GM Sending Debit Cards to Owners of Thirsty Crossovers
Owners of full-size 2016 General Motors crossovers will get a welcome present in the mail to make up for the automaker’s window sticker snafu.
About 135,000 retail customers will receive debit cards worth between $450 and $1,500, Automotive News reports, making GM square with owners of affected Buick Enclave, Chevrolet Traverse and GMC Acadia models.
Due to a “data transmission” error, the Monroney stickers on 2016 full-size crossovers listed an incorrect EPA fuel economy rating that was one to two miles per gallon higher than it should have been.
GM said “emissions-related hardware” was installed on the models this year, explaining their unusual drop in mileage, despite an unchanged powertrain.
The payout, which begins next Wednesday, compensates owners for the difference in mileage depending on their lease term. Those who purchased the vehicle can choose between a gas card or an extended warranty.
Fleet buyers will have to stay in the dark until GM figures out how to compensate them.
There’s no word yet on any charges from the Environmental Protection Agency, which began investigating the sticker discrepancy after GM made the issue public last week. There is one class-action lawsuit, though.
The owners in the suit are represented by the same law firm that sought compensation for Hyundai and Kia buyers in that automaker’s gas mileage controversy.
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What those things need is a 100 MPG carburetor.
Doesn't cut it. If you expected 200K miles from your crossover, and 17 mpg and $3 gas, then you would expect to spend $35.3K on gas over the life of the vehicle. If you then got only 15 mpg, you would spend $40K on gas over its 200K miles. So you are out the difference of $4,700. A debit card for $450-1,500 just isn't getting it done, GM.
As much as I don't really care for GM, their response to this has been lightning fast, unlike another large auto manufacturer that was hoping no one would notice their lying (aka VW). So good for them in trying to make customers happy before it escalates too far.
I liked the Hyundai idea better. They reimbursed you for the difference plus a certain percentage as a "sorry". You had 2 options; either take a lump sum payment or get a yearly debit card based on mileage. We chose the card which gets around $2-300 for as long as we have the car; it's paid about $1200 thus far (The lump sum was around $500). The process is pretty simple, although there's people out there that moan and groan they have to take it once a year to the dealer for them to read the mileage.