Reports of engine failures in General Motors’ 6.2L V8 small-block engines have prompted a federal investigation into roughly 877,710 Chevrolet, GMC and Cadillac trucks and SUVs with the 6.2L engine type.1
The L87 6.2L V8 engine was introduced in 2019 to replace its predecessor, the L86 engine. It debuted in the 2019 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 and the GMC Sierra 1500. It was later featured in the Chevy Tahoe, Suburban, Cadillac Escalade and GMC Yukon and Yukon XL.
Owners of these Chevrolet, Cadillac and GMC vehicles report engine failures occurring at highway speeds and often at low mileages. These GM vehicle owners report having to get engine replacements, a repair that can cost thousands of dollars when not covered by applicable vehicle warranties.
Some vehicle owners report having to get more than one engine replacement in their vehicles. If your dealership cannot repair your vehicle to conform to warranty within the warranty period, your vehicle may be considered a defective product under your state’s lemon laws.
Table Of Contents
- What Vehicles Have the L87 Engine?
- GM L87 Engine Failure Investigation
- Top GM 6.2L V8 Engine Symptoms
- Cadillac Escalade Engine Complaints
- GM Engine Problems: Your Legal Options
- Talk To A GM Lemon Law Attorney
What Vehicles Have the L87 Engine?
These GM vehicle models come standard with the L87 6.2L V8 engine:
- 2021–2024 Cadillac Escalade
- 2021–2024 Cadillac Escalade ESV
These GM vehicle models have the L87 6.2L V8 engine as an option or only on certain trims:
- 2019–2024 Chevrolet Silverado 1500
- 2019–2024 GMC Sierra 1500
- 2021–2024 Chevrolet Tahoe
- 2021–2024 Chevrolet Suburban
- 2021–2024 GMC Yukon
- 2021–2024 GMC Yukon XL
Some of these vehicles of previous model years may come equipped with the L86 engine. Though the L86 and L87 engines have a lot of similarities, the L86 engine is not the subject of this federal investigation.
GM L87 Engine Failure Investigation
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration launched the preliminary evaluation – the first phase of a defect investigation – after receiving 39 complaints and some Early Warning Reporting (EWR) field reports alleging engine failures.2
The GM L87 6.2L V8 engine failure investigation includes the following vehicles:
- 2019–2024 Chevrolet Silverado 1500
- 2019–2024 GMC Sierra 1500
- 2021–2024 Chevrolet Tahoe
- 2021–2024 Chevrolet Suburban
- 2021–2024 GMC Yukon
- 2021–2024 GMC Yukon XL
- 2021–2024 Cadillac Escalade
- 2021–2024 Cadillac Escalade ESV
According to the GM engine investigation, catastrophic engine failure occurs due to engine seizures or breaching of the engine block by the connecting rod. The ODI resume points to bearing failures as the culprit. These issues usually result in the loss of motive power. The GM owners report that there were no signs of the issue before their engines failed.
Top GM 6.2L V8 Engine Symptoms
Though the GM L87 investigation is primarily concerned with engine failures, a survey of complaints from Chevy, GMC and Cadillac owners reveal a host of issues with the L87 6.2L V8 engine and other engines in the affected models.
GM engine problems may include:
- Rattling noises or other engine noises
- Oil leaks or oil pressure problems
- Vehicle stalling or slowing
- Connecting rod or axle rod detaching
- Metal particles circulating through the engine
- Damage to engine block
- Engine seizure
- Catastrophic engine failure
If your Chevy, GMC or Cadillac vehicle has engine issues that cannot seem to be resolved, your vehicle may have a manufacturing defect. If your vehicle is considered defective under the California Lemon Law, you may be eligible for legal restitution.
Cadillac Escalade Engine Complaints
The 2021–2024 Cadillac Escalade and Escalade ESV vehicles come with GM’s L87 engine as its base engine. Owners of Cadillac Escalades have reported their engine issues to NHTSA via submitted complaints, some of which we will feature below:
“I was driving with my family of five on I-15 … when the ability to accelerate was impacted. We noticed a strange noise from the engine compartment too. After about ten seconds of the strange noise and as I was attempting to cross four lanes of traffic to pull over, the car gave an oil pressure problem reading and shut off as we were in the process of coming to a complete stop. … The vehicle was towed … I am now without a family vehicle and no loaners were available, according to the service writer. He said that I will likely have to rent a car while I wait for a new engine. He also said that there are two Cadillacs at the dealership that have been waiting on new engines since May 2022. My family cannot bear the expense of this engine failure, the depreciation of the vehicle while it sits waiting for a new engine, the trauma and danger the incident put us through, and the time I am spending to try to resolve the issue. I’m worried that others will have a similar experience and am writing about this incident to ensure that it’s documented.”
– 2021 Cadillac Escalade, NHTSA ID 11502081
“The contact owns a 2021 Cadillac Escalade. The contact stated while driving 70 mph, the contact heard an abnormal rattling sound and then saw smoke coming from under the hood. Other drivers were honking at the contact and alerted him that there was oil leaking from the rear of the vehicle. There were no warning lights illuminated. The contact was able to pull over and had the vehicle towed to the dealer. The dealer diagnosed that the axle rod had detached causing an engine failure. The vehicle was not repaired and remained at the dealer. The dealer was awaiting a new replacement engine. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 2,000. VIN was not available.”
– 2021 Cadillac Escalade, NHTSA ID 11427220
“As I was driving on the highway in the left lane at approximately 85mph, without any warning lights from the vehicle, the car completely shut off. I had to cross over three lanes of traffic on a busy highway with the car completely stalled out to get to the breakdown lane. The vehicle was towed to my local Cadillac dealership where I was later informed that the engine had completely seized. The service department at the dealership indicated that this is a known issue with the engine in the model year 21-24 Escalades. He indicated that there are faulty bearings that send metal particles through the engine, causing it to seize.”
– 2022 Cadillac Escalade, NHTSA ID 11628238
“My 2023 Escalade Sport that was purchased new has had two engines seize up while driving. The first time this happened was July 17th, 2023, when we were traveling for vacation. It had 10,697 miles on it. We were driving 70 down the highway with the cruise set and it just died. No warning at all. There was no shoulder, the side of the road was steep and muddy so my husband had to time it to get it in someone’s driveway safely. We were pulling a 14ft trailer. We were NOT close to the max weight*, so that had nothing to do with it. How it happened was not safe at all. It was scary having that happen with no warning and we were not close to a city. We had to call family to come offload our car as we had suitcases for vacation. We also had to have another family member bring a truck to pull the trailer home. We lost days of vacation over this. The car was towed to our Cadillac dealer and we were told it needed a new engine. Making another claim for the 2nd engine that failed in this same car.”
– 2023 Cadillac Escalade, NHTSA ID 11636982
*For context, Cadillac’s ‘23 Escalade Brochure states that the maximum towing capacity for 2WD models is 8,200 lbs for vehicles purchased with the Heavy Duty Trailering Package.3
If your Cadillac Escalade or other vehicle model experiences engine seizures or other recurring issues, take it to a dealership for repairs and keep the documents related to your repair visits. If your dealership is unable to repair your vehicle within the warranty period, you may be entitled to certain forms of restitution under the law.
GM Engine Problems: Your Legal Options
If your Chevrolet, Cadillac or GMC vehicle still has engine issues despite engine repairs (or even replacements), you could be entitled to restitution under the California Lemon Law. Under this state consumer law, owners and lessees of defective vehicles may be entitled to one of the following rewards:
- A cash-and-keep settlement, where you keep the vehicle and receive some cash compensation.
- A replacement vehicle, where the model is nearly identical to your current vehicle model.
- A GM lemon law repurchase, where the manufacturer repurchases your vehicle for an amount calculated according to what you paid, minus a mileage-based offset.
Costs and expenses associated with your vehicle defects, such as out-of-pocket repair costs and rental or towing costs, are also compensated under the law. Consult with a lemon law attorney to find out if your vehicle is eligible for a lemon law claim.
Is there a GM 6.2L Class Action Lawsuit?
The viability of a GM 6.2L engine class action was investigated4 after GM vehicle owners reported issues with the L86 and L87 engine variants.5 Though earlier versions of a 6.2L engine investigation included earlier model years, a more recent version of the investigation is focused on 2019–2024 General Motors vehicles.
If a GM engine class action lawsuit arises, check if your vehicle is included in the claim. The lawsuit may have a deadline to opt out of a class action lawsuit to retain your individual right to sue.
Individual GM Lemon Law Claim
The benefit of an individual lemon law claim over a class action lawsuit is that you can sue for charges more specific to your circumstances. While members of class action lawsuits usually get a small portion of the final settlement, owners of defective vehicles can often walk away with much larger rewards upon winning a lemon law claim against a manufacturer.
If you win your lemon law claim against the manufacturer, your attorneys’ fees and costs are paid for as part of the final settlement. This is part of the contingency fee basis in which your lemon law attorneys are only paid if they win your case.
Talk To A GM Lemon Law Attorney
Our GM lemon law attorneys are experienced in handling simple and complex lemon law cases in California. If you are a California resident who purchased or leased a defective new vehicle from a dealership, your vehicle may qualify for lemon law protection. Not sure if your vehicle qualifies? Get a free consultation from a Chevy lemon attorney, a GMC lemon lawyer or a Cadillac lemon law attorney today. Call our lemon law firm at 833-208-8181 or fill out our consultation form below.
References
- (2025, January 16). Loss of motive power due to engine failure. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. https://www.nhtsa.gov/?nhtsaId=PE25001
- ODI RESUME OFFICE OF DEFECTS INVESTIGATION. (n.d.). Retrieved January 23, 2025, from https://static.nhtsa.gov/odi/inv/2025/INOA-PE25001-10002.pdf
- Check out the 2023 Escalade. (2023). Cadillac.com. https://brochures.cadillac.com/2023/escalade/specs-trims/
- (2024, September 16). GMC, Chevy, Cadillac Lawsuit Investigation: Did Your Engine Fail While Driving? ClassAction.org. https://www.classaction.org/gm-engine-failure-lawsuit
- Top Class Actions. (2024, August 14). GM crankshaft engine failure class action lawsuit investigation (Chevy, GMC and Cadillac Escalade). Top Class Actions. https://topclassactions.com/lawsuit-settlements/investigations/gm-engine-failure-class-action-lawsuit/
Lemon Law Help by Knight Law Group is an automotive lemon law firm that exclusively practices in California, with offices in Los Angeles, San Francisco, Sacramento and Orange County. If you are a California resident who purchased or leased a defective vehicle from a licensed dealership in California, we may be able to help you get rid of your potential lemon and recover significant cash compensation. Model year restrictions apply: 2020–Present vehicle models only.
However, we cannot help those who reside outside of California or purchased their vehicle outside of California unless they are active duty members of the Armed Forces, nor will we be able to refer those to a lemon law firm in their states.
To learn more about the California Lemon Law and your legal rights, visit our guide on the California Lemon Law for more information.
