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Drivers have launched a class action lawsuit against General Motors, claiming that the powertrains in some Chevrolet, Cadillac, and GMC vehicles are defective, causing an unpleasant driving experience known casually as the “Chevy shake.”
The Chevy shake class action lawsuit was filed by Kim Bostick and Branden Jamison who say that they purchased vehicles affected by the defect.
According to Bostick and Jamison, General Motors leased and sold hundreds of thousands of vehicles that are equipped with defective drivelines or powertrains — the part of the vehicle responsible for turning the vehicle’s wheels. Allegedly, this problem causes the vehicles to shake violently when driven at high speeds.
Bostick and Jamison go on to describe the “Chevy shake” defect in more detail, claiming that the problem is caused by a defective drive shaft that is part of the driveline.
According to the plaintiffs, the drive shaft is an aluminum tube running the length of the interior of the vehicle, “transmitting torque and rotation from the engine to the wheels.” The drivers say that when the output shaft of the transmission rotates, it spins the drive shaft, turning the differential ring gear to rotate the wheels.
To work correctly, the drive shaft must reportedly be designed to particular balanced and weighted standards, so it can perform at high speeds. However, the design of the GM drive shafts in question allegedly are not appropriately designed.
The GM driveline shake class action lawsuit says that because of their defect, the vehicles are unstable at highway speeds and can cause drivers to lose control of their vehicles.
Allegedly, the problem can worsen over time if it is not fixed. The drivers say that the defect in the design can cause the drive shaft to deteriorate, which can cause the powertrain to completely fail by the drive shaft dropping to the ground. The drivers say this occurrence makes the vehicles unusable.
The vehicles that reportedly possess the Chevy shake defect include the following:
- 2015 to 2020 Cadillac Escalade
- 2014 to 2019 Chevrolet Silverado
- 2015 to 2020 Chevrolet Suburban
- 2015 to 2020 Chevrolet Tahoe
- 2014 to 2019 GMC Sierra
- 2015 to 2020 GMC Yukon or Yukon XL
GM allegedly knew or should have known about the defect in the driveline because of testing that the company should have conducted on the vehicle before it was released onto the market.
Additionally, GM knew or should have known about the problem at least after the vehicles were released onto the market because numerous complaints were made about the problem and communicated to GM, say the drivers.
The GM driveshaft class action lawsuit claims that GM actively concealed this information from consumers. The drivers state that GM put its own profits ahead of the safety and financial interest of customers.
The plaintiffs say that had they known their vehicles were defective, they would not have purchased them or would not have paid as much as they did for them.
In April, GM drivers filed a separate, similar Chevy shake class action lawsuit.
Have you experienced the “Chevy shake” with your GM vehicle? Let us know in the comment section below.
Bostick and Jamison are represented by Steven R. Weinmann, Tarek H. Zohdy, Cody R. Padgett, and Trisha K. Monesi of Capstone Law APC; and by Russell D. Paul and Amey J. Park of Berger Montague PC.
The Chevy Shake Driveline Defect Class Action Lawsuit is Kim Bostick, et al. v. General Motors LLC, Case No. 5:19-cv-02451-VAP-SP, in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California.
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329 thoughts onGM Class Action Alleges ‘Chevy Shake’ At High Speeds
I have a 2014 Silverado and 2016 Yukon. Both have this shake issue. I have identical Michelin tires on both and was hoping putting $1000 worth of tires on it was going to solve it but it didn’t.
2015 Chevy 1500 4×4. I experience it at above 63mph but stops around 78 though. This has been a GM problem for decades however and isn’t just limited to GM trucks. Why are people just now filing a class action? This should have been started like 20 years ago when this issue first arrived. First GM truck i noticed it on was our company 2wd 2003 1500. That thing shook to the point we traded it in for another only have that truck do it as well so we had an on going hoke thst it was a nonhighway truck and was limited to only being practical for city driving routes.
My 2015 crew cab Silverado had a vibration after 60 mph. Had it at dealer four times to try and fix. Got gm tec service involved and then they said it was a characteristic of the vehicle.
I just bought a 2014 with 90000 miles, I drove it around with salesman on a route they use for test rides ,all seemed fine. Didn’t drive much first two weeks, then went out of town on Interstate noticed the shake everyone is talking about. I hope GM has to fix this. I have a 2005 Silverado with 247000 miles, it is smoother at 70-80 mph. Was hoping to get 250,000 out of the 2014 but this is unacceptable. Definitely seems to be driveline not in wheels.
I have 2016 Escalade and mine started this last month. The dealership flushed the transmission fluid recently and it is better now, but it just doesn’t drive the same anymore. I only have 18k miles on it.
2015 gmc sierra 2500 HD diesel
Mine shakes too over 50 mph any gear
Dealer blamed tires. Nope replaced them too still shakes..I did an alignment too..I even replaced driveshaft with aftermarket and still shakes. Saw a GM service bulletin on this relating it to a torque converter shimmy but i dont think it pertained to the Allison diesel transmission..been living with it ever since i bought it but I am angry the dealership always has blamed it on tires, brake rotors etc…also have always smelled rear brakes occasionally since I bought with 12k.. of course the dealers could never get them to heat up and smell on their test drives but once i hit 40k they blame it on a wear item called a “sticky “caliper and won’t warranty it even though I complained and documented this several times right after I bought it with 12k
My truck shakes. I have taken it to tire shops to check balance and rotation. I thought it was tire related. It still does it and I have just lived with it.
Took vehicle in for this was forced to replace a tire and have a road force balance then was told the shake was within manufacturing tolerances and they would no longer diagnose problem or repair any more vibrations 2016 Silverado Z71 5.3 V8
You all are a bunch of liars there’s nothing anything wrong with these vehicles so stop making up lies
Jeremy, you are probably driving a 1995 Geo or work for GM. I have an 80,000 dollar Yukon XL Denali that shudders in the city and around 73 MPH, and I have no reason to lie about it. I still love the looks of the vehicle, but GM did a terrible job validating the design of the 8 speed transmission and rushed it to the market among other issues we have seen with these vehicles. I am in reasearch and development for a large company, and they are liars if they did not know these vehicles would show these problems, or they are that incompetent which is pathetic for a company like GM. If GM does not stand behind these these issues, I will not be buying another next generation 80k SUV from them when they arrive next year. The Navigator looks better and better without these issues.
Jeremy
I’ll let you drive it but make sure you glue your dentures in ..it does shake so dont tell me what you dont know
Maybe you got lucky so far with yours or it hasn’t started doing it yet for you
I have a 2015 GMC Sierra it shakes and sometimes it shimmer numerous times I’ve been to two different dealers on this issue. They flushed the transmission and replaces the torque converter. I mentioned to the dealer at the time of repairs to check the drive shaft due to being unbalanced. In the service bulletin it states series of checks including the balance of the drive shaft. I wish the person who designed these trucks would have took a little more effort into suspension design my front tires rub on the front sway bar when making turns.