Chevy and GMC truck owners could get up to $12,700 as part of $35M settlement

(WHTM) – Owners of certain Chevrolet and GMC trucks can claim cash from a $35 million settlement over claims General Motors hid issues with a defective high-pressure fuel injection pump.

Plaintiffs in the class action lawsuit claim the part, known as the CP4 pump, was "unreasonably fragile and prone to catastrophic failure." When parts of the pump rub against each other, metal shavings would flake off, contaminating the fuel injection system and sometimes shutting down the engine, the lawsuit claims.

That would leave the affected truck owners with a massive mechanic's bill.

General Motors denied its parts were defective, but agreed to settle the lawsuit "to avoid the costs, risk, and delays associated with further litigation," according to settlement administrator JND Legal Administration.

Who qualifies for a payout from the General Motors settlement?

To be included in this settlement, you must have purchased a 2011-2016 Chevrolet Silverado or GMC Sierra diesel truck equipped with 6.6L Duramax engines and Bosch "CP4" high-pressure diesel fuel pumps.

The purchase needs to have been from a GM-authorized dealer in California, Florida, Illinois, Iowa, New York, Pennsylvania or Texas, and it needs to have occurred between March 1, 2010, and September 13, 2024.

To check if your truck is included in the settlement, you can look up its VIN here.

Both current and former owners qualify for a cash payment.

How much will you get if you qualify?

The size of your payout will depend on if you are a current or former truck owner, and if you already paid for a CP4 fix.

If you qualify as part of the settlement and paid out of pocket for a fix to the part, you're entitled to a payment between $6,356 and $12,712. The exact amount depends on how many people end up filing a claim and being approved.

If you used to own one of the affected trucks but don't have it anymore, and you never paid for a CP4 repair, you still qualify for a cash payout — it's just a lot smaller. You'll get between $400 and $800, depending on how many other people also file a claim.

Finally, if you still own one of the trucks and haven't had to pay for a CP4 fix, you may qualify for help paying for a future repair. There's some fine print in this situation (read more here), but you'll have a year after the settlement is granted final approval to cash in for about $5,000 toward fixing the issue.

How do you file a claim?

You can file a claim online or by mail, and you have some time to gather your paperwork. The window to file will be open at least six months after the settlement receives final approval. That won't happen until Jan. 21, 2025, at the earliest, meaning you should have until July 2025 to file.