GM In Legal Hot Water: Class Action Alleges Paint Defects On Popular Models

General Motors is at the center of a class action lawsuit alleging that several of their vehicles from model years 2015 to 2020, including the Chevrolet Tahoe, Suburban, GMC Yukon, Yukon XL, and Cadillac Escalade, suffer from severe paint issues. 

All four owners—Byron Lyman, Kelly McAteer, Jason Merkel, and Mark Volk—are spearheading the class action lawsuit. Well, if the plaintiffs had known about the issues, they would have paid less or not bought the cars.

Vehicle owners have reported a wide variety of paint issues, including flaking, bubbling, erosion, peeling, cracking, and microblistering on the clear coat. Byron Lyman claims that he bought a used 2017 Tahoe LT in 2019 from a California dealer and that the vehicle began to exhibit paint issues in early 2022.

There was a problem with the vehicle's clearcoat, the detailer informed Lyman, and the only solution was a bandaid remedy. The car would have cost Lyman over $10,000 to repair and repaint.

The plaintiffs in this action are pursuing all U.S. citizens who purchased or rented an affected GM car in California. Their lawsuits against the automaker include claims of fraud, unjust enrichment, breach of warranty, and state consumer law breaches.

In addition to asking for expenses, fees, and damages, they want a jury trial. “Although the defect manifested over time, General Motors knew or should have known of those issues prior to the sale of the vehicles, yet GM continued to put the latently defective class vehicles on the market,” the lawsuit reads.