June 8, 2026 - General Motors contends the class action over its engines merits dismissal because every affected vehicle already underwent recall procedures.

The GM L87 engine case covers these models.

2019-2024 Chevrolet Silverado 1500
2021-2024 Chevrolet Tahoe
2021-2024 Chevrolet Suburban
2019-2024 GMC Sierra 1500
2021-2024 GMC Yukon
2021-2024 GMC Yukon XL
2021-2024 Cadillac Escalade
2021-2024 Cadillac Escalade ESV

Forty-four current and former owners of GM trucks and SUVs equipped with 6.2-liter V8 EcoTec3 L87 engines serve as plaintiffs. The suit alleges the L87 powerplants in roughly 600,000 vehicles suffer from a design flaw that produces inadequate lubrication between bearings and the crankshaft.

According to the complaint, this flaw generates extra friction and heat that wear down component materials. The resulting damage allegedly produces spun bearings, which can fracture connecting rods, eliminate propulsion, and trigger complete engine failure.

GM engineers identified two main root causes for the L87 issues, both traced to manufacturing and quality shortfalls by separate third-party suppliers in distinct engine parts.

The automaker explained that sediment on connecting rods and crankshaft oil galleries can harm rod bearings, while crankshaft dimensions and surface finishes outside specifications also contribute to failures.

General Motors informed the court that supplier issues triggered the engine troubles and that only about 3 percent of units proved defective. This statistic, the company maintains, demonstrates the problems do not stem from design defects as claimed, because a true design flaw would affect every L87 engine.

In April 2025, General Motors recalled approximately 600,000 vehicles for engine concerns. The automaker highlights that the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration endorsed the recall work, which involved dealers installing new engines at no cost for vehicles failing an L87 inspection.

Vehicles that passed inspection received higher-viscosity oil along with a fresh oil fill cap and oil filter.

Every recalled vehicle also obtained a 10-year or 150,000-mile engine warranty extension, and owners could buy higher-viscosity 0W-40 oil at a cost similar to standard 0W-20 oil.

At least 11 class actions have targeted the L87 engines, yet the initial suit arrived only after regulators launched a formal engine-failure probe in January 2025.

That probe ended in October 2025, after which NHTSA started a new review to check whether the recall captured every impacted vehicle.

In January 2026, NHTSA further announced a recall query examining reports of later engine troubles in vehicles already covered by the original action.

The plaintiffs' claims lack viability and deserve dismissal, GM argues, because the company already recalled hundreds of thousands of vehicles and performed free repairs while also extending warranties.

Without evidence that they personally encountered a defect, GM states, the plaintiffs cannot depend on conclusory assertions or harms reported by others or absent class members.

General Motors maintains that prudential mootness and primary jurisdiction support dismissal, given that its NHTSA-supervised recall already resolves the claimed engine defect. Although plaintiffs argue the remedy falls short, GM counters that they should direct concerns to NHTSA.

Express warranty claims also fail, the company says, because plaintiffs never allege GM refused warranty service. Implied warranty claims likewise collapse because any breach remains bounded by the original vehicle warranty terms.

The GM engine suit was filed in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan: Powell et al., v. General Motors, LLC, Case No. 4:25-cv-10479-SDK-KGA.

The plaintiffs are represented by The Miller Law Firm PC, DiCello Levitt LLP, Hagens Berman Sobol Shapiro LLP, and Lieff Cabraser Heimann and Bernstein, LLP.