Filed under: Trends, Government/Legal, Recalls/TSBs
GM slapped with gasket class-action lawsuit in Canada, claims could hit $1.2 billion
Earlier this month, Autoblog informed you about General Motors electing to handle a widespread intake
manifold gasket defect on a vehicle-by-vehicle
basis. But if Toronto-based law firm Stevensons LLP has any say in the matter, the automaker won't have the option
to be choosy with some 400,000 Canadian vehicles.
The firm announced Tuesday that it is filing a class-action lawsuit against General Motors of Canada Ltd., as well as parent company General Motors Corp. The suit is predicated on the premature failure of intake manifold gaskets used in a wide range of the company's vehicles from 1995-2003. Given the 400,000 vehicle estimate by Stevensons and an average claim of $3,000 per vehicle, the class-action tab could balloon to $1.2 billion dollars.
A similar lawsuit in the U.S. was granted class-action status in January.
Click on the link to see further details, including a list of affected vehicles.
[Sources: The Canadian Press via Canada.com; Canadianally.com]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 4)
MikeC 12:05PM (4/26/2006)
It's about time someone held them responsible for the intake manifold gasket mess.
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Brent 12:10PM (4/26/2006)
Does this mean I'll have to take my 02 Aztek north of the border to have it properly (read, on GM's ticket) tended to?
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rem83 12:16PM (4/26/2006)
An average claim of $3000? We had this problem fixed on my mom's 2000 Lumina for about $600.
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Charles Joyner 12:17PM (4/26/2006)
I own a 2003 S-10 and just recently had to take to my local Chevy dealer because it was using an excessive amount of oil, upon checking out my truck (which only had at the time about 59,000 miles on it) the service department informed me that they had found antifreeze in my oil and that I had a warped head, luckily when I purchased the vehicle new I bought a 100,000 mile drive train waranty but I still had to pay a $100.00 deductible and some other charges that were not covered by my waranty (total bill was over $298.00) and after reading this story I think this is the same problem. I have my truck back after it spent over a week in the shop and some lengthy repairs to the head and a new set of spark plugs as the old ones were fowled by the antifreeze leaking into the cylinder, I am not a mechanic but am concerned that this may result in other problems down the road? please advise.
Thanks
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KD 12:33PM (4/26/2006)
My dad had to fix his 96 Bonneville twice $1500 each time with this class action law suit he may be able to get back what he had to spend. I'll be sure to tell him about it.
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Koba 12:35PM (4/26/2006)
well #2, 3 grand if you take it to the general's dealerships. I could do the job myself in my own driveway for 200 bucks (ask me how I know that...). GM should just issue a recall, and bill it to whichever crappy contractor built the sub par part.
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CANADIAN MADE 12:50PM (4/26/2006)
Honestly, the next one you buy will be better, we promise! Besides, we're giving you more repair money... I mean incentives than back then. Don't forget our great resale values too... oops, sorry, never mind. Hey wait a minute, was that a tumbleweed I saw blowing across the showroom floor.
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Steve C. 12:54PM (4/26/2006)
Yet again, stuff that, if you made it up, no one would believe you . . .
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Puff Chippy 3:19PM (4/26/2006)
That $1.2 billion figure includes the $1 billion the lawyers will steal and the $0.2 billion the actual people who suffered damages will receive. They only people who win in class actions are the lawyers, god love 'em.
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RayRay 3:35PM (4/26/2006)
Getting closer to bankruptcy....
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Nilo Fabie 3:50PM (4/26/2006)
It is a roaring YES to me. My intake manifold had been repaired in 2005 when my Pontiac Minivan was still under warranty. But it re-appeared again with the same problem. Now it's time to get even for all the headache.
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Mick 4:57PM (4/26/2006)
You bought a GM vehicle and you're blaming who?
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jane maffrett 5:20PM (4/26/2006)
My 2001 pontiac aztec head gasket went on me easter weekend..$2000.00 later it was fixed after 3 days of no vehicule. These guys new about these gaskets and should compensate everybody financially for cost/stress/inconvenience...
thanks
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jane maffrett 5:23PM (4/26/2006)
My 2001 pontiac aztec head gasket went on me easter weekend..$2000.00 later it was fixed after 3 days of no vehicule. These guys new about these gaskets and should compensate everybody financially for cost/stress/inconvenience...
thanks
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Mal Fuller 5:30PM (4/26/2006)
#4
Problems "down the road" are standard equipment on GM vehicles.
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gbh 8:47PM (4/26/2006)
EVERY manufacturer has the occasional quality issue.
It is the nature of designing, creating, shipping and assembling millions of parts - even with really low odds - sooner or later, things go wrong.
The question is, how does the manufacturer fix the problem?
My girlfried bought herself an Acura. After 2 years, she had it in for routine service. She noted to the service writer that it has very intermittent rough shift on the otherwise crisp 5 speed auto. The dealer gives her a the standard comp service loaner (a new salesman's car, an RL, the model UP from her car).
They call her a few hours later to tell her that there have been some reports of issues with that transmission. So, if it was ok with her, they'd need to keep her car another day.
She picked the car up the next afternoon with a new updated trans, no charge, no BS.
Gonna get that treatment at a GM dealer? Ford?
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Todd 9:24PM (4/26/2006)
Not sure what dealer you went to but at the GM store I work at we are covering intake and head gaskets 5 years/100000kms.
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Rastus 10:09PM (4/26/2006)
Come on out of the woodwork you GM lurkers and tell everyone how quality is top notch and on par with the best the Japanese (or anyone else for that matter) can produce.
GM is sh*t, their cars/trucks are sh*t, their organization is sh*t, and their financial resale value is sh*t. And like one of the guys who previously posted, their service departments are sh*t too.
But wait, we've got a GMT-900 to sell ya...come back here boys, come back!!! Your fellow countrymen want to take you to the cleaners once again...it's your duty as an "American".
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stratojet 10:42PM (4/26/2006)
"GM is sh*t, their cars/trucks are sh*t, their organization is sh*t, and their financial resale value is sh*t. And like one of the guys who previously posted, their service departments are sh*t too."
This is a nice example of the refinement and savoir-vivre of certain strata of the population. Very very mind elevating that is. I will have to meditate on this; too much information and cleverness in this post. :)
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Alex 10:52PM (4/26/2006)
In my experience GM has two major problems:
First, it has built some really lousy product in the past (and currently to some people). GM has Pinched materials costs, and squeezed suppliers so bad they end up with huge recalls on carryover products. When you take a look at that Camry recall you will notice two things - Toyota came out with it fast (rather than build 100,000 defective cars.), and second its on a new product (new products always have launch issues).
Second, GM treats their customers like crap. GM dealers give customers the run around, and only Cadillac offers loaner cars. There have been instances where Cadillac owners were given Impala's as loaner cars. That is a big no-no in customer service
GM suffers from being a big cold corporation with little common sense. I am touched by all those folks who act as though GM is an underdog in the fight against the so called "foreigners". But the reality is GM is a big cold corporation with the ethics of Enron, and has pinched pennies on their customers for too long.
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