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A GM L87 engine recall has caused a lawsuit which alleges using a thicker 6.2-liter engine oil will cause vehicle owners to purchase hundreds of extra gallons of gasoline.
The General Motors class action lawsuit was not filed until after GM announced an L87 engine recall of nearly 600,000 trucks and SUVs.
GM L87 Engine Recall
On April 24, General Motors recalled these vehicles equipped with 6.2-liter L87 V8 gasoline engines after complaints of engine failures.
- 2019-2024 Chevrolet Silverado 1500
- 2019-2024 GMC Sierra 1500
- 2021-2024 Chevrolet Tahoe
- 2021-2024 Chevrolet Suburban
- 2021-2024 GMC Yukon / Yukon XL
- 2021-2024 Cadillac Escalade / Escalade ESV
The GM L87 engine recall involves more than 597,000 trucks and SUVs, but in January the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration opened a federal investigation into more than 877,000 vehicles after customers complained about 6.2L engine failures.
Owners complained the engines were damaged or destroyed because of bearing failures and because the connecting rods punctured the engine blocks. GM says engine problems can also be caused by crankshaft components.
A GM dealer will replace the L87 engine if the vehicle shows diagnostic trouble code (DTC) P0016. If DTC P0016 is not set in the vehicle, the dealer will drain the engine oil and replace it with GM dexos R 0W-40 oil which has a higher viscosity (thicker, more sticky) than the original L87 engine oil.
The GM engine recall also has dealers replacing the L87 engine oil filters and installing new 0W-40 oil fill caps. GM also offers reimbursement if an owner previously paid for 6.2L L87 engine repairs.
The automaker is mailing L87 engine recall letters to customers on June 9, 2025.
GM 6.2L Engine Recall Class Action Lawsuit
Even though none of the trucks or SUVs have been repaired yet, seven General Motors owners paid $405 to file a class action for more than $5 million alleging the L87 engine recall is not good enough.
Those seven plaintiffs claim their vehicles have been devalued by the L87 engine recall, and their vehicles will allegedly now have decreased fuel economy because the L87 engines will require a thicker oil.
According to the L87 engine class action lawsuit, a vehicle owner will need to buy hundreds of extra gallons of gasoline over the lifetime of their vehicle even if the use of a thicker engine oil prevents engine failures.
The plaintiffs complain they and all GM owners are stuck driving defective vehicles or driving vehicles with decreased fuel economy from using a thicker oil.
The GM 6.2L engine class action lawsuit was filed by Thomas McNamara, Raymond Ross, Andrew Schultz, Josh Smotherman, David Hamilton, Donald Shaw, and Laurence White.
The GM L87 engine recall lawsuit was filed in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania: McNamara et al., v. General Motors LLC.
The plaintiffs are represented by Seeger Weiss LLP.