chevy Tahoe, Cadillac Escalade and other vehicles have defective paint

Overview of GM’s paint defect class action lawsuit:

• WHO: Four owners of General Motors vehicles have filed a lawsuit against the company.
• Why: The plaintiffs claim that General Motors used defective paint on its vehicles, which was prone to cracking, clouding and peeling.
• Where: GM’s class action lawsuit over defective paintwork was filed in federal court in California.

This new class action lawsuit alleges that General Motors sold cars with defective paint, causing the vehicles’ exterior paint to peel, crack, become cloudy and discolor.

Plaintiffs Bryon Lyman, Kelly McAteer, Jason Merkel and Mark Volk filed the class action lawsuit against General Motors LLC on July 9 in federal court in California, alleging that the company violated state and federal consumer protection laws.

The class action lawsuit covers paint jobs on Chevrolet Tahoes (2015-2020), Chevrolet Suburbans (2015-2020), GMC Yukons (2015-2020), GMC Yukon XLs (2015-2020), and Cadillac Escalades (2015-2020).

“Although the defect became apparent over time, (General Motors) knew about these problems or should have known about them before selling the (vehicles). Nevertheless, GM continued to market vehicles in the class of latently defective vehicles,” the lawsuit states.

The lawsuit claims the paint problem is an expensive repair

The class action lawsuit contains numerous stories from consumers about problems with the paintwork on their vehicles.

Lyman says he bought a used 2017 Tahoe LT in California in 2019. In early 2022, he noticed problems with the vehicle’s paint. Despite his efforts to polish the car himself, the problem persisted. A professional painter later diagnosed a “clear coat problem” and polished the car. Lyman says that was just a “band-aid solution.”

Lyman claims that he would have had to spend over $10,000 to completely repair and repaint the vehicle. This process would require sanding the car down to bare metal, which Lyman claims would significantly reduce the value of his car.

GM probably knew about the defect, the plaintiffs claim

The lawsuit alleges that the problem is not unique to Lyman’s Tahoe. Many other General Motors customers suffer from the same defect, which allegedly causes peeling, cracking, clouding, flaking, blistering, erosion and microbubble formation of the clear coat.

The plaintiffs say they expected their “luxury” vehicles to be of good quality and had no reason to expect the paint problems. Had they known about them, they would not have bought the vehicles or would have paid less for them. The lawsuit says General Motors knew about the defect or should have known about it because there were so many customer complaints.

Plaintiffs seek to represent anyone in the United States who purchased or leased a vehicle in the class action suit in California. They are suing for breach of warranty, unjust enrichment, fraud, and violations of the state’s consumer protection laws. Plaintiffs are seeking class certification, damages, fees, costs, and a jury trial.

In the meantime recently filed class action lawsuits against General Motors (GM) over alleged vehicle defects, unlawful data collection and sharing, and hackable key fobs. GM also expanded a recall last month over concerns that certain GMC Sierra and Chevrolet Silverado vehicles have tailgates that can accidentally open while the vehicle is parked.

Are you affected by this GM paint job lawsuit? Let us know in the comments!

Steven W. Ritcheson, Taylor C. Bartlett and Jeanie Sleadd of Heninger Garrison Davis LLC represent the plaintiffs.

The GM class action lawsuit over defective paintwork Is Bryon Lyman et al. v. General Motors LLCCase No. 2:24-cv-05786 in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California.

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