Chevrolet May Have To Compensate Over 4,000 Customers For Error In Beloved Brazilian Car

Written by Alisson Ficher

Published on 21/05/2025 at 11:05

MPF exige recall e indenização bilionária da GM após Chevrolet Onix receber nota zero em teste de impacto lateral do Latin NCAP

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Chevrolet Onix, The Favorite Car of Brazilians, Could Cost GM Dearly. The MPF Requests a Recall and Compensation of R$ 2.5 Billion After the Model Failed the Latin NCAP Side Impact Test.

In recent years, automotive safety has become one of the main factors analyzed by consumers before purchasing a new vehicle.

Impact tests and certifications ensure that the models sold meet minimum requirements for the protection of drivers and passengers.

However, one of the most popular cars in Brazil, the Chevrolet Onix, had its safety questioned after a side impact test revealed concerning structural weaknesses.

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Latin NCAP and the Chevrolet Onix Failures

The Latin NCAP (New Car Assessment Program for Latin America and the Caribbean) is an independent entity that tests the safety of vehicles sold in the region.

Although it is not a regulatory body, its evaluations are used as a global reference. In the test conducted in 2017, the Onix received the worst possible result: zero rating in side protection.

At the time, the model did not have sufficient structural reinforcements to ensure the safety of occupants in the event of side collisions.

The impact revealed significant cabin deformation, leaving passengers vulnerable to serious injuries.

Even being the best-selling car in Brazil during that period, the vehicle failed in a crucial aspect for consumer protection.

However, the Chevrolet Onix was not the only one to perform poorly in Latin NCAP.

Models such as Fiat Argo and Cronos, Ford Ka, Citroën C3, C3 Aircross, Hyundai HB20, as well as Renault Sandero, Logan, and Stepway, also had unsatisfactory performance in the tests.

General Motors and Official Homologation

Despite the negative result in the Latin NCAP test, it is important to emphasize that the Chevrolet Onix met the safety standards in effect in Brazil between 2012 and 2018.

The homologation of vehicles sold in the country is done by manufacturers in conjunction with regulatory bodies, such as Inmetro.

Therefore, legally, GM was in compliance with the requirements of the time.

General Motors did not deny that the side protection of the Onix was inferior, but argued that the model was produced according to the Brazilian regulations in force at the time.

The manufacturer also emphasized that, subsequently, it reinforced the car’s structure, including a hot-stamped steel B pillar, more resistant to side impacts.

Even with the modifications, the MPF argues that the manufacturer knew about the vehicle’s deficiencies and only took action after the negative repercussions of the Latin NCAP test.

In addition, the agency points out that vehicles manufactured in Brazil, but exported to other markets, received extra structural reinforcements that were not present in the models sold domestically.

The MPF’s Request and Compensation Amounts

The lawsuit filed by the MPF against General Motors was initiated in 2020, by the federal prosecutor in Uberlândia, Cléber Neves, and by the public prosecutor, Fernando Martins.

In the process, the authors argue that, despite meeting the legal requirements of the time, the Chevrolet Onix did not provide an adequate level of safety for Brazilian consumers.

As a result, the MPF requests a recall of the units produced between 2012 and January 14, 2018.

The aim would be to carry out the necessary repairs on the sides of the vehicle, at no cost, ensuring that the models have the same level of safety currently required.

In addition to the recall, the agency requests the payment of a billion-dollar compensation. The calculation considers that, between 2012 and 2018, GM earned approximately R$ 49.8 billion from Onix sales.

The MPF suggests compensation based on 5% of gross revenue, resulting in an amount exceeding R$ 2.5 billion. The amount would be distributed as follows:

R$ 100,000 for the families of victims who died in side-impact accidents;
R$ 50,000 for each consumer who has proven physical damage in side collisions;
The remaining amount would be allocated for collective moral damages, to be deposited in the Fund for Diffuse Rights if there was no individual proof of damages.

The Progress of the Process

The case, initially filed in Minas Gerais, was transferred to the Federal District due to its national relevance.

Currently, the case is under the responsibility of federal prosecutor Anselmo Cordeiro Lopes, who signed the statement recently submitted to the Court.

Now, the MPF is requesting that the Court expedite the trial of the case, that is, that it makes a decision without the need for new evidence or hearings.

If the request is accepted, General Motors could be condemned without further procedural steps.

If the Court decides in favor of the MPF, GM could face one of the largest recalls in the history of the Brazilian automotive industry, in addition to having to bear a billion-dollar compensation.

The outcome of the case could impact not only the owners of the Chevrolet Onix but also the future of vehicle safety regulations in Brazil.

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Chevrolet May Have To Compensate Over 4,000 Customers For Error In Beloved Brazilian Car

Chevrolet Onix, The Favorite Car of Brazilians, Could Cost GM Dearly. The MPF Requests a Recall and Compensation of R$ 2.5 Billion After the Model Failed the Latin NCAP Side Impact Test.

Latin NCAP and the Chevrolet Onix Failures

General Motors and Official Homologation

The MPF’s Request and Compensation Amounts

The Progress of the Process

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Chevrolet May Have To Compensate Over 4,000 Customers For Error In Beloved Brazilian Car

Chevrolet Onix, The Favorite Car of Brazilians, Could Cost GM Dearly. The MPF Requests a Recall and Compensation of R$ 2.5 Billion After the Model Failed the Latin NCAP Side Impact Test.

Latin NCAP and the Chevrolet Onix Failures

General Motors and Official Homologation

The MPF’s Request and Compensation Amounts

The Progress of the Process

Seen from space, an image taken by an astronaut shows an unlikely oasis in the Saudi Arabian desert, protected by a terrain that slows the advance of sand, surrounded by green circles, remnants of an extinct lake and nearly 10,000 years of preserved history.

While the U.S. still faces limitations in deep space, China is developing unprecedented technology with strategic satellites that maintain communication with the far side of the Moon and aims for dominance by 2030.

In Botswana, a salt flat of up to 16,000 km² that was once an African megalake spends months as an absolute white desert, but during the rainy season it transforms into a shallow sea that reappears from nowhere and can be seen from space in the middle of southern Africa.

With 7.4 trillion tons of artificial snow pumped in 10 years, an extreme operation could stabilize the West Antarctic ice sheet and prevent a sea level rise of more than 3 meters, but it would require snow cannons, ocean water, and energy on an almost industrial scale at the end of the world.

The Blood Falls of Antarctica hide a living ecosystem trapped under the ice for over 2 million years, where microbes survive without light, without oxygen, and without ever having seen the Sun.

The CEO of Honor in Spain says that smartphones will change with AI, foldables, and even robot phones; the component crisis is making cheap models more expensive in 2026 and shifting the focus to premium.

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