General Motors sued over paint defects on some SUVs

Paint on some models is prone to peeling, cracking and bubbling

A class-action lawsuit has been filed against General Motors in the United States, alleging that the paint on some vehicles is defective and prone to peeling, cracking and delamination.

The lawsuit alleges that GM knew about the paint problems and sold 2015-2020 Chevrolet Tahoes, 2015-2020 Chevrolet Suburbans, 2015-2020 GMC Yukons, 2015-2020 GMC Yukon XLs and 2015-2020 Cadillac Escalades. The class action lawsuit was filed by four owners: Byron Lyman, Kelly McAteer, Jason Merkel and Mark Volk.

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Plaintiffs said they had expected premium paint for their high-end vehicles and would not have purchased or paid less if they had known about these problems. Many owners complained that the paint on their vehicles was flaking, cracking, peeling, bubbling, corroding, and micro-bubbling on the clear coat.

Byron Lyman said he bought a used 2017 Tahoe LT in California in 2019, and by early 2022, the car began to have paint problems. An auto detailer told Lyman that the car had issues with the clear coat and that he could only offer a “Band-Aid” fix. To fully restore the car, Lyman would need to spend more than $10,000 and have the car repainted.

The plaintiffs in the case seek to represent U.S. citizens who bought or leased affected GM vehicles in California. They are suing the automaker for breach of warranty, unjust enrichment, fraud and violations of state consumer law. They are seeking a jury trial and damages, costs and litigation fees.

“Although the defects developed over time, GM knew or should have known about the problems before selling (the vehicles); yet GM continued to put vehicles on the market with the latent defects,” the lawsuit states.