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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
2014 Silverado 1500 Crew cab High Country
Babied since I purchased new ($60k).
Beautiful truck.
QUALITY ISSUES;
@ 10 miles = Truck shutdown on maiden voyage home from dealership – computer failed.
@ 20k miles = dealer replaced engine, poor AFM design, lifter failure bent rod, shredding cam lobe. Dealer could not guarantee new engine would not repeat same failure mode, so I invested in chip code (reprogramming) to permanently disable AFM. Given lifters appear to be the root cause this may only delay a repeat.
@ 35k miles = chrome began peeling off the rims. @ 50k miles = I replaced 4 rims due to corrosion inside bead, air seal lost, poor chrome quality. No warranty coverage.
@ 80k miles = vibration 70-80mph, occasional harder shifting, forums indicate possible driveshaft or torque converter failures are prevalent contributors. Out of warranty.
GM quality has gone into the toilet, and its obvious they are not taking ownership of the issues designed into their vehicles (profits before customer satisfaction) on multiple fronts.
Intermittent vibration resolution appears to be an expensive fix. Replacing the Torque converter means pulling the transmission. After reading many reviews I am going to start with servicing the transmission with the Mobil1 blue label Synthetic LV ATF HP #124715. If that does not resolve the issue, will have to consider Torque converter to avoid total Transmission failure, followed by replacing driveshaft. Let me know if any of this sounds illogical before I jump deeper into the abyss – I definitely need to get in on this GM lawsuit action…
Or eliminate the driveline altogether and get a new E-truck. But worry that GMs reputation will only lead to a new set of issues there too. I may only be trading problems!
2016 silverado and I have this problem. I thought it was strange, but just avoid the highway. It would be nice if I did feel comfortable driving at higher speeds, considering it is a 30k investment.
I own a 1997 Chevy 2500 pick-up which I purchased new in 1997. I have 128000 miles on the vehicle and only experienced normal maintenance repairs through the years. Lately, when I get on the X-way and speed up to blend with the flow of traffic, the whole truck will shake, sometimes violently, until I let off the gas pedal and slow down. Then I can speed up slowly to avoid the shake problem. I stay off the X-way because I fear this problem may cause an accident. Had drive shaft and U-joints checked they are ok. I think the Transmission is the problem but can not seem to pinpoint the exact cause.
Any suggestions?
I have a 2014 GMC Sierra and I’m also dealing with this Chevy shake, extreme shaking throughout entire truck at normal driving and highway speeds,
I own a 2014 Silverado P/U and when get up to 70 miles an hour shakes terribly in center of vehicle
I had a 2018 GMC Yukon and I had to get rid of the vehicle becuase it violently would shake so hard that it would cause my truck to drift into another lane. When I tried to slow down it would get worse. I took my truck back to the dealership for repairs only to be told their was no service bulletins out from GM to address the ongoing issues. I almost had an accident when my truck vibrated so hard it felt like my wheels were coming off.
I have a 2016 Suburban it shakes at 70 mph and much worse at 80 mph. It’s uncomfortable to drive during long trips on the highway .
My 2018 5.3L Silverado just started what I thought was misfiring between 30-60 mph a couple months ago, when I went to purchase spark plugs auto parts tech informed me the “check engine” light would have come on if plugs or injectors were the problem, then I found site discussing transmission and/or driveshaft could be the real issue….so here I am. Any updates to this class action?
I bought a 2016 Blue Silverado 1500 Tracy Motors Plymouth Ma.it shaked & ratling at speeds over 40 MPH since brand new. Shaking & Ratling stopped under 40 MPH. Tracy service Tech tried to say it was moisture in the brakes. I spend over 400+ dollars for a life time rotation & alignment plan at Sullivan tire. Thought noise was front end alignment. Summer 2021 shaking & Rawlings got real bad disturbing my neighbors Tracy Motors again said it was my brakes. During one off my rotations at Sullivan tire asked tech to how bad are my rear brakes.Tech told me rear brakes are fine. I saved all slips on Silverado.
I have a 2016 GMC Sierra 75- up seats shake side to side. Just got the runaround buy local dealer today. 57,000 miles on the truck. It’s horrible to drive. Absolutely no resolution- they said well it might be the shocks, after several other guesses. Charged me a $350 diagnostic fee.