— Chevrolet Equinox and GMC Terrain fuel pump problems have caused a class action lawsuit that alleges AC Delco fuel pumps fail and cause the vehicles to lose power and stall.
Included in the lawsuit are 2020-2024 Chevrolet Equinox and 2020-2024 GMC Terrain vehicles with fuel pumps located inside the fuel tanks. The fuel pump module is located underneath the left-side trim near the spare tire in the rear of the vehicle.
According to the class action lawsuit, the GM fuel pump should have a lifespan of 150,000 to 200,000 miles. But the lawsuit alleges the Chevrolet Equinox and GMC Terrain fuel pumps fail before 100,000 miles.
GM Fuel Pump Lawsuit — The Plaintiffs
Florida plaintiffs Greg and Twila Kerr purchased a used 2021 Chevrolet Equinox in October 2022, but in March 2024 the vehicle had trouble starting.
The plaintiffs say they contacted a GM dealer but was told nothing could be done until the Equinox completely died. Another dealership was contacted to purchase a GM fuel pump module, but the plaintiffs were told the pump wasn't available.
The dealer allegedly said "GM had problems with its fuel pump modules" and a new part number was created for the fuel pump, but that one was also not in stock.
The plaintiffs say they purchased a fuel pump module from a parts supplier and replaced the pump themselves, which took care of the problem.
Texas plaintiff Robert Knowles purchased a new 2023 GMC Terrain in May 2023, but three months later the engine began to make noise, hesitate and stall.
The plaintiff brought "his vehicle to the dealer who purported to perform a repair." But the problems continued which caused the plaintiff to head back to the GM dealership, "and the dealer again purported to perform a repair. Again, the repair failed to resolve the issues."
"Plaintiff Knowles brought the vehicle back [to] the dealer in or around March 2024 with approximately 44,000 miles on the odometer. The dealership has confirmed that the issues were caused by the fuel pump but has not completed the repair." — GM fuel pump lawsuit
General Motors allegedly knew about fuel pump problems in 2019 but concealed the issues from consumers.
GM Fuel Pump Problems
Based on class action lawsuit documents, the reasons for the fuel pump failures vary.
- "A supplier manufacturing defect in the fuel pump power control modules"
- "The use of sub-standard materials in the manufacture of the fuel pump preventing the maintenance of adequate pressure"
- "A defective design of the fuel pump and/or fuel pump power control module"
- "Poor quality-control procedures"
A GM fuel pump recall was announced in February 2023 which included 2021-2022 Chevrolet Equinox and 2022 GMC Terrain fuel pump modules that could have issues or completely fail. But the GM class action lawsuit argues the recall did not repair the vehicles.
According to the class action, owners report seeing warning lights when the fuel pumps or fuel pump modules have problems, and certain diagnostic trouble codes may be set.
- P0089 (fuel pressure is not at specification)
- P0191 (potential abnormality in fuel pressure readings)
- P0300 (random or multiple cylinder misfire)
- P0301-0306 (engine misfire on the indicated cylinder)
- P228C (fuel pressure too low)
- P228D (fuel pressure too high)
- P2635 (fuel pump flow performance)
Taking the vehicle to a dealership for fuel pump replacements is allegedly worthless because the same faulty fuel pumps and fuel pump modules are used as replacements.
The General Motors fuel pump class action lawsuit was filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Delaware: Kerr, et al., v. General Motors LLC.
The plaintiffs are represented by Berger Montague PC, and Capstone Law APC.
