2025 Chevrolet Suburban Lemon Law Case Study: Cash and Keep Settlement in Florida
Brand-New 2025 Chevrolet Suburban With a Seized Engine: Months After Purchase
Our clients purchased a new 2025 Chevrolet Suburban in Florida, an $81,274 full-size SUV built for family reliability and long-haul comfort. In less than three months after driving it off the lot, the engine seized. What began as vibration and rough running escalated quickly to one of the most catastrophic mechanical failures a vehicle can experience: a completely seized engine with scored connecting rod bearings, scored main bearings, a damaged crankshaft, and oil contaminated with metal debris.
The Suburban spent 72 consecutive days at the dealership while the entire engine was replaced, more than double Florida's 30-day lemon law threshold. Our clients were left without the vehicle, forced to arrange alternative transportation for over two months.
Easy Lemon evaluated the case, confirmed eligibility under Florida's Lemon Law based on the extraordinary days-out-of-service threshold, and secured a $15,000 cash settlement. The $15,000 total includes the attorney fees.
Defects Documented in This Case
- Engine vibration and rough running: the Suburban exhibited persistent roughness under driving conditions and shook badly when stopping, signaling internal mechanical distress
- Engine seizure: technicians found the engine locked and unable to start; the oil was contaminated with metal particulate and the engine coolant level was low
- Scored connecting rod bearings: found when technicians examined the engine assembly
- Scored main bearings: the main crankshaft bearings, which support the entire rotating assembly, were also scored
- Damaged crankshaft: the crankshaft itself, the backbone of the engine, suffered damage requiring full engine replacement, not merely a component repair
- Full engine replacement required: the repair required replacing the entire engine assembly, leaving the vehicle out of service for 72 consecutive days
A New $81,000 SUV. Engine Seized Within Three Months.
The 2025 Chevrolet Suburban was purchased new on May 20, 2025 in Florida. Three months later, the engine had catastrophically failed. The timeline below documents the progression from initial symptoms to a complete engine replacement spanning 72 days.
Initial Symptoms: August 2025
Our clients noticed the Suburban developing a persistent vibration and rough engine behavior while driving. The vehicle shook noticeably when coming to a stop, unusual behavior for a brand-new, three-month-old SUV.
Engine Found Seized: August 18, 2025
Technicians attempted to start the engine and found it completely seized, locked and unable to turn over. Oil was inspected and found contaminated with metal debris, indicating catastrophic internal wear. The engine coolant level was also low. This was not a software glitch or minor component issue, this was a total engine failure on a vehicle about three months old.
Diagnosis: Scored Bearings & Damaged Crankshaft
Further teardown confirmed the full extent of the damage: scored connecting rod bearings, scored main bearings, and a damaged crankshaft. These are the critical load-bearing components at the heart of the engine's rotating assembly. The severity of the damage left no option other than complete engine replacement, a repair that would take weeks.
Full Engine Replacement: 72 Days in Service
The Suburban remained at the dealership from August 18 through October 28, 2025 — 72 consecutive days, while the entire engine assembly was sourced and replaced. Throughout this period, our clients were without their primary vehicle, left to arrange their own transportation at their own expense. Florida law requires 30 days out of service to trigger lemon law protections; this case exceeded that threshold by 140%.
Why a Single Repair Attempt Was Enough to Win This Case
Many consumers assume lemon law requires multiple failed repair attempts. That's only half the story. Florida's Lemon Law (§681.10 et seq.) provides two independent qualifying paths, and this case qualified emphatically under the second:
- Path 1, Repair attempts: 3 repair attempts for the same defect, plus a final repair attempt after written notice, within the 24-month Lemon Law rights period
- Path 2, Days out of service: 30 or more cumulative days out of service within the 24-month Lemon Law rights period — regardless of the number of repair attempts
With 72 days out of service on a vehicle that was only 3 months old, this Suburban cleared the days-out-of-service threshold by 140%. The defect, a catastrophic engine failure requiring full engine replacement, also clearly constituted a "substantial impairment" of the vehicle's use, value, or safety under Florida statute.
Why GM Still Required Professional Representation
Despite the overwhelming evidence, General Motors did not voluntarily offer a fair resolution. Several manufacturer defense tactics made professional representation critical:
- "One-time event" defense: GM commonly argues that a catastrophic failure, even one requiring a complete engine replacement, was an isolated incident that has now been "fixed," and that the repaired vehicle is no longer a lemon. Our team countered this by demonstrating that the defect occurred within 90 days of purchase on a brand-new vehicle, and the 72-day out-of-service period independently satisfied Florida's statutory threshold
- Rental reimbursement dispute: Our clients had paid for a rental vehicle during part of the 72-day period. We incorporated this into the damages calculation and settlement demand
- Settlement valuation: Without experienced lemon law counsel, consumers frequently accept first offers that significantly undervalue their claim. Our knowledge of Florida's fee-shifting statute, which forces GM to pay attorney fees if the consumer prevails, gave us negotiating leverage to secure $15,000 rather than a nominal goodwill payment
How Easy Lemon Recovered $15,000 for This Case
Free Case Evaluation
We reviewed the repair order documenting the engine seizure, confirming the repair start and end dates, the 72-day out-of-service period, and the documented defects, scored bearings, damaged crankshaft, and metal-contaminated oil. The case immediately qualified under Florida's days-out-of-service threshold. We also confirmed the vehicle was still within the first 24 months.
Documentation & Case Assembly
Our team compiled the complete case file: the purchase contract (new vehicle, $81,274, May 2025), the full repair order documenting the engine seizure and replacement, records of the 72-day service period, and the clients' documentation of rental expenses incurred during the repair.
Formal Demand to General Motors
We filed a formal lemon law demand under Florida Statute §681.10 et seq., citing the 72-day out-of-service period (2.4× the 30-day threshold), the catastrophic engine failure on a 3-month-old vehicle, and the substantial impairment of the vehicle's use, value, or safety. The demand also incorporated rental costs and noted that attorney fees could be awarded against GM under §681.112 if the consumer prevailed.
Settlement Negotiation: $15,000
Armed with clear statutory eligibility and the economic exposure of attorney fee shifting, we negotiated a $15,000 cash settlement, Cash and Keep, allowing our clients to retain the Suburban with a full engine replacement already completed, while receiving substantial cash compensation. No litigation. The $15,000 total includes the attorney fees.
Why Did This 2025 Chevrolet Suburban Qualify as a Lemon in Florida?
Florida's Lemon Law (Chapter 681, Florida Statutes) sets specific thresholds that can entitle a consumer to a buyback or replacement. The repair records in this case showed:
- Engine seizure: reported in the repair records.
- Scored connecting rod bearings: reported in the repair records.
- Scored main bearings: reported in the repair records.
- Damaged crankshaft: reported in the repair records.
- Oil contamination with metal debris: reported in the repair records.
- Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act: the claim also relied on federal warranty law.
$15,000 Recovered for Our Clients
Case Summary
- Vehicle: 2025 Chevrolet Suburban, purchased new in Florida
- Purchase price: $81,274
- Purchase date: May 20, 2025
- Primary defect: Engine seizure, scored connecting rod & main bearings, damaged crankshaft, oil contaminated with metal
- Repair duration: August 18 – October 28, 2025 (72 consecutive days)
- Florida lemon law threshold: 30 days required, 72 days documented (2.4×)
- Settlement type: Cash and Keep, $15,000 cash recovery, clients retain the Suburban
- Attorney fees: included in the $15,000 total
What Our Clients Are Saying
Attorney on Record
Ron Kaniuk, Esq.
Florida Managing Partner, Easy Lemon by RockPoint Law P.C.
Ron runs the firm's Florida lemon law practice from the Miami office. He earned his J.D. at St. John's University School of Law in 1996 and has handled buyback, replacement and cash-and-keep claims against every major manufacturer.
Having Problems With Your Chevrolet Suburban?
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