Gm's Defective Speedometers Incite Lawsuits

Posted: Mar 07, 2007 | Comments: 10 | Views: 1,807 | Bookmark and Share

Mr. Kevin Zwicker felt that something was wrong with his 2004 Chevy Suburban; no it’s wasn’t about the GM grilles but the speedometer when it indicated that he was traveling at 10 mph even though he was driving at or near the speed limit on Interstate 5.

Mr. Zwicker’s speedometer has failed completely in April 2006 but unfortunately General Motors refused to replace the defective speedometer stating that the truck was no longer covered by the three-year, 36,000 mile warranty period. Mr. Zwicker has purchased an extended warranty which he paid $100 for a new speedometer and not the regular price of $400 to $500.

Mr. Zwicker who is currently living in Snohomish is the lead plaintiff in a federal lawsuit seeking damages on behalf of other people who also have complaints about their GM vehicles. The lawsuit which was filed last week in the US District Court in Seattle is sufficient to cover complaints of all Washington residents who purchased GM trucks and sport utility vehicles from 2003 to 2007 and who, like Mr. Zwicker need to have their defective speedometers replaced.

Mr. Zwicker has commented that although he is an experienced and careful driver he is uncomfortable to drive not knowing how fast you are going. “I don’t think it’s fair that a major manufacturer such as GM can let something like this go by and not give it some serious thought.”

An almost similar suit was filed this week at the US District Court in Oregon by John Hall who said that he has paid $427.50 in January just to fix the defective speedometer of his 2003 GMC Envoy LE. According to Beth Terrell, an attorney with the Seattle law firm of Tousley Brain Stephens who is representing Hall and Zwicker, the lawsuits in Washington and Oregon are both seeking class-action status. The suits currently cover are five Chevrolet models namely and Avalanche, Silverado, Suburban, Tahoe, and Trailblazer; and four GMC models—Denali, Envoy, Sierra, and Trailblazer; plus a Cadillac Escalade.

Terrell said that additional suits may soon follow in other states but at present there is no plan in consolidating the cases into a single national suit against General Motors. “We think it makes sense to prosecute GM in each state on behalf of that state’s residents.”

According to GM’s spokeswoman, the company will not issue any official statement regarding the alleged lawsuits filed against it until it has seen these lawsuits. The lawsuit filed on behalf of Zwicker is asking for three types of compensation and these are:

1. replacement of all defective speedometers of affected models
2. reimbursement for those who has spent to have their defective speedometer replaced
3. reimbursement for those who have paid speeding tickets caused by the defective speedometers
4. reimbursement for those whose insurance rates have increased as a result of the speeding tickets caused by GM’s defective speedometer

The legal filing includes quotes from 19 complaints which are posted on the web sites of National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and other sites that feature the alleged problems with GM speedometers. US District Judge John Coughenour has been assigned on the case and will decide whether to certify the lawsuit as a class-action.

(ArticlesBase SC #113821)

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    Comments on this article

    0
    1. Daniel W Robinson February 06, 2009
    I own a 2004 Chevy Silverado 2500HD. I only have 36k on the odometer.
    Unfortunately, my dash cluster/speedometer went out and the dealer wants to blame the alarm guy.
    I would like to be added to the suit against GM for a faulty dash cluster.
    Please email: wizardscomm1@aol.com back or call 215-669-3020
    0
    2. Stacy February 16, 2009
    I just left the dealer with my 2003 GMC Envoy with the same problem... MY speedometer rests at 70mph and when I am driving it goes to 120mph... THis started 2 days ago and my mileage is double registering!!! The dealer is charging me $800 to fix! They state I need a new cluster! How do I join this lawsuit to??????
    0
    3. Lanny Draney March 09, 2009
    My wife's 2006 GMC Envoy just started having speedometer issues this week. Apparently this has been a problem for some time. Why is GM not recalling these faulty speedometers and how can we hold them responsible? Are we going to be fleeced again by the giant. I have been a lifelong GM customer but after this and after the window problems of my Silverado I am thinking of changing. They are so big and arrogant that they don't even care about the little people who have saved them through the years.
    0
    4. steve March 17, 2009
    I have a 05 Buick Rendevous that this has happened on. Took it to buick dealer to have a diagnosis run and it was the cluster pannel. but GM will not do anything for me also tried GM customer service but got no wear. I would like to have this vehicle added to the class action suite. MY 03 silverado is already part of it.
    0
    5. Wade Roseborough March 24, 2009
    I sent an email to GM last week regarding the same speedometer problem. They followed up with a reply saying they needed more information. Before sending the email, I spoke with the service rep at out local GM dealership. He knew very quickly what I was talking about and gave me an estimate of $500 to repair it. My speedometer has been over-reading but now it sometimes under-reads. There is a computer problem because if you disconnect the power either by disconnecting the battery or pulling the fuse, the speedometer will zero itself. It might be good for a day- or ten minutes.

    I just got off the phone with the GM rep. She said GM can't be responsible for every little thing that goes wrong the vehicle and that because I bought the vehicle used, I need to take ownership of the problem. I brought up the issue of the class action lawsuit but she denied knowledge of such. Can you imagine the cost to GM if they have to repair millions of on-board computers? They'll go bankrupt!

    The latch for the rear glass hatch pops open by itself too - usually at a very inconvenient time. The GM rep denied knowledge of problems with the latches but if you search the Net, there are plenty of complaints about the latches too. Amenities are nice but if they don't work; they're just dead weight. This was the first GM product that I have owned in 28 years. I WILL NEVER OWN A GM PRODUCT AGAIN! I CAN'T WAIT TO DUMP THIS 2003 CHEV TRAILBLAZER!!
    0
    6. Ronald W Purdin June 09, 2009
    I own a 2004 chevy silverado 1500 first tach goes 80,000 miles then temp gauge at 90,000 then now speedometer goes crazy . now 102223 miles i take it to dealership to fix you pay we fix, what angers me parts man said if under 100,000 we would have fixed it no charge.
    0
    7. J Jacosbsen June 23, 2009
    My 2003 Yukon that I purchased used in March of 2007 has 86K miles on it. Two days ago the speedometer failed. I went to the dealership today and GM states that the court order was only to fix it to 80K. I left the dealership with out having it repaired to the tune of $600.00. I called GM 6 times today and was told that there is nothing they can do for me as they have to abide by the courts rulings. When I asked why I was not sent notification when I purchased the truck I got several different answers from GM.
    I told them I would be contacting whomever I could find to let them know about this and they told me to go ahead...so that is what I am doing.
    0
    8. Jan Stewart July 06, 2009
    2003 Chevy Avalance with same issues but living in Oregon now and the vehicle was purchased in California. Where do we file a claim.
    0
    9. Billy Floyd December 18, 2009
    My wife and myself have 1ea 2003 Tahoe-Silverado both clusters are screwed up and Government Motors wants us to pay for them. Please add my name to the law suit for a class action suit against GM for the faulty speedometer cluster. Thank you fludracing@bellsouth.net
    0
    10. Eddie N. wilson January 11, 2010
    I own a '04 Sierra recently my speedo went out. I could have sworn I saw a recall from GM a couple months ago. My friend has an '03 with similiar isues.Can you please add us in the lawsuit. We would just like to have the Speedo's fixed at no charge...
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