GM L87 Engine Lawsuit & V8 Investment: Engine News This Week
Nov. 14, 2026 — General Motors is spending close to a billion dollars to build its next generation of V8 engines at the same time it fights a growing pile of lawsuits over its current 6.2-liter V8, and the contrast has become the defining engine story of the week. Around that story, automakers are leaning harder into hybrid engines, a new V8 has been unveiled by an unlikely partnership, and a shortage of engine control units is disrupting production in Europe. For truck owners, repair shops and anyone shopping for a replacement engine, the developments carry practical consequences, which Sauto Mobils has sorted out below.
Key facts
GM announced about $918 million for four U.S. plants, including $579 million for its Flint Engine plant, and a separate $888 million for Tonawanda to build its next-generation Small Block V8 and EVs.
The 6.2L L87 V8 faces at least 11 consolidated class actions over alleged bearing and crankshaft defects, and GM has asked a judge to dismiss one of them.
Toyota, Nissan and Hyundai are signaling a deeper commitment to hybrid engines.
A Renault-Geely joint venture has unveiled a new V-8, and engine control unit shortages are disrupting Stellantis production in Italy.
Owners and shops should confirm recall status, follow the manufacturer’s oil guidance and plan ahead for parts and replacement engines.
GM puts $918 million behind engine plants, and nearly $900 million behind the next V8
GM Authority’s weekly summary reports that GM has announced a round of investments totaling $918 million benefitting four of its U.S.-based production facilities, including $579 million for the GM Flint Engine plant in Michigan, $216 million for the GM Bay City GPS plant in Michigan, $68 million for the GM Rochester plant in New York and $55 million for the GM Defiance plant in Ohio. A separate announcement followed for Tonawanda: $888 million to support production of GM’s next-gen Small Block V8 gasoline engine, as well as EV production.
The message is hard to miss. Even as GM writes down another $6 billion for cutting back on EV investments, it is committing nearly $900 million to the gasoline V8 and putting more than half a billion into its Flint engine plant. The company is betting that demand for V8-powered trucks and SUVs will remain strong for years, which means the engines now on the road will keep needing maintenance, parts and, eventually, replacements. For anyone building, repairing or swapping a V8, the engines category at Sauto Mobils lists complete assemblies and long blocks, including a Power Torque Complete Engine Assembly and a Power Torque Performance Complete Engine Assembly, priced at $12,153.99 and $6,321.99 at the time of writing. Engines are application-specific, so confirm fitment for your year, make, model and engine code before ordering.
The L87 problem: lawsuits, a recall and an unresolved federal review
The engine at the center of the dispute is the 6.2-liter EcoTec3 L87 V8, which powers some of GM’s most popular full-size trucks and SUVs. According to coverage of one class action, the plaintiffs are 44 current and former owners of GM trucks and SUVs with the engine, and the suit says the L87 in about 600,000 vehicles has a defective design that causes insufficient lubrication between the bearings and the crankshaft. The complaint says the resulting friction and heat wear the component materials and can lead to spun bearings, broken connecting rods, loss of propulsion and engine failures.
How the case got here
The timeline is longer than many owners realize. The first GM engine lawsuit wasn’t filed until after federal safety regulators opened a formal engine failure investigation in January 2025, and GM recalled about 600,000 vehicles in April 2025. In December 2025, a federal judge in the Eastern District of Michigan combined separate cases, including Powell v. General Motors, into a single consolidated class action. Autoguide reports that the consolidated case brings together 11 separate cases filed between February and November, each alleging that the engine suffers from a manufacturing defect involving the crankshaft and connecting rods. In January 2026, NHTSA announced a recall query to evaluate reports of subsequent engine problems in vehicles subject to the original recall.
The consolidated complaint cites the scale of the problem. It says GM had received 28,102 complaints or incidents by April 2025, and that by October 2025 NHTSA had received 1,157 reports of engine bearing failures and four crashes and fires. Affected vehicles named in the filings include the 2019–2024 Chevrolet Silverado 1500, the 2021–2024 Chevrolet Tahoe and the 2021–2024 Cadillac Escalade and Escalade ESV, and Carscoops adds the Suburban, GMC Sierra and Yukon. Vehicle counts vary by filing. One plaintiffs’ firm, Hagens Berman, cites more than 877,000 affected vehicles in its own suit.
GM’s response
GM is fighting the claims. In its motion to dismiss one of the cases, the automaker argues that supplier defects, not engine design flaws, caused most failures. It told the court that only about 3% of the engines were defective, which it says proves the problems are not design defects, and that its NHTSA-supervised recall remedies the alleged engine defect. Carscoops notes that NHTSA is still examining whether the recall fully addressed the problem. Read the details in CarComplaints’ report on the motion to dismiss and its coverage of the consolidated case.
The oil angle
One detail in the dispute matters for anyone who services these trucks. The consolidated complaint says GM told dealers to search for diagnostic trouble code P0016 and replace the 6.2-liter L87 engine if the code is found, and it argues that the 0W-40 oil used as part of the remedy is more expensive and will decrease fuel economy. Carscoops has also reported that GM has changed its oil guidance more than once. Because the guidance can change, follow GM’s current instructions and your dealer’s recommendation, and check the specification printed on any bottle you buy.
If your instructions call for a 0W-40, the Mobil 1 0W-40 quart at $7.00, the Mobil 1 European Car Formula 0W-40 in a 5-quart jug at $17.98, the Castrol Edge 0W-40 quart at $6.00 and the Pennzoil Ultra Platinum 0W-40 at $6.50 are all available in the motor oil category. None of these listings claims to meet a GM-specific approval, so verify the label against GM’s requirement before pouring. Owners whose trucks specify the standard thin grade can look at the Mobil 1 Truck & SUV 0W-20 jug at $18.48.
What owners can do now
Owners of affected trucks and SUVs have a few sensible steps available regardless of how the litigation turns out:
Check recall status. Enter your VIN at NHTSA’s recall lookup to confirm whether your vehicle was included and whether the work was completed.
Keep service records. Receipts for oil changes and any dealer inspections can matter if a claim comes up later.
Watch the warning signs. Engine knocking, a falling oil level, low oil pressure warnings and a check engine light with code P0016 all deserve prompt attention.
Check the oil regularly. Thin and specialty oils reward owners who top off on time, and a spare quart in the truck is cheap protection.
Get a diagnosis before deciding. If an engine fails outside the recall, the choice is between a repair, a rebuild or a replacement, and the right answer depends on the vehicle’s value.
When an engine fails: replacement options and what they cost
For an engine that fails outside warranty or recall coverage, buyers face a choice between a new engine, a used engine and a remanufactured one. A used engine carries unknown history, and a remanufactured engine is disassembled, inspected, machined to specification and rebuilt with new wear parts, which many buyers see as the best balance of price and peace of mind.
Sauto Mobils’ engines category leans toward that middle path. The Advanced Powertrain Solutions Long Block, Remanufactured is listed at $3,300.99, the Power Torque Complete Engine Assembly, Remanufactured at $4,925.99 and the Power Torque Long Block at $7,999.00. A long block includes the block, crankshaft, pistons, heads and valvetrain, while a complete assembly adds more of the surrounding components, which can save time on parts gathering. Heavy items such as engines are quoted individually for freight, as described on the shipping and delivery page, and engine items carry a $1,000 minimum order under the payment and ordering terms. The returns and warranty policy is worth reading before you order, since coverage varies by product.
Hybrids keep gaining ground, and the engines inside them are changing
While GM defends its V8, several automakers are pointing in another direction. Toyota is reportedly preparing the next phase of its hybrid development, with a compact, modular 1.5-liter four-cylinder engine in naturally aspirated and turbocharged versions to replace its current 1.5-liter three-cylinder and 1.8-liter four-cylinder engines, with a lower profile for improved aerodynamics and smaller, lighter electric motors. The report also notes that Nissan’s e-POWER is coming to America and GM has announced hybrid power for larger three-row crossovers.
The sales numbers point the same way. Hyundai reported a 5.5% rise in third-quarter operating profit, driven by strong hybrid vehicle sales, and Nissan is now delivering its new 2027 Rogue Hybrid with e-POWER to U.S. customers. Those details come from MarkLines’ November 4 industry list.
What hybrids mean for oil and coolant
Hybrid engines tend to run on thin oils, because they shut off and restart often and are designed with tight tolerances. Many call for 0W-20, and some Toyota and Honda models call for 0W-16 or even thinner. The Mobil 1 Advanced Fuel Economy 0W-20 and Castrol Edge 0W-20 5-quart jugs are both $17.98. For 0W-16 engines, there’s the Mobil 1 0W-16 jug at $17.98 and the Valvoline SynPower 0W-16 jug at $18.50, and the newest engines that list 0W-8 can use the Mobil 1 0W-8 jug at $17.98. These grades are tuned to tight tolerances, so use them only where your manual calls for them. Hybrids also have cooling systems with their own coolant specifications, so confirm yours before topping off from the antifreeze category.
A new V-8 appears, and the V8 isn’t going away
The week also brought news that the V8 has more life than its critics expected. Automotive News reported that a Renault-Geely joint venture unveiled a V-8 for a Lotus supercar, pickups and off-roaders, as summarized in DailyKanban’s November 11 digest. It’s a notable development, since V8s have been regarded as an endangered species in many markets.
For enthusiasts and engine builders, the persistence of the V8 is good news for parts supply and support. Anyone planning a project, whether it’s a swap, a refresh or a full rebuild, can compare options in the Sauto Mobils engines category and budget for the supporting fluids, including motor oil and coolant, alongside the engine itself.
Engine control units and chips: the supply chain tightens
Not every engine headline is about pistons. Engine control units, the computers that manage fuel, spark and emissions, are in short supply in parts of Europe. MarkLines reports that Stellantis faces production disruptions at its Italian plants over an engine control unit shortage, and that Stellantis Italy suspended Fiat 500 production at its Mirafiori plant until November 6. The broader industry is feeling it too. GM Authority notes that several major chipmakers have warned that increased demand from AI and robotics companies is creating a bottleneck for the automotive industry. Meanwhile, Automotive News reports that Nexperia has filed a $2 billion suit against its Chinese parent as a chip dispute escalates.
Suppliers are also making moves. According to MarkLines, BorgWarner secured engine control module business with a major OEM through 2034, and the company also won three turbo contracts with a global powertrain leader for South America and Europe, a reminder that turbocharged engines remain a major growth area. On the labor side, CBT News reports that UAW Local 405 is set to strike Triumph Engine Control Systems over a contract dispute.
Why it matters to shops and fleets
Parts delays ripple outward. When control units and other components are hard to get, vehicles sit longer in shops, owners hold on to what they have, and demand for maintenance items and replacement engines rises. Shops that plan ahead tend to fare best. Sauto Mobils is built for that kind of planning, with a bulk pricing program for workshops, fleets and resellers, clear ordering rules on the payment and ordering page, and a $500 minimum cart for low-priced items such as oil and fluids, which can be mixed across categories. Heavy freight is quoted case by case, so build lead time into your schedule.
The industry makes its case for the engine
Industry groups used the week to push back on the idea that the combustion engine is finished. The Engine Technology Forum hosted a webinar called “Engines Power America at 250,” where leaders from engine, equipment and transportation companies discussed how internal combustion engines built America and how they will keep supporting its future. Panelists pointed to software integration, connected equipment, predictive maintenance, hybridization, renewable fuels and hydrogen-powered engines as key areas shaping the next generation of engine technologies, and the Q&A covered renewable diesel, hybrid technologies, engine rebuilding and the growing data center market. Read the full release on GlobeNewswire.
The mention of engine rebuilding is a quiet but important signal. As new-vehicle prices stay high and fleets age, repairing and rebuilding engines has become a practical alternative to replacing a whole vehicle. That trend is one reason remanufactured engines and quality maintenance products have become a growing part of the aftermarket.
Frequently asked questions
What is the GM L87 engine lawsuit about?
Owners allege that the 6.2L L87 V8 has a defect that causes insufficient lubrication between the bearings and the crankshaft, which can lead to spun bearings, broken connecting rods and engine failure. GM denies a design defect.
Which vehicles have the L87 engine?
Court filings name the Chevrolet Silverado 1500, Tahoe and Suburban, the GMC Sierra and Yukon, and the Cadillac Escalade and Escalade ESV, within specific model years. Check your VIN with NHTSA to see whether your vehicle was recalled.
How many vehicles were recalled?
GM’s April 2025 recall covered about 600,000 vehicles, though some plaintiffs’ filings cite higher counts.
What should I do if my GM truck has the L87 engine?
Confirm recall status, keep service records, follow GM’s current oil guidance, check your oil level regularly and have any warning signs diagnosed promptly.
Can I use 0W-40 oil in my GM truck?
Only if GM’s guidance for your vehicle calls for it. The complaint describes 0W-40 as part of the recall remedy, but oil guidance has changed, so check with GM or your dealer first.
What’s the difference between a long block and a complete engine assembly?
A long block includes the block, crankshaft, pistons, heads and valvetrain. A complete assembly adds more of the surrounding components, which can save time on parts gathering.
Are remanufactured engines a good alternative to used engines?
Many buyers prefer them because they’re rebuilt to specification with new wear parts, which reduces the guesswork of an unknown used engine. Warranty terms vary, so read the policy for your specific engine.
What oil do hybrids use?
Many hybrids call for thin synthetics such as 0W-20, and some Toyota and Honda models call for 0W-16 or 0W-8. Always follow your manual.
Does Sauto Mobils sell engines?
Yes. Its engines category lists complete assemblies and long blocks, including remanufactured options. Confirm fitment before ordering.
What to watch next
Several storylines are still open as the week closes. GM’s motion to dismiss the 44-plaintiff L87 case is pending, and the consolidated class action in the Eastern District of Michigan has yet to move past its early stages. NHTSA has not announced the result of its review of whether the April 2025 recall fully fixed the problem. GM has not yet said how its new Small Block V8 will address the issues alleged in the lawsuits. On the supply side, the engine control unit shortage and the Triumph strike could affect production schedules in the coming weeks, and Toyota has not confirmed the timing of its next-generation hybrid engine. Sauto Mobils will continue to follow these developments and update this report as new information is released.
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