Every Vehicle Affected By The GM L87 Engine Lawsuit

Recently, nearly one million drivers were reported to be at risk of a dangerous engine defect found in various vehicles. If you're experiencing common problems with GM's L87 V8 engine, there's a good chance that this lawsuit applies to you. It's also something you'll want to avoid as much as possible since a defect like this can cause your vehicle to stall in the middle of a busy highway. Numerous drivers have already suffered from this exact scenario, so anyone with this engine under their hood should take steps to avoid falling victim to it as well.

You probably won't have to worry about this issue if your vehicle isn't a Cadillac, Chevrolet, or GMC model from 2019-2024, and you certainly won't have to worry about it if your vehicle isn't a pickup truck or SUV. The lawsuit only covers those specific manufacturers and model years, so a brand-new 2025 vehicle isn't subject to this issue. Still, it might be worth giving your vehicle a second look if it has GM's L87 6.2L V8 powertrain. After all, you might never know just how widespread these problems really are until it's too late — just like owners of the models on this list.

Cadillac Escalade models from 2021-2024 included the notorious L87 engine under their hoods. It wasn't the only engine option available, as a 3.0L turbo diesel powertrain was also offered. However, the 3.0L LM2 Duramax from those years has itself been criticized for issues like oil consumption, so neither option was free of controversy. 2025 models abandoned the diesel engine and only offer a 6.2L V8, but these models aren't currently included in the lawsuit.

In the lawsuit itself, at least one Escalade was singled out as having caused problems due to engine failure. This 2022 model failed while towing another vehicle after seemingly consuming more oil than it should've. In case you own this model yourself, this example should provide some good insight as to whether you need to worry about this problem as well. Other Escalade owners also received notice of a recall regarding their engines, but it only reached them recently, so you might want to keep an eye out for warning signs on your own Escalade.

The ESV is basically a longer version of the regular Escalade, offering many of the same features and specs with a bit more luxury. Unfortunately, that additional luxury didn't affect its engine offerings, meaning the same model years were affected by the lawsuit. Although it didn't cover a model that broke down on the road due to engine issues, one 2023 ESV had to undergo frequent oil changes thanks to these issues. It also wasn't able to be fixed immediately, forcing its owner into uncertainty about what they could do regarding the potential failure of their vehicle costing more than $60,000.

These models aren't exactly obscure enough to get away with these problems, either. From 2021 to 2024, Escalade sales were at their peak, with the ESV remaining the largest full-sized SUV you could buy during that period, drawing further interest above its competitors. While the numbers aren't exact, these models could account for over 150,000 of the vehicles affected by these engine issues. You simply shouldn't take any risks if you own or are considering buying one of these recent Escalades.

Chevrolet's Silverado 1500 is one of only two vehicles on this list affected by the lawsuit for model years before 2021, with the net widening to cover as far back as 2019. It's also not nearly as clear whether you'll find issues with your own model, since it had a wide variety of engines available for buyers to pick from. The L87 was unfortunately the strongest one in the lineup, providing 420 horsepower and 460 lb-ft of torque. In other words, anyone looking to squeeze out the most strength from their pickup was inadvertently putting themselves at risk.

Despite the L87's presence in this vehicle, the Silverado 1500 is regarded as one of the most dependable large pickups you can buy today. Considering how many different powertrains are on offer, including a diesel option, you could say the biggest problems managed to slip under the radar. Between this and the number of affected model years, current owners and prospective buyers should be careful with this truck. It doesn't make much sense to stick with a model for its reputation of reliability, only to have it suffer from such a dangerous defect.

The Chevrolet Suburban is a bit closer to Cadillac's problematic vehicles than the Silverado 1500, with a smaller number of engines available and its affected model years only covering 2021-2024. Even so, this hasn't harmed the SUV's reputation significantly. Among every generation of Chevrolet Suburban, models since 2021 have boasted more cargo and passenger space than any of their predecessors. In most regards, the Suburban is seen as a very capable vehicle without many inherent faults.

Unfortunately, the Suburban's reliability scores fall quite a bit below the Silverado 1500's. in fact, only its 2024 models managed to reach a rating of 80/100 from J.D. Power, with other models dipping as low as 71/100. They weren't held in very high regard for dependability from the start, and the additional issues covered by the L87 lawsuit don't help matters. They at least came with a less powerful 5.3L V8 as well, so having a Suburban without a diesel engine isn't automatically a death sentence for your ride.

Rounding out Chevrolet's lawsuit-affected vehicles is the Tahoe, which ends up in much the same situation as the Suburban. It even has the same engine options, with a lesser V8 and a diesel powertrain standing alongside the L87. If you opted for the strongest gas-powered model, you'll have to deal with the car potentially shutting down in the middle of the road on top of other common problems with the Chevrolet Tahoe. Of course, most of those other issues aren't nearly as life-threatening, but they still damage this SUV's reputation.

Worryingly, the Tahoe ends up being a common example used in the lawsuit itself to highlight the L87's problems. One model experienced failure while towing another vehicle like the Escalade, and another nearly collided with 18-wheeler trucks after shutting down mid-drive. Those who encountered this issue ended up having to spend multiple weeks without being able to drive, forcing them to pay for rental cars or other services. The Tahoe might just be one victim of these issues, but given how prominent those problems are in its lineup, you'd be forgiven for having some concern.

There aren't many differences between the Silverado 1500 and GMC's Sierra 1500. They have similar size options, safety features, and even engine lineups, which understandably puts this vehicle under a similarly wide net when it comes to the lawsuit. Just like with Chevrolet's pickup, the 2019 and 2020 model years join the usual 2021-2024 victims. 2020 might have been one of the most reliable GMC Sierra years, but this really only applies to its heavy-duty variant, which happened to ditch the L87 altogether.

The Sierra 1500 also shows up quite a lot in the lawsuit, but its issues were a bit more subtle in some instances. Despite not experiencing total engine failure, one model found itself constantly losing power, hindering its acceleration and increasing risk while driving. The driver attempted due diligence after learning about the recall, but was unable to get it fixed and even received skepticism over whether the potential fix would solve the problem at all. It goes to show how many risks you might be taking if you own one of these affected vehicles, especially if you aren't quick to get the issue sorted out yourself.

As you might expect, the Yukon is basically GMC's equivalent of the Tahoe, similar to how the Sierra is an alternative to the Silverado. And as you might expect, that means their engine situation is nearly identical, once again mirroring the Suburban. One notable difference is that the 2021 model of this SUV is already exceptionally questionable thanks to further recalls beyond the L87 engine. Having to worry about your ride suddenly stopping in the middle of a busy highway just becomes one more problem among issues like fuel leakage and poorly constructed seat belts.

While the 2021 Yukon has abysmal reliability, later models affected by the lawsuit have actually fared quite well by comparison. None of them have nearly as many recalls, making the L87 stand out as a point of failure even more. Sure, owners of a 2021 Yukon might have to deal with more issues overall, but owners of newer models aren't out of the woods either.

There isn't much to say about the Yukon XL that you couldn't already guess by its name. It's a larger version of the Yukon, complete with similar engines and trims, with the only major difference being size. But that extra size does lead to more overall stress on its powertrain, giving the bigger version slightly worse gas mileage than its smaller counterpart. Considering how this lawsuit covers an engine prone to shutting down under stress, that doesn't put the Yukon XL in a very good position.

Interestingly, the Yukon XL hardly gets mentioned in the lawsuit itself beyond being included in the list of affected vehicles. Of course, that could just be due to how similar it is to its smaller version, making any technical distinctions largely irrelevant. Where those distinctions aren't pointless is for owners and buyers, as the L87 could end up being more likely to fail sooner. Even if you're willing to take a risk and drive something with a faulty engine, you'll only be stacking the odds against yourself if the Yukon XL is your model of choice.

If you happen to own one of these vehicles, you should double-check your engine and make sure you're not a potential victim of the L87. If you are, you can contact Hagens Berman, the law firm managing this suit, to join in and get a better idea of your rights. You can also contact your vehicle's manufacturer to see if there's anything they can do. Owners described in the lawsuit had varying results when contacting their dealers and related companies, but you might at least be able to get the engine replaced.

Beyond following the usual steps of what you need to do when your car gets recalled, there simply isn't much you can do on your own. It goes without saying that you probably shouldn't drive these vehicles until this issue is properly resolved across all models. Your best bet is to seek alternate modes of transportation like rental cars. It might disrupt your day-to-day routines or your overall comfort on the road, but it's a better sacrifice than risking your safety.