GM will not comment on the pending lawsuits but continues to claim that Dex-Cool represents an improvement over traditional coolants. I will see if further damage was caused," he told. So far it's just the gasket that has to be replaced. "I have sludge in my coolant caused by Dex-Cool,' he wrote. Samuel in Bellville, Ohio experienced a similar problem with sludge in the cooling system of his car. The plaintiffs claim that GM refused to repair their vehicles or pay for the repairs and the lawsuit seeks unspecified damages for breach of warranty under the federal Magnuson-Moss Act and the Missouri Merchandising Practices Act. The Missouri suit was filed in April 2003 alleging GM vehicles with Dex-Cool in their cooling systems developed a rusty sludge. The Missouri Supreme Court has declined to hear an appeal from GM challenging class-action certification. On its website, the company now also warns owners to consult their vehicle "owner's manual for the type of coolant right for your vehicle" and never "mix one type of coolant with the other." Lawsuits PendingĪt last count there were 14 lawsuits filed in state and federal courts throughout the country by GM vehicle owners angered over their experience with Dex-Cool.Ī Missouri judge may soon grant class-action status to suits in his state - and that would mean that millions of GM customers could become involved in the lawsuit. GM is quick to clarify its confidence in the antifreeze by stating that the GM owner's manual recommended 150,000-mile service interval is not a warranty guarantee. On its website, GM claims Dex-Cool will last 5 years or 150,000 miles but a steady stream of consumers insist the product is defective and has damaged their vehicles. "I just recently saw about the Dex-Cool problems and that is what I have been using in my vehicle since that is the kind that is required from the automakers," Patricia said.ĭex-Cool is now used in almost 40 million vehicles sold by GM since 1996. The gaskets cost me close to $1,000 and they told me there is no guarantee it won't happen again," she wrote in a complaint to. "I have had 2 intake gaskets replaced on my 1997 Pontiac Grand Am. Patricia in Barberton, Ohio, feels cheated by the automaker. The many other reports that you can find were problems that for the most part resulted from lack of maintenance.Ten years after General Motors began using Dex-Cool as an antifreeze in most of its cars and light trucks, GM car and truck owners continue to complain that the coolant corrodes and clogs radiators and radiator caps, erodes water pumps, rots radiator hoses, causes chronic overheating and engine damage while leading to leaky engine gaskets. The only trouble spot that I read were some initial 4300s that were factory filled with Dexcool were having problems with it. There are quite a few myths about Dexcool. If I'm forgetting anything surely one of the experts here can provide more details. This could eventually lead to a head gasket breach. Other damages could also happen when the rust inhibitors would deplete such as the head gasket would start to rust from the inside out. However, because these problems were in most cases the result of neglect GM wouldn't cover the repair costs, hence the reports you read online from pissed off people. Depending on the severity of the problem this may cause complete engine failure and hefty repair bill. When the engine does overheat it may cause aluminum parts to warp as aluminum is less resistent to heat than cast iron heads and blocks that were used in earlier engine designs. If the problem is not noticed early the cooling system would become badly clogged and this would eventually cause the engine to overheat. In time the combination of Dexcool and rust would form a reddish paste that would clog the cooling system. As a result the corrosion inhibitors in the coolant were depleted and their engines and cooling systems started to rust from the inside out.įrom what I read the whole process is once the system begins to rust on the inside Dexcool would pick up the rust and circulate it around to other parts in the system. The whichever first part is very important but apparently some people were keeping the factory filled coolant in their cars well passed the 5 year interval simply because they didn't hit 240,000 kms yet. With Dexcool that interval can be extended to 5 years or 240,000 kms whichever first. Normally you'd have to replace the silicated (green) coolant every 50,000 kms or 2 years whichever first. The many other reports that you can find were problems that for the most part resulted from lack of maintenance.
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