GM Instrument Cluster Settlement
Encyclopedia
The GM Instrument Cluster Settlement was a 2008 class action
settlement awarded to owners of certain General Motors
vehicles with allegedly defective speedometer
s. The settlement allows the owner or lessee to get their instrument cluster replaced under the terms of a special coverage adjustment to their factory standard warranty
.
had received complaints concerning erratic speedometer and gauge readings from numerous makes and models of GM vehicles. No deaths or injuries were ever attributed to the erratic gauges, but owners of the vehicles felt the problem was a safety concern.
In 2007, Kevin Zwicker filed suit against General Motors
in U.S. District Court in Seattle seeking three types of compensation:
John Hall filed a nearly identical suit in U.S. District Court in Oregon after paying the out of warranty repair cost to replace the instrument cluster in his 2003 GMC Envoy LE. Both Zwicker and Hall were represented by Beth Terrell, an attorney with the Seattle law firm of Tousley Brain Stephens.
The case was assigned to U.S. District Judge John Coughenour
, who decided to certify the lawsuit as a class-action.
Owners who paid for repairs to the speedometer before the class action settlement are eligible for reimbursement under the following terms:
Class action
In law, a class action, a class suit, or a representative action is a form of lawsuit in which a large group of people collectively bring a claim to court and/or in which a class of defendants is being sued...
settlement awarded to owners of certain General Motors
General Motors
General Motors Company , commonly known as GM, formerly incorporated as General Motors Corporation, is an American multinational automotive corporation headquartered in Detroit, Michigan and the world's second-largest automaker in 2010...
vehicles with allegedly defective speedometer
Speedometer
A speedometer is a gauge that measures and displays the instantaneous speed of a land vehicle. Now universally fitted to motor vehicles, they started to be available as options in the 1900s, and as standard equipment from about 1910 onwards. Speedometers for other vehicles have specific names...
s. The settlement allows the owner or lessee to get their instrument cluster replaced under the terms of a special coverage adjustment to their factory standard warranty
Warranty
In business and legal transactions, a warranty is an assurance by one party to the other party that specific facts or conditions are true or will happen; the other party is permitted to rely on that assurance and seek some type of remedy if it is not true or followed.In real estate transactions, a...
.
Background
As early as 2005, the National Highway Traffic Safety AdministrationNational Highway Traffic Safety Administration
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is an agency of the Executive Branch of the U.S. government, part of the Department of Transportation...
had received complaints concerning erratic speedometer and gauge readings from numerous makes and models of GM vehicles. No deaths or injuries were ever attributed to the erratic gauges, but owners of the vehicles felt the problem was a safety concern.
In 2007, Kevin Zwicker filed suit against General Motors
General Motors
General Motors Company , commonly known as GM, formerly incorporated as General Motors Corporation, is an American multinational automotive corporation headquartered in Detroit, Michigan and the world's second-largest automaker in 2010...
in U.S. District Court in Seattle seeking three types of compensation:
- Replacement of all speedometers on the affected models
- Reimbursement for anyone who already paid to have a defective speedometer replaced
- Reimbursement for anyone who paid speeding tickets and whose auto insurance rates rose due to a defective speedometer
John Hall filed a nearly identical suit in U.S. District Court in Oregon after paying the out of warranty repair cost to replace the instrument cluster in his 2003 GMC Envoy LE. Both Zwicker and Hall were represented by Beth Terrell, an attorney with the Seattle law firm of Tousley Brain Stephens.
The case was assigned to U.S. District Judge John Coughenour
John C. Coughenour
John C. Coughenour is a U.S. District Court Judge.He was appointed by Ronald Reagan in 1981.Before being appointed as a judge, Coughenour was a leading litigator with Bogle & Gates and has taught trial and appellate practice at the University of Washington School of Law.-Education:-Legal...
, who decided to certify the lawsuit as a class-action.
Terms
- If the vehicle is within 7 years or 70,000 miles (110,000 km) of the date it was first placed in service, GM must replace the instrument panel (parts and labor) for free.
- If the vehicle is within 7 years and between 70,001 miles (110,001 km) and 80,000 miles (130,000 km) of the date it was first placed in service, GM must replace the instrument panel (parts) for free. Any labor costs will be the responsibility of the vehicle owner.
Owners who paid for repairs to the speedometer before the class action settlement are eligible for reimbursement under the following terms:
- If the speedometer failed and the vehicle is within 7 years had less than 70,000 miles on it, upon proper proof of claim GM will reimburse the cost of repairs (parts and labor) up to the limit of what a GM dealership would have charged.
- If the speedometer failed and the vehicle is within 7 years and had more than 70,000 miles but less than 80,000 miles on it, upon proper proof of claim GM will reimburse the cost of the part only (no labor).
Vehicles covered (made 2003 to 2005)
- Chevrolet Avalanche
- Chevrolet Silverado
- Chevrolet Suburban
- Chevrolet Tahoe
- GMC Yukon
- GMC Yukon XL
- GMC Sierra
- Cadillac Escalade
- Cadillac Escalade ESV
- Cadillac Escalade EXT