GM Coolant Settlement Could Cost Hundreds of Millions

by Edward Niedermeyer

Published: March 28th, 2008

gm coolant settlement could cost hundreds of millions

The General has settled a class-action lawsuit claiming damages from its "Dexcool" coolant, agreeing to pay up to $800 each to customers who can prove damages. Plaintiff attorneys estimate that the final number of claims could top $20 million, a bill which would cost GM of hundreds of millions of dollars. "It could be multiple nine figures; it depends on how many people make the claim," co-counsel for the plaintiffs, Jack Brady tells the International Herald Tribune . "I think it could be a huge settlement." Of course, while the people who had to replace manifold gaskets and heater cores get between $50 and $800 for repairs, Mr Brady and his co-counsels will pocket up to $23 million in fees and $2.8 million for expenses. Still, if you own a GM vehicle with the 3.1-liter or 3.4-liter V6 engines for model years 1995 to 2003; the 3.8-liter V6 engines for model years 1995 to 2004; or the 4.3-liter V6 engines for model years 1995 through 2000 and have had to pay for coolant-related damages, you should check dexcoolsettlement.com to file a claim.

Edward Niedermeyer

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4 of 33 comments

NN on Mar 30, 2008

Huh...this leaves me with a few questions: 1) if GM still uses Dexcool (i.e. new Astra), has it been reformulated to not have the undesired side affects? 2) if one owns a GM vehicle fitting this description (my 98 Blazer w/135k), should I flush and replace the coolant with normal "green" antifreeze, or do I have to replace it with more Dexcool? I would appreciate some info...some people here seem quite knowledgeable on the subject.

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Pch101 on Mar 30, 2008
if one owns a GM vehicle fitting this description (my 98 Blazer w/135k), should I flush and replace the coolant with normal “green” antifreeze, or do I have to replace it with more Dexcool? If you believe this TSB from Delco, it should be OK to use regular non-Dexcool antifreeze if you change coolant every two years or 30,000 miles, whichever comes first. http://acdelcotechconnect.com/pdf/tsb/tsb_04D-J-054.pdf One of the alleged benefits of Dexcool is that it is supposed to last longer. Given the types of problems that have been reported, I am going to guess that if you keep to a shorter interval (in other words, assume a 2-year/30,000 mile change interval, rather than the 5-year interval recommended by GM) and keep the system full that you may not have problems. Check for corrosion and sludge regularly, and flush the system if you see early indications of problems.

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GS650G on Mar 31, 2008

So how many people would keep a car with head gasket issues after getting raped for an out of warranty repair? Classic. Just like transmission issues, they decide to take care of it after going to court and waiting it out, hoping the cars end up in the junkyard first. Where is the local Toyota dealer?

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Blautens on Mar 31, 2008

Here's the difference between GM and someone else. In 1989, my 1986 Mazda 323 siezed it's motor at about 55,000 miles - because of oiling problems. It cost about $2400 for a new short block. I was pissed. But what are you gonna do? Back then, warranties were 12 months/12,000 miles. 6 months later, Mazda sent a letter - they were aware of a lubrication issue that can cause premature wear/failure. They extended the engine warranty to some ridiculous number, and if you had already made such a repair, submit the receipt for full reimbursement. No class action lawsuit needed. And I bought two more Mazdas.

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