— General Motors and OnStar are accused of collecting and sharing driver behavior and privacy data without permission, forcing drivers to pay more for their insurance.
The first GM Onstar class action lawsuit was filed two days after the New York Times published an investigative piece about the problem and how insurance rates increased.
This was quickly followed by lawyers filing at least 20 additional class actions, as seen below.
All the class action lawsuits have been consolidated into multidistrict litigation (MDL) titled, "IN RE: Consumer Vehicle Driving Data Tracking Litigation."
The GM OnStar class action alleges the plaintiffs were not informed how using OnStar and the Smart Driver program could cause their insurance rates to double, or even be cancelled.
Drivers also complain their data was collected and shared even without agreeing to enroll in OnStar or its Smart Driver program.
Some plaintiffs assert they had no clue their driving behavior was being recorded and then sold or shared with consumer reporting agencies. In some cases, simply downloading a vehicle application, such as the “MyCadillac App,” triggered OnStar to share driving data.
GM and OnStar allegedly shared when a driver was speeding, if they "braked hard" and locations of the vehicle. Even driving at night allegedly made a difference, and all data were used related to credit reports. Insurance companies made decisions based on the collected and shared data.
According to the GM OnStar class action lawsuit, some plaintiffs practically had nervous breakdowns when trying to find out why their insurance rates doubled. Others describe repeatedly speaking with General Motors and OnStar trying to learn why data was collected even though the drivers didn't enroll in OnStar or the Smart Driver program.
According to the lawsuit, General Motors, OnStar and LexisNexis worked together to collect driving data and share it will agencies without drivers knowing about it.
"Plaintiff is informed and believes that General Motors and OnStar sold and/or shared Plaintiff’s driving data without his knowledge or consent. Additionally, the data presented on the Lexis Consumer report is so decontextualized that it can hardly be called accurate. Nevertheless, insurance companies rely upon these consumer reports to determine pricing or flatly reject a potential customer, as has happened here." — Romeo Chicco v. General Motors LLC, OnStar LLC, LexisNexis Risk Solutions Inc.
The Federal Trade Commission, General Motors and OnStar recently entered into a consent order based on allegations GM and OnStar sold location and driving data to third parties.
The FTC says insurance rates were affected, and in some cases GM and OnStar collected data that "include precise geolocation data—collected every three seconds for some users."
The GM OnStar class action lawsuit was filed in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Georgia (Atlanta Division): IN RE: Consumer Vehicle Driving Data Tracking Litigation, MDL No. 3115, Case 1:24-md-03115-TWT.
General Motors OnStar Class Action Lawsuits
- Case 1:24-cv-02510 — Dinardo v. General Motors LLC et al
- Case 1:24-cv-02516 — Reed et al v. General Motors LLC et al
- Case 1:24-cv-02517 — Block et al v. General Motors, LLC et al
- Case 1:24-cv-02518 — Chicco v. General Motors LLC et al
- Case 1:24-cv-02553 — King et al v. General Motors LLC et al
- Case 1:24-cv-02565 — Clingerman et al v. General Motors LLC et al
- Case 1:24-cv-02574 — Alamorian v. General Motors LLC et al
- Case 1:24-cv-02671 — Haiden v. General Motors LLC et al
- Case 1:24-cv-02672 — Landman v. General Motors LLC et al
- Case 1:24-cv-02673 — Garcia, III v. General Motors LLC et al
- Case 1:24-cv-02681 — Behm v. General Motors LLC et al
- Case 1:24-cv-02698 — Parton v. General Motors LLC et al
- Case 1:24-cv-02701 — Valencia v. General Motors LLC et al
- Case 1:24-cv-02740 — Davids et al v. General Motors LLC et al
- Case 1:24-cv-02732 — Smith, Jr. v. General Motors, LLC et al
- Case 1:24-cv-02807 — Carnine et al v. General Motors LLC et al
- Case 1:24-cv-02808 — Cogle v. General Motors, LLC et al
- Case 1:24-cv-02809 — Lima v. General Motors LLC et al
- Case 1:24-cv-02810 — Laursen v. General Motors, LLC et al
- Case 1:24-cv-02811 — Drews et al v. General Motors LLC et al
- Case 1:24-cv-02812 — Martinez, Jr. et al v. General Motors, LLC et al
- Case 1:24-cv-02931 — Hindson v. General Motors LLC et al
- Case 1:24-cv-02937 — SMITH v. GENERAL MOTORS, LLC et al
- Case 1:24-cv-02946 — Horvath v. General Motors LLC et al
- Case 1:24-cv-03135 — Melberg v. General Motors LLC et a
- Case 1:24-cv-03277 — Cashon v. General Motors LLC et al
- Case 1:24-cv-05758 — Dinitz et al v. General Motors LLC et al
