Chevrolet Suburban Lemon Law

In April 2025, GM recalled roughly 597,000 full-size trucks and SUVs built with the 6.2L V8 (L87) engine — including 2021–2024 Suburban models — under NHTSA recall 25V274. GM found that manufacturing debris and defects in the connecting rods and crankshaft could cause the engine to seize or fail suddenly, sometimes at speed. The remedy is an inspection and, where damage is found, a full engine repair or replacement; owners who pass inspection receive heavier 0W-40 oil and a new filter and oil cap.

Separate from that recall, many 6.2L Suburban owners report the classic Active Fuel Management (AFM) problems: collapsed or failed lifters that produce a persistent ticking or knocking, misfires and a check-engine light, and heavy oil consumption that triggers low-oil warnings between changes. Some also report harsh, delayed, or slipping shifts from the 10-speed automatic transmission. Each of these can leave the vehicle in the shop repeatedly or waiting weeks on a backordered engine.

California's Lemon Law applies when a defect that is covered by the warranty and substantially impairs the vehicle's use, value, or safety cannot be fixed within a reasonable number of repair attempts — or when the Suburban is out of service for an extended cumulative period. A recall is not automatically a lemon, but if the engine problem keeps coming back after repair, or your truck sits for weeks awaiting parts, you may be entitled to a buyback, replacement, or cash settlement, with GM paying your attorney fees.

A recall is not automatically a lemon — it's the manufacturer acknowledging a defect and offering a free repair. California's Lemon Law (the Song-Beverly Act) comes into play when a substantial defect can't be fixed after a reasonable number of attempts, or when your Suburban has been out of service for 30 or more cumulative days.

If your Chevrolet Suburban qualifies, you may be entitled to a buyback (a refund of what you've paid, minus a mileage offset), a replacement vehicle, or a cash-and-keep settlement — and Chevrolet pays your attorney fees on a successful claim, so pursuing your case costs you nothing out of pocket.