GM Back in Legal Trouble Over Car Theft Vulnerabilities
In recent years, automakers have been the target of mounting legal scrutiny over product defects that pose safety or security risks. Hyundai and Kia faced nationwide backlash and lawsuits after design flaws made their cars exceptionally easy to steal.
Now, General Motors is facing similar heat. A newly filed class action lawsuit claims GM knowingly sold vehicles with easily hackable keyless entry systems – technology that allegedly allows criminals to steal cars in under 30 seconds using cheap signal-cloning devices.
Filed in the Eastern District of Texas, the case centers around popular Chevrolet, GMC, and Cadillac models produced from 2010 to the present, accusing GM of ignoring known vulnerabilities in its key fob and ignition systems.
According to the lawsuit, the core issue lies in how GM's keyless entry system works. It transmits a low-frequency signal between the vehicle and the key fob. Criminals can intercept this signal using a cloning device – typically no larger than a smartphone – and replay it to the car. Once cloned, the signal allows the thief to unlock and start the vehicle without setting off the alarm.
The affected vehicles are GM's full-size SUVs and trucks, including the Chevrolet Tahoe, Suburban, and Silverado; GMC Sierra, Yukon, and Yukon XL; and Cadillac Escalade and Escalade ESV. These models, the suit alleges, also have onboard diagnostic (OBDII) ports that are vulnerable to hacking. With inexpensive gear, thieves can reprogram new key fobs in minutes and drive away undetected.
The plaintiff in this latest case, Jeremy Burkett, claims his 2016 GMC Sierra was stolen directly from his driveway in 2022 without any signs of forced entry. After replacing it with a newer 2023 model featuring the same keyless system, he says he now lives in constant fear of another theft.
This isn't GM's first brush with lawsuits over its allegedly flawed keyless entry technology. In 2023, the automaker faced another proposed class action involving the 2010–2023 Chevy Camaro. That complaint mirrored the current case, alleging that Camaro key fobs were also susceptible to radio signal interception and cloning.
The previous lawsuit reported a spike in Camaro thefts tied to cloned key fobs. Despite these public alerts and increasing thefts, the suit alleged GM failed to take corrective action, issue a recall, or inform customers of the risk.
Other automakers like Jaguar-Land Rover have begun implementing ultra-wideband protection to defend against these types of "relay thefts," yet the lawsuits argue GM continues to do nothing. While there are ways to protect cars from these thefts, both class actions accuse the company of deceptive and fraudulent practices for selling vehicles with known security flaws.
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