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Updated 12/20/08
Because we're receiving a lot of questions asking when the checks are going out we wanted to post this update. Typically class action lawsuit settlements take three months to a year after the closing date to send out payments. The settlement administrators are responsible for verifying the claims and sending out payment. Since the DexCool settlement didn't close until until the end of October checks won't likely go out to claimants until some time at the end of the first quarter of 2009 or later.
I know you were hoping for better news, but class actions take a long time to process. If there are challenges to the settlement (as there are in the Verizon and Debeers settlements) payment to claimants can be delayed even more. To the best our knowledge there aren't any challenges to the DexCool settlement so you at least have that going for you.
If you have questions about your specific claim you can try calling the Settlement Administrator @ 866-245-4291. Please come back and post a comment once you get PAID! We'd love to hear about it! Thanks, Top Class Actions Staff We're sorry! This settlement is CLOSED! No more submissions are allowed. Please join the Top Class Actions Newsletter list so you don't miss out next time and head over to the OPEN SETTLEMENTS section to see what's available! Companies: GM - General Motors - Chevrolet - Buick - Oldsmobile - Pontiac - Website Link to access the Class Action Lawsuit Settlement and get YOUR Stake: Dexcool Settlement Administrator Site Direct link to the settlement sign-up page here Missouri Residents Go Here Address to submit paper claim: Dex Cool Litigation
P.O.Box 9239
Dublin, OH 43017-4639Phone Number for Assistance: 866-245-4291 Details: The amount of reimbursement for which you are eligible depends on (i) when the Covered Repair was performed and (ii) the amount you actually paid, as described below: - For a Covered Repair made within five years after initial vehicle delivery:
You are eligible to be reimbursed the documented amount you paid out-of-pocket up to $400, if you were not previously fully reimbursed.
However, if you can document that the Covered Repair required you to pay over $1,500 to address an internal coolant leak, your reimbursement level may be different. If so, you can elect to request reimbursement of 40% of the amount you paid out-of-pocket up to $800, if you were not previously fully reimbursed.
(An internal coolant leak means that coolant leaked from one vehicle component into another component. Whereas an external coolant leak means that coolant leaked from inside a vehicle component to the exterior of the vehicle.)
- For a Covered Repair made in the sixth year after initial vehicle delivery:
You are eligible to be reimbursed the documented amount you paid out-of-pocket up to $100, if you were not previously fully reimbursed.
- For a Covered Repair made in the seventh year after initial vehicle delivery:
You are eligible to be reimbursed the documented amount you paid out-of-pocket up to $50, if you were not previously fully reimbursed.
If you paid for more than one Covered Repair (whether on the same vehicle or on different vehicles included in the proposed settlement), you may make a separate claim for each repair. GM vehicles listed below are covered. Please note, below is for everyone BUT those in Missouri. If you're in Missouri, please Go Here for more details. There are three groups of vehicles that are covered by the settlement: Group A Vehicles, Group B Vehicles, and Group C Vehicles. Each group of vehicles is listed below, followed by the Covered Repairs for which cash reimbursement is available under the proposed settlement. GROUP A VEHICLES
Model years 1995-2003
Equipped with 3.1-liter or 3.4-liter V6 engine, manufactured before April 10, 2003 with a nylon/silicone lower intake manifold gasket. | | Buick | Century, Rendezvous, Regal, Skylark | | Chevrolet | Impala, Lumina, Malibu, Monte Carlo, Venture, Corsica, Beretta, Lumina APV | | Oldsmobile | Alero, Cutlass (Supreme and Ciera), Silhouette | | Pontiac | Aztek, Grand Am, Grand Prix, Montana, Trans Sport | Note: Some of these vehicles may have been offered for sale with an engine other than a 3.1-liter or 3.4 -liter V6 engine. Any of the above models sold with an engine other than a 3.1-liter or 3.4 -liter V6 engine are not included and are not eligible to make a claim. Group A Covered Repairs: Replacement of failed nylon/silicone lower intake manifold gasket.
GROUP B VEHICLES
Model years 1995-2004
Equipped with 3.8-liter V6 engine (internal GM engine designation RPO L36). | | Buick | LeSabre, Park Avenue, Regal, Riviera | | Chevrolet | Camaro, Impala, Lumina, Monte Carlo | | Oldsmobile | Eighty-Eight, Intrigue, LSS, Ninety-Eight | | Pontiac | Bonneville, Firebird, Grand Prix | Note: Some of these vehicles may have been offered for sale with an engine other than a 3.8-liter V6 engine RPO L36. Any of the above models sold with an engine other than a 3.8-liter V6 engine RPO L36 are not included and are not eligible to make a claim. Group B Covered Repairs: Repairs necessitated by engine coolant sealing issues, including replacement of throttle body gasket, upper intake manifold gasket, lower intake manifold gasket, or intake manifold.
GROUP C VEHICLES
Model years 1995-2000
Equipped with 4.3-liter V6 engine | | Chevrolet | Blazer, Chevrolet S-10 | | GMC | Envoy, Jimmy, S-15 | | Oldsmobile | Bravada | Group C Covered Repairs: Repairs necessitated by cooling-system sludge, including cooling-system flush, heater core repairs, water pump repairs, or radiator cap replacement. “Sludge” refers to a rust-like material that can form in the cooling system and whose formation is related to use of Dex-Cool. If you own one of the models listed above, but (i) with a different engine size than what is listed, or (ii) the vehicle was manufactured using a lower intake manifold gasket other than a nylon/silicone gasket, or (iii) the vehicle is a Group A vehicle manufactured after April 9, 2003, then you are not covered by the settlement and are not eligible to file a claim. Purchased From: Various GM vehicles model years 1995 - 2004
Claims Accepted Until (YOU MUST SUBMIT YOUR CLAIM BY THIS DATE!): Postmarked by October, 27th, 2008 Class Action Lawsuit Settlement Amount(s): $24,200,000 which includes $16,500,000 in attorney fees + $1,550,000 in "expenses". TCA Staff Tidbit: So, straight to the point. . . Did you encounter ANY problems related to your radiator or cooling system in one of the GM cars covered in this lawsuit? If so, make sure to submit your claim. You probably won't get all of the money you put into the car to repair it, but you should get at least SOME of it back. At least enough for a nice dinner out for two! If you lost the receipts, you're out of luck, but hopefully your garage or dealer will reprint them for you. That's it! A long post, sorry about that, but there's a lot of material to cover. LEGAL INFORMATION IS NOT LEGAL ADVICE This site provides information about the law and class action lawsuit settlements designed to help users safely cope with their own legal needs. Legal information is NOT the same as legal advice - the application of law to an individual's specific circumstances. Although we go to great lengths to make sure our information is accurate and useful, we recommend you consult a lawyer if you want professional assurance that our information, and your interpretation of it, is appropriate to your particular situation. You should consider all postings or writings at TopClassActions.com by staff or others as personal opinion only and NOT the advice of a lawyer. TopClassActions.com Legal Statement ©2008 TopClassActions.com / Top Class Actions LLC
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A few years ago my GMC Jimmy lost an intake gasket. It had 80,000 miles. I brought it to a dealership thinking they'd take care of me. Wrong! They said when this happens it usually takes out the crank bearings. They said it would be better to change them before they took out the crank. I figured it would be nice to know I could trust it after. Wrong again! About thirty miles after the new bearings it started rapping from the lower end. They tried to convince me it was piston slap, you know the other GM defect, and it was nothing to worry about. They insisted it was fine. 10 miles later it was about to throw a rod. I brought it back again. They then put in a new crankshaft, bearings and oil pump. That blew up! They put in yet another crank, bearings, and oil pump. That crank lasted, but the lifters were now tapping. They replaced the lifters and it still tapped. I then adjusted the rockers myself and it was OK. A month later the transmission died due to the recalled trans wiring harness. They paid for the harness, but not the transmission. A couple years later the intake gasket went again and I got rid of the truck. The dealership who put me through this hell was Hights' Chevrolet in Skowhegan Maine. Last week my Cadillac Seville stopped putting out heat. Today I spent five hours flushing that miserable Dex Cool out of it. It took five flushes to get it clean enough to allow the climate control to work properly. I know all car makers have their moments, but what the f!!! I just sold my 2001 Ford Super Duty with the 7.3. The cps recall was a walk in the park. If it was a super cab I never would have sold it and there would be no more GMs in the driveway.
Whatever happened to the Dexcool settlement ?
Has it been settled ?
When can we expect the settlement check ?
I too have been a victim of the Dex Cool mess. Right now my Rendezvous is in the repair shop because the mechanic is unable to find what hasn't been damaged. My husband and I are stuck between a rock and a hard place. Right now we would end up upside down in a loan. We do not want this thing any longer. It is completely unfair that GM gets off with a loan, while the consumers are stuck trying to pay for vehicles that are worthless. I do not believe that there was truly an effort on GM nor Dexcool's part to inform all of us effected by this mess. I have no clue what my final repair bill is going to be nor the next time I will have to repair this vehicle and it is a direct result of DEX COOL!! SHAME SHAME SHAME!!!!
Have had issues with my Malibu. Last yr I had to have my catalytic converter replaced due to Leakage into my exhaust system. The fuel literally turned to sludge in the converter and there was no whre for the liquid fuel to move through it anymore so it stalled out. Then I find out today I need my intake manifold replaced which is a 7 labor hour job because the anti-freeze leaked all over the place & I have oil & sludge in the antifreeze. They should have sent all owners a notice. I dont read car periodicals and stuff like that and had no way of knowing my rights. Can't we start another class action suite because we were not properly notified? This is unfair.
Recently was told about the dex-cool disaster when my water pump leaked for the third time since i've owned my 98 venture,and the last two times in one and half years. the first time was about two years after owning the van. in the past five years i've had heater hoses
head gaskets ,radiator hoses etc . plus two transmissions all replaced and all out of pocket expense. Recently looked into a new GM vehicle, thinking my car has lived its life, but coming to realize GM has screwed the american consumer with poorly made vehicles. that is
why they are in trouble financially and should not get any bail out !!! Nolonger interested in GM my boss has had a toyota for six years , has 85,000 miles and no repairs as coolant problems or tranmissions etc . will be buying a toyota or foreign suv or car have always
owned GM vehicles. never again. GM should have sent out recall notices or had dealerships do the coolant change during oil changes and notified of the situation. My dealership did the first water pump and head gasket replacement and nevere said anything that was wrong ,
the japs should take over the U.S. AUTO !!!!
I email This e-mail address is being protected from spambots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it my concerns about not being included in the class action lawsuit and their lack of notification. This is what they wrote back.
"Dear Mr. Williams, Thank you for your email. Unfortunately, the deadline to submit a timely claim in this settlement has passed as of October 27, 2008. We are no longer able to issue claim forms or accept online claims past this point. Per the terms of the settlement, a wide range of actions were taken to inform class members of the action and their legal options regarding participation. These include, but wer not limited to, publication in prominet periodicals, the creation of a website with information about the case (www.dexcoolsettlement.com), the creation of a toll-free line with information about the case, and mailings of claim forms and notices to probable class member based on the records provided by General Motors. The court reviewed these measures and deemed them fair and adequate in the final approval hearing. If you have any further questions or need a claim form, please contact us toll free at 1-888-404-8013 between 8:30 and 5:00 pst (Monday through Friday). Sincerely Claims Administrator
Whats wrong with this response? One they still tell me to call regarding further questions or the need for a claim form. Number two, they said enough was done to notify us through mass media and web-sites. Well then why still have so many of us failed to meet the deadline claim date and still write forums for help on this problem. Three, and they left to GM to notify us, please there was no desire to notify us. They would go bankrupt. Four, and most importantly this left more money for the lawyers, minimum of 16.5 million to not exceed 24.7 million. And best of all the settlement states GM is not to blame for this problem. And no new claims can be made saving their asses from the rest of us. As far as I'm concerned the lawyers are just as bad as GM. They were not looking out for us the consumer's just themselves.
Suck when the car last a few months past the deadline and we get stuck with the bill for a known defect.
I have been having problems with my car for the past year and just came across this class action -past the deadline. what about people like me that never heard about it but have had repairs or what about people that didnt have a repairs till after the deadline. I would like to know if anyone has had luck calling GM to get reimbursement if they missed the deadline. I dont want to bother throwing a fit with Gm if it wont get me anywhere. When I try calling the class action lawsuit number its a recording so I cant talk to anyone to get a late entry. Please respond back and let me know.
I have been having problems with my car for the past year and just came across this class action -past the deadline. what about people like me that never heard about it but have had repairs or what about people that didnt have a repairs till after the deadline. I would like to know if anyone has had luck calling GM to get reimbursement if they missed the deadline. I dont want to bother throwing a fit with Gm if it wont get me anywhere. When I try calling the class action lawsuit number its a recording so I cant talk to anyone to get a late entry. Please respond back and let me know.
My car also had a Dex-Coolant repair issue, the intake gasket. My 5 year\75,000 warranty ran out 2 days before I had the car at the dealer for an oil change. My oil change cost me $1,024.39 when all repairs were completed. When I complained about the intake gasket repair and asked who I could contact that is when I found out about the Dex-Coolant being a long time issue on GM vehicles and also found out about the class action suit. My car was repaired on 10/31/08, warranty ran out on 10/29/08 and the class action suit claim filing deadline was 10/27/08 with repairs having had to been made by 5/30/08. Yes, I am mad and this may well be my last GM vehicle. In reviewing past repair records I find that the same thing happened on my 1995 Buick Regal and 1999 Buick Regal. I'm not done fighting with GM yet!
I know I'm a latecomer to this issue, but here's my piece anyway. This happend in November - past the suit deadline.
As part of routine maintenence for my 1997 Pontiac Firebird, I changed the oil and filter, and checked the fluid levels in the transmission, brake system and radiator. I was horrified to discover a muddy sludge covering the indicator in the radiator overflow tank. When I removed the radiator cap, I discovered that the same muddy sludge was caked around the filler neck - thick enough to block my view of the inside of the radiator.
I immediately purchased 2 gallons of Dex-Cool and 6 gallons of distilled water. I filled the radiator with the distilled water, ran the engine until it warmed up, and drained it again. Then I filled the system with a 50/50 mix of Dex-Cool and distilled water - per manufacturers specs.
Within a few days, the vehicle began to overheat. It had never done that before. I replaced the thermostat (just in case), but it had no effect - within 15 minutes of starting, the temperature would climb to near critical.
The next day, as I was driving to work (5 minutes away), my check engine light began to flash. The resulting DTC was P0305 - Cylinder #5 misfire. I also noticed white smoke coming from my tailpipe. I checked the coolant level and discovered it was more than a gallon low - yet there were no external leaks.
Although I have not had this repaired yet, there are very few things that cause white smoke, coolant loss, and cylinder misfires at the same time. Antifreeze is somehow entering cylinder #5, disrupting combustion (causing the misfire) and then entering the exhaust system (causing the smoke). Because the coolant isn't circulating correctly, it is also resulting in the overheating. The likely culprit is a faulty head gasket. According to several dealers, this is likely the case - although they will not comment on the specific "DexCool issue" and that it has been known to degrade gaskets.
With a repair cost of over $2000.00, I cannot afford to repair my vehicle. All of this because I followed the instructions given to me by a GM dealer. Where is the justice here?
Shame on you, General Motors!
Here it is November 17 and found out I need intake manifold replaced on my Oldsmobile cutlass, due to Dex Cool. This will cost around $600 and now I see there is a dead line to submit a claim. I am a single mother and I need my car to get to work. GM is always sending me notices to get my oil changed and other great deals, but never sent me any info on what Dex Cool does to my car engine.. Go Figure.. Now GM wants to be bailed out of there mess by hard working people who have worked hard to pay for a car. I sure hope they don't do it. Will never be a GM customer again
Was wondering if a 2005 Pontiac Montana (Not the Montana SV-6) with a 3.4L engine might be covered for heater core issues. Blows lukewarm air (when I need heat) and I have had the coolant flushed, a new thermostat put in and still blows lukewarm air. I live in Michigan so I need the system to heat up a bit. Goes in tomorrow for a check on it again. Only has 58,000 miles on it.
How were people notified about this class action lawsuit? I purchased (new) a 2002 Grand Am GT. In 2005 it had the infamous "leaky intake manifold" issue at a cost of $700. Knowing it was a big problem for certain GM cars using Dex-Cool, I asked my Pontiac service technician about the possibility of a recall or some type of reimbursement for a very common problem. I was assured by my service technician that I would be notified if anything happened that would involve some type of reimbursement. On November 7 while surfing the internet, I came across the Dex-Cool Class Action lawsuit. Imagine my disappointment when I found out that the deadline for filing a claim was a few days earlier. In what manner were people notified about this? This is a bunch of crap...and now GM is begging for Federal handouts after they have screwed hard-working Americans? The 2002 was my third Grand Am. Needless to say, I am now driving a HONDA.
In the summer of 2000 we started to notice a coolant odor. we scheduled a service call to see what was the problem only to be told that it was normal for this engine to burn excess antifreeze and since there was no visible leaks there was nothing to be concerned about. This continued for the next 4 years with only an occasional addition of antifreeze to the cooliant resovare container. During this time nor at any other future time was there any sign of any leakage. In October of 2007 the vehicle started missing and we just made it home before it quite. After checking things out we descovered that the engine contained an extra 5 quarts of wihich we found to be anti-freeze. The costs for repairs varied from $1500 to $3000. Not having the money to cover this sort of expense the vehicle has set in the garage ever since. The intake and heads have been removed and extensive damage to gaskets and severe gel has been noted.
AFTER I SIGN THE PAPER YOU SENT TO ME I WAS DRIVEING TO A NEAR BY TOWN 26 MILE AWAY AND THE TRUCK WENT TO HOT AND BEFORE I COULD DO ANYTHING ABOUT IT IT BLOW THE WATER PUMP AND THE MOTOR I HAD TO PUT ANOTHER MOTOR IN THE TRUCK AS COST WAS I PUT A USED ONE AND THE COST WAS CHEAP 1021.32 CAN THIS BE ADDED TO THE LAW SUE .
JERL LEONARD
This is BULL<edited by Moderator because of vulagar language>. I am supposed to have proof of ownership of a vehicle that I couldn't wait to get rid of and a receipt of the work...the receipt I got from the Buick dealer that did the work of course did not, I repeat, not itemize or detail exactly what they did way back when because they knew it would provide me with evidence for this settlement. I'm between a Lesabre and a regal here and the exhaust and des-cool are killing me.