GM Transmission Class Action Investigation | Auto Defects
The Lyon Firm is investigating an auto defect class action lawsuit filed against General Motors for an alleged faulty GM transmission issue. Plaintiffs claim GM knowingly sold more than 800,000 cars that had defective transmissions.
Contact an experienced auto defect lawyer to learn more about your legal options following an auto defect-related accident or injury. If your GM automobile, or another make and model, has a defective transmission that led to an accident, call us for a free consultation. The Lyon Firm handles a wide range of auto recall and product liability claims, including personal injury cases that stem from automotive defects.
GM has stated the following as a remedy for the safety issue: “Dealers will install new transmission control module software, free of charge. GM will provide a special coverage program to cover the repair of transmissions that are identified by the remedy software as containing a defective control valve.”
Can I Join the Defective GM Transmission Class Action?
On August 28, 2024, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit affirmed a class certification granted on March 20, 2023 in a class action lawsuit across 26 states against General Motors. The multi-state complaint alleges the auto manufacturer violated state consumer protection statutes by knowingly putting cars with faulty transmissions on the market. Plaintiffs say the company endangered drivers, passengers, and pedestrians by allowing these cars on the road.
The certified class is composed of more than 800,000 owners of GM vehicles with one of two models of eight-speed automatic transmissions, the GM 8L90 or 8L45. The affected cars named in the case were the Cadillac CTS, CT6 and Escalade; Chevrolet Camaro, Colorado, Corvette and Silverado; and GMC Canyon, Sierra and Yukon, and other models manufactured between 2015 and 2019.
GM Vehicle Owners Take Legal Action
Consumers and car owners involved in the case have said that the impacted vehicles suffer from “shuddering” or “shaking” in higher gears and a kind of “lurching” or “jerking” in lower gears. Some drivers reported that the gear shifting was so strong that it feels as if they were hit by another vehicle. Internal company documents obtained in the discovery period allegedly show that GM insiders knew the aggressive shifting could be a safety issue by startling drivers.
In an NHTSA complaint dated October 2024, a GM owner wrote the following: “The transmission failed without warning. The truck jerked several times and wouldn’t go forward, eventually stopping, putting the driver at risk of being hit or losing control. There were no warning lights or issues prior to this. It was towed to the dealer who knew immediately that the transmission valve body had failed. He said this is a known problem and in fact there was a service bulletin issued last year by GM. As of now he told us there are 2000 vehicles waiting for this part. The part has been redesigned because GM knew it was faulty. Our truck is still at the dealer waiting for the part after a month. Others have been waiting for months. GM is not allocating the part for current customers but instead putting the majority in new vehicles even though they know there are thousands of of vehicles less than 3 years old on the road and putting people in danger! The rest us are left without a vehicle. You are welcome to inspect our truck at the dealership where it currently sits.”
Other complaints from consumers include the following:
- “Rear wheels locked up numerous times while at highway speeds.”
- “Transmission lock up”
- “The rear wheels seized.”
- “Valve body failure in the transmission.”
- “Truck downshifted and the wheels locked up.”
- “Rear wheels locked up multiple times.”
Plaintiffs in the GM transmission case allege consumer fraud and an “intentional concealment or deception by the defendant concerning its knowledge of the alleged defects.” The following vehicles are being investigated in the recall:
- 2022 Chevrolet Silverado 1500
- 2022 Chevrolet Silverado 2500 HD
- 2022 Chevrolet Silverado 3500 HD
- 2022 GMC Sierra 1500
- 2021 Cadillac Escalade
- 2021 Cadillac Escalade ESV
- 2021 Chevrolet Silverado 1500
- 2021 Chevrolet Silverado 2500 HD
- 2021 Chevrolet Silverado 3500 HD
- 2021 Chevrolet Suburban
- 2021 Chevrolet Tahoe
- 2021 GMC Sierra 1500
- 2021 GMC Yukon
- 2021 GMC Yukon XL
- 2020 Chevrolet Silverado 1500
- 2020 Chevrolet Silverado 2500 HD
- 2020 Chevrolet Silverado 3500 HD
- 2020 GMC Sierra 1500
Contact our class action auto defect lawyers for a free case review of any significant auto recall or defect claim that caused an injury or accident. Free and confidential consultations for plaintiffs in all fifty states.