2013-2022 Chevy Malibu Models Suffer from Brake Booster Vacuum Pump Defect, Class Action Claims

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A proposed class action alleges 2013-2022 Chevy Malibu models are plagued by a brake vacuum pump defect that can cause a driver to lose the ability to brake, as well as damage engine components. 

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The 85-page case says that the cam-driven brake vacuum pump in affected Chevy Malibu models uses a brake booster to “amplify” brake pedal application. The brake boosters require a steady vacuum supply to increase the forces that the driver applies to a vehicle’s brake pedal, and the cam-driven vacuum pump supplies the brake booster with the requisite vacuum, the lawsuit states. 

In the Chevy Malibu models at issue, however, an apparent defect can cause the brake booster vacuum pump to fail internally, which can in turn result in hard brake pedal application, reduced braking capability and increased stopping distances, the lawsuit claims. Moreover, because the vacuum pump is mounted on a vehicle’s overhead exhaust-side camshaft, which enables an engine to function by opening its valves in time with the crankshaft, its failure may produce unintended mechanical resistance and affect ignition timing and/or damage the camshaft and other critical engine parts, the complaint states.

Per the case, the brake vacuum pump issue is caused by debris in engine oil and/or oil sludge that clogs the oil inlet screen on the vacuum pump. When the screen is clogged, the suit says, oil cannot circulate and lubricate the pump and its internal components, decreasing vacuum levels and/or causing breakage and/or seizure of the vein responsible for rotating the camshaft. 

According to the lawsuit, the Chevy Malibu brake vacuum pump defect poses an unreasonable safety risk given it can affect a driver’s ability to brake. 

The complaint says that defendant General Motors has known of the brake vacuum pump issue since at least 2016, based in part on an uptick in warranty claims and brake defect complaints submitted to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

To date, GM has taken no action to correct the root cause of the apparent brake vacuum pump defect, and the automaker repairs affected Chevy Malibus brought in for service with “new, but equally defective, parts,” the suit alleges. According to the case, GM first acknowledged the problem’s existence in an October 2018 technical service bulletin issued to service technicians. 

Despite possessing knowledge of the problem, GM, the lawsuit claims, “concealed and continues to actively conceal” the brake pump defect from consumers, who the case says have been left with out-of-pocket expenses, diminished vehicle values and vehicles that are not as safe and reliable as advertised. According to the lawsuit, although GM has recalled other vehicle models for “this failure mode,” the automaker has not recalled 2013-2022 model year Chevy Malibus, or offered an improved part to correct the issue. 

The case looks to cover all persons or entities who bought or leased a 2013-2022 Chevy Malibu. 

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