A class-action lawsuit against General Motors over claims the automaker sold vehicles with alleged faulty transmissions will move forward with plaintiffs in 26 states.
GM Class-Action Transmission Lawsuit
Last week, a Michigan Judge certified 26 statewide classes of drivers who claim that GM sold vehicles with faulty transmissions that caused shudders and hard shifts that made the vehicles difficult to stop and sometimes made it feel as if they had been rear-ended.
GM reportedly declined to comment on the litigation.
8-Speed Automatic Transmission Vehicles Involved
The lawsuit involves more than 800,000 owners of 8-speed automatic transmission GM vehicles. Specifically, the certified class includes purchasers of various GM vehicles with one of two models of an eight-speed automatic transmission, either the 8L90 or 8L45, that were manufactured between 2015 and March 1, 2019, and who bought the vehicle from an authorized GM dealer before March 1, 2019.
Here's the list of the "class vehicles" as defined in court documents:
- 2015-2019 Chevrolet Silverado
- 2017- 2019 Chevrolet Colorado
- 2015-2019 Chevrolet Corvette
- 2016-2019 Chevrolet Camaro
- 2015- 2017 Cadillac Escalade and Escalade ESV
- 2016-2019 Cadillac CTS
- 2016-2018 Cadillac CT6
- 2015-2019 GMC Sierra
- 2015-2017 Yukon and Yukon XL
- 2017-2019 GMC Canyon
A press release from lead council Cohen Milstein states that several class actions were consolidated in September 2019. The class alleges the two transmission models caused significant shaking and shuddering when changing gears. Some drivers said they were nervous to drive the vehicles because they had "alarming difficulties" stopping when a "hard shift" would cause the vehicles to surge forward, causing some to almost hit other vehicles or pedestrians.
The lawsuit covers 39 plaintiffs across 26 states: including Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Illinois, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Michigan, Minnesota, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Washington and Wisconsin.
Lead Council For Plaintiffs
U.S. District Court Judge David M. Lawson also appointed Theodore Leopold of Cohen Milstein Sellers & Toll as lead counsel and about 30 named plaintiffs to serve as class representatives.
Leopold told Law360 he was pleased by Judge Lawson's order.
"As our lawsuit continues, now certified as a class action, we look forward to demonstrating that General Motors knew before the first car left GMs manufacturing facilities that their 8-speed transmissions were defective yet continuously made the business decision to still sell their cars knowing full well of the vehicle defects and safety concerns," Leopold said in a statement.
The lead counsel also says a second action regarding GM vehicles with 8L transmissions is also underway in Battle v. General Motors, LLC, 2:22-cv-108783. That case involved 2019-2022 model year 8L-equipped vehicles with harsh shifts made after March 1, 2019 when GM replaced the automatic transmission fluid that caused the shudder problem.
