RV owners beware: GM engine recall may tank fuel economy and resale value

Last month we published recall information for 600,000 GM rigs with 6.2-liter V8s. Not only are these engines in big GM SUVs, but some pickups also have them. The official recall says, “the connecting rod and/or crankshaft engine components in those vehicles may have manufacturing defects that can lead to engine damage and engine failure.” GM’s fix is to have the engines inspected, those in bad shape replaced, and the rest rolled back at the owners with a new oil filler cap, and heavier engine oil. “Not so fast!” says a class action suit. It claims owners will get hit with bad fuel economy and poor resale value. Here’s what’s behind the GM engine lawsuit.

GM engine suit says the “fix” really doesn’t fix the problem

The class action lawsuit against General Motors (GM), claims that the company’s recent recall doesn’t fully fix the major engine issue. The lawsuit, McNamara, et al. v. General Motors LLC, was reported by CarComplaints and involves nearly 600,000 GM vehicles in the U.S.

The recall affects vehicles with GM’s 6.2L V8 L87 engine. If a vehicle passes inspection, GM recommends switching to a thicker, high-performance oil—0W-40 Mobil 1 Supercar—instead of the thinner 0W-20 oil originally used.

The lawsuit argues that the thicker oil will lower fuel efficiency, forcing owners to spend more on gas over time. It also claims the recall hurts resale value. Buyers may be less interested in used GM trucks and SUVs with this engine from the 2021 to 2024 model years. The suit calls for a $5 million award.

What rigs are involved in the GM engine suit?

In total, the recall covers 597,630 vehicles in the U.S., including:

• Cadillac Escalade (79,747 units) and Escalade ESV (46,280 units)
• Chevy Silverado 1500 (107,244 units), Suburban (22,162 units), and Tahoe (44,802 units)
• GMC Sierra 1500 (153,630 units), Yukon (82,832 units), and Yukon XL (60,933 units)

Globally, about 721,000 vehicles are affected. However, GM says the issue only impacts vehicles from model years 2021 to 2024—not 2019, 2020, or 2025.

We’ll stay on top of the GM engine suit and keep you informed. If you own a rig with one of the recalled engines, we’d like to hear from you. Drop us a line at Russ@rvtravel [dot] com.

RELATED

• Major recall: GM pulls 600,000 SUVs for potential engine failure
• Federal investigation targets 900,000 GMC pickups and SUVs over engine issues
• GM recall for pickups with tailgate pop-open problem

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