Chevrolet News and Notes

Chevy started offering an optional "blind zone alert" safety upgrade with the 2013 Cruze. However, they placed the system's sensors on the rear bumper which, according to a new lawsuit leaves the system suceptible to spray from the rear wheel wells.

The sensors and wiring are allegedly sealed poorly and allow water and debris to affect the systems, leaving owners with non-working systems they paid for.

Because of the defective design, dealers allegedly can't effectively repair the systems and any damaged sensors are installed in the same problematic locations. The plaintiffs in the case said replacement sensors were on back-order when they brought their car in for service.…

A lawsuit filed in Oklahoma says GM’s A/C will only blow hot air due to multiple defects in the HVAC system.

And that the automaker wasn’t upfront about the problem.

The lawsuit says there are at least two defective parts of the air conditioning system, the first being the line leading from the compressor to the condenser. This line consists primarily of an aluminum tube connected to a rubber hose, but the plaintiffs claim the tube can disconnect from the rubber hose and allow the refrigerant to leak.
Additionally, the aluminum tube is allegedly defective because it can rupture and allow the leak to occur.…

A proposed settlement will award certain GM owners in Arizona about $200 each for owning cars with ignition switch problems.

The $6.28 million will be paid to about 33,000 GM owners in Arizona, as long as they purchased the vehicles between July 2009 and July 2014 and didn't get rid of the vehicles before the ignition switch recalls were announced in 2014..

As with any settlement, there are plenty of stipulations which you can read about here.

GM owners tired of their dashboards looking like a faultline have taken the matter to the court.

General Motors allegedly tells consumers the damage is merely cosmetic, but the plaintiffs claim in addition to safety hazards, the damaged dashboards and instrument panels cause a loss of value of the vehicles.

GM wasn't going to issue a service campaign or recall, and the feds won't investigate issues they don't consider to be a safety defect. With so many of these vehicles having this problem, owners had no other choice but to file a lawsuit.

https://www.carcomplaints.com/news/2018/gm-cracked-dash-lawsuit.shtml

GM owners are still trying to convince a judge that Vortec 5300 engines have oil consumption problems and don’t give owners adequate warnings when oil levels are dangerously low.

According to the lawsuit, the Vortec 5300 engines in the vehicles consume extreme levels of oil because of defects in the oil rings that allow oil to invade the combustion chambers … The plaintiffs claim the oil pressure warnings can fail to activate in time to prevent engine damage, something GM has allegedly known is a problem with the Vortec engines.

The judge had previously dismissed the lawsuit and doesn't seem too interested in complaints about fires, oil rings, or inadequate warnings.

The plaintiffs have a small, uphill chance if they can amend their complaints.