A Bunch of Hot Air – The AC in GMC and Chevy Trucks Simply Does Not Work
CCMS HAS ENDED ITS INVESTIGATION INTO THIS ISSUE.
If you own a GMC or Chevrolet vehicle, you may have noticed that the air conditioning is not…well…working. You are not alone, as a number of consumers have complained that their GMC and Chevrolet vehicles pumped out only hot air. Owners of the following vehicles have all been subject to this hot air problem:
- 2015 Cadillac Escalade Models
- 2014-2015 Chevrolet Silverado 1500
- 2015 Chevrolet Suburban
- 2015 Chevrolet Tahoe
- 2014-2015 GMC Sierra 1500
- 2015 GMC Yukon Models
Owners of GMC, Cadillac and Chevy trucks whose AC systems are no longer cooling and have taken their vehicles to a mechanic or dealership have all been told the same thing—there is a cracked refrigerant hose leaking Freon from the compressor to the condenser. If the A/C line cracks, it could spray oil and refrigerant onto the A/C compressor, making the source of the leak hard to identify.
Pictured: a crack in the compressor to condenser line
As it turns out, the AC system in Escalade, Silverado, Sierra, Yukon, Suburban, and Tahoe trucks stops working and ceases blowing cold air because of a defective bracket design affecting the A/C compressor and condenser line. The refrigerant hose is the “high pressure side” hose and sees about 350 psi pressure when the A/C is running. If the hose is not properly restrained—as is the case with the affected vehicles—one of the crimped metal fittings on the hose end may eventually start leaking due to the constant flexing of the hose in that location.
Unfortunately for consumers, in order to repair this damage and the air conditioning function to their vehicles, the must replace the compressor to condenser line and then install a line bracket to properly restrain the hose. Worse yet, if hose in GMC, Chevy and Cadillac trucks cracks and is not able to transport Freon from the compressor to the condenser, both the condenser and compressor may break, too.
Pictured: an ideal repair of the cracked compressor to condenser line with installed bracket
After completing these repairs, consumers must then recharge the refrigerant system and perform a leak test to verify proper operation. A helpful guide for consumers can be found here. These repairs have cost consumers from $300 to $1000, just to get a working A/C unit—something they already paid for! Worse yet, many of the parts necessary to complete these repairs are currently on back-order, thereby ensuring that consumers will be stuck with this defect (and GMC/Chevrolet’s hot air) throughout the scorching summer.
Considering how much money these vehicles cost, it is inconceivable that they have such fundamental problems. If you own one of the affected vehicles—2015 Cadillac Escalade Models, 2014-2015 Chevrolet Silverado 1500, 2015 Chevrolet Suburban, 2015 Chevrolet Tahoe, 2014-2015 GMC Sierra 1500, 2015 GMC Yukon Models—and have experienced similar issues, you should look into hiring an attorney to get back your money. For its part, the national Plaintiffs’ firm Cafferty Clobes Meriwether Sprengel LLP is investigating GMC and Chevrolet’s behavior, and would be happy to take your call to discuss any potential claims you may have.
August 1, 2017Share on Social Media