The National Motorcycle Dealers Association (NMDA) and GMC LLC have been involved in a long-running lawsuit. The plaintiffs in this GMC lawsuit allege that GMC negligently created and sold faulty GMC Sierra headlights causing them to be defective during normal use. Both plaintiffs said that GMC knew about the light issue for many years, yet still sold the faulty headlights. This is a class-action lawsuit, meaning that if more people join, there will be a large sum of money to be paid out. If you would like to know more about this lawsuit, and how you can help, please see the links below.
GMC has settled this lawsuit, but it is unknown if they have admitted liability or not. It is believed, however, that they are indirectly admit liability by allowing dealers to sell replacement bulbs for their headlights. These bulbs are not GMC originals, so they cannot be filed as an original part. GMC did allow retailers to sell the bulbs as ‘genuine’ GMC bulbs, so it may be possible that you received a ‘genuine’ GMC bulb, but have a defective GMC headlight. GMC also has a history of recalling defective products and this may also have been a factor in deciding not to admit liability.
In a related game lawsuit, a California woman who was riding her motorcycle in Southern California, died in a crash. The accident report indicated that the woman was wearing a GMC helmet, yet when the police investigated the accident, they found that the oil on her hairline had spilled into her GMC helmet. The next time the woman took her driving test, the examiner asked her to put the oil collector under the seat instead of inside the car. GMC subsequently recalled its passenger headlamps and changed all of its drivers to vote oil heads, making it impossible for them to have an accident in which they poured excessive oil into their heads. This recall was one of the more serious auto recalls in the past few years, and it demonstrates how important it is for large corporations to take the initiative in a proactive manner, in situations such as these.
Another GMC lawsuit involved a member of the Messenger Group, or Messenger Staff, working as a mechanical assistant with GMC at a welding shop in Los Angeles. This employee, identified as a defendant, is alleged to have caused an automobile accident in January of 2021, in which the claimant suffered a significant burn to his face as well as a fractured wrist. According to the complaint, the defendant, identified as a reputed welding shop manager, did not instruct his employees to wear protective gear at work, nor did he train them to use emergency procedures in an efficient manner. Further, he did not instruct his Messenger employees to bring any personal protective equipment with them to work, including gloves, goggles, masks, or other items that would help protect them in an accident. He also failed to instruct Messenger personnel to report any accident or injury within the company’s established workplace safety guidelines. The claim, if proven by the defendant, could result in substantial compensation to the claimant.
The Sierra Club, which is often at the forefront of issues that affect environmental justice and clean air, has long been an opponent of GMC and other large corporations. The Sierra Club lawsuit says the following: “After the Company ignored public safety and refused to acknowledge liability, it is obvious that it is not willing to spend the money necessary to keep our roads safe from defect-free automobiles,” Sierra Club said in a statement. “In the wake of this tragic accident, it is clear that GMC’s lax attitude and lack of interest in maintaining safe working conditions are to be blamed.” The Sierra Club is suing GMC for negligence, as well as for violation of federal labor laws regarding the negligent firing of a Messenger member, as well as for violating Title VII of the Civil Rights Act.
The GMC lawsuit comes as the Department of Justice is currently reviewing its handling of the fuel economy lawsuit against Toyota. Last month, the U.S. Department of Justice announced that it would not file a lawsuit against Toyota due to lack of evidence of wrongdoing by Toyota management. In response to the announcement, the Union of Concerned Automotive Technicians (UACIT) issued a strongly worded statement, saying “fuel economy lawsuits against companies like GMC are just not merited, as the data and facts that support liability cannot clearly point to any wrongdoing on the part of Toyota whatsoever. This reinforces the call from GMAC members and union affiliates to end the witch hunt and return to a real business of making cars.”