Christina Spicer  |  December 20, 2018

Category: Auto News

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St. Ives Apricot Scrub Class Action Lawsuit Tossed by CourtA group of consumers alleges in a recently filed class action lawsuit that a defect in the GM 8L90 and the 8L45 transmissions included in vehicles made between 2015 and 2018 causes problems when drivers try to shift the vehicles.

Lead plaintiffs, all GM owners, allege in their class action lawsuit that the 8L90 and 8L45 transmissions are defective, causing drivers to not only experience the “hard shift” but also engine damage. Ultimately, GM owners and lessees face mounting repair costs because of the alleged defect, the complaint says.

“Drivers attempting to accelerate or decelerate their cars feel a hesitation, followed by a significant shake, shudder, jerk, clunk, or ‘hard shift’ when the vehicle’s automatic transmission changes gears,” alleges the GM class action lawsuit.

Further, “The shuddering, shaking, jerking and hesitation is related to internal issues within the transmission and/or torque converter causing friction surfaces, hydraulic systems, and gears to not function properly, and resulting in metal shavings being circulated throughout the transmission,” continues the complaint. “Over time, damage to the transmission and torque converter occurs.”

The GM class action lawsuit contends that the car maker has known about the alleged transmission defect “for years.” Pointing out that GM has issued a technical service bulletin about the problem, the plaintiffs allege that the company has failed to inform consumers.

“But current purchasers and lessees should not have to cross their fingers for a fix, and prospective customers should be told of GM’s awareness of a defect,” argue the plaintiffs. “Presently, it appears GM is merely biding time until its warranty expires.”

According to the GM class action lawsuit, the alleged transmission defect presents a safety risk to drivers and passengers in 2015 through 2018 GM vehicles equipped with GM 8L90 or GM 8L45 transmissions. The defect can, according to the plaintiffs, cause the vehicle to shudder and jerk so violently that owners have complained that it feels as if they have been hit by another car.

The plaintiffs say that one GM owner reported that he almost drove through his garage door because the gear shifted so violently due to the alleged defect.

The class action lawsuit alleges that the defective transmission issue stemmed from GM’s use of an 8-speed transmission starting in 2015. The car maker said that the new 8-speed transmission would distribute power more evenly than the previous 6-speed transmission – a “win-win-win scenario” for consumers, according to advertising released in 2014 about the change.

The GM vehicles that include the 8L90 or 8L45 transmission are the 2015-2019 Chevrolet Silverado; the 2017-2019 Chevrolet Colorado; the 2015-2019 Chevrolet Corvette; the 2016-2019 Chevrolet Camaro; the 2015-2019 Cadillac Escalade and Escalade ESV; the 2016-2019 Cadillac ATS, ATS-V, CTS, CT6, and CTS-V; the 2015-2019 GMC Sierra, Yukon, and Yukon XL, and Yukon Denali XL; and the 2017-2019 GMC Canyon.

The GM class action lawsuit seeks to represent owners and lessees of vehicles equipped with the GM 8L90 or GM 8L45 transmissions in six different states: Florida, California, Illinois, New York, Oklahoma, and Texas.

The plaintiffs are represented by Theodore J. Leopold, Andrew N. Friedman, Douglas J. McNamara, and Julia A. Horwitz of Cohen Milstein Sellers & Toll PLLC and Robert Gordon and Steven Calamusa of Gordon & Partners PA.

The GM Class Action Lawsuit is Duffy, et al. v. General Motors, Inc., Case No. 9:18-cv-81726-RLR in the U.S. District Court Southern District of Florida.

UPDATE: The Vehicle Safety Defect Investigation is now open! If you own a vehicle that has a safety defect and you believe it should be covered by the warranty and it’s not, submit your information here.

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291 thoughts onGM Class Action Alleges ‘Hard Shift’ Transmission Defect

  1. Garrett Buckles says:

    I have a 2018 GMC canyon that currently has 63,000 miles. And I bought it from the GMC dealership in Quincy Florida two years ago. This truck was a large investment if I had known, the transmission goes out at 50,000 miles I would have never chose this option. I cannot afford a new transmission for my new truck. The truck had 45,000 miles on it. At time of purchase. When driving shifting from 1st to 2nd is a small bump, 2nd to 3rd at low RPMs, you should make sure you’re wearing a seatbelt. It feels like you ran over a log 3rd to 4th feels like a dip in the road and 4th, 5th and 6th are constant Small shakes as speed increases and decreases it kind of feels like you’re running with a rubber band. I called and made an appointment with the dealership in Quincy. The lead service technician told me he has no idea of this issue being a problem with GM trucks. I feel like I was being lied to right off the bat. September 19 I will be getting a transmission flush. This will be a Band aide fix. This problem is on GM and I deserve a new transmission. I will be selling this for a Toyota might as well get something reliable. My 1989 Toyota 4runner has 350,000 miles on the original transmission. Let that marinate.

  2. Joe Garofalo says:

    My 2017 CT6, very hard shifting from 1st to 2nd, when i bought it used, the dealer never said a word about this defect in the trans, followed the technical service bulletin, and had another cadillac dealer perform the trans draining, but still the trans is erratic…paid alot of money for this CT6 Platinum, sad because it is a beautiful sedan…and Gm is silent and stalling

  3. Mike says:

    I have a 2018 GMC 4×4 Sierra 1500. The problem I am having is when it is cold at around 40 mph the transmission seems to shudder like it cant decide which gear it wants to go in. Also it has a hard shift from 1st to 2nd. The dealership changed the transmission fluid out twice, also changed out torque converter. Still having the same problem. I was getting close to the end of my warranty and the dealership told me not to worry that I had logged the problem with them for around 3 years and they would still cover it. I am now out of warranty and they are now telling me they dont think I have a transmission problem.

  4. Clarence Taylor says:

    I have a 2016 ct6 been having this issue for years I have had the fluid changed 3 different times. It’s still shifts hard. It started effect the Transfer case had that fluid changed at a cost of 400 dollars.

  5. Scott Forlines says:

    2017 Sierra SLT 5.3 6l80
    2 torque converters
    Rebuilt OE transmission
    2cnd reman GM unit replaced.
    all 8 injectors replaced
    replaced spark plugs and wires twice with OE GM parts
    Triple Flushed the Transmission Twice
    AFM tuned out of truck (at 62k miles)

    All this was done under warranty (despite them trying to make me pay for the injectors) and all performed with truck having less than 30k on the odometer (it started at 870 miles)
    I STILL have the “fishbite” at 1200 rpm slight load, level surface, cruising anywhere between 35-50mph. It’s so bad cold that my wife refuses to ride in the truck anymore.

    My dealership the last time I took it back to them (truck had 57k on it then) told me that they see the problem, acknowledged it is there, but they were struggling to get 2021 trucks on the lot at the time and they were NOT going to be concerned with a 2017.

  6. Donna herr says:

    Please add me to this list my 2016 jerks on takes off and hard shifts

    1. Maria says:

      I have a 2016 CTS-4 and when I accelerate from a stop either driving inside of a parking lot or accelerating from a stop light or a stop sign their is a jerk that pushes the car forward horribly and if I don’t brake in time I’m liable to get t- boned or hit a car in front of me.

  7. Randy overton says:

    I just bought a 2017 Sierra from CarMax and have this exact issue. How do I get involved in this?

  8. Alan Seybert says:

    Bought a 2017 Silverado 1500 LTZ in 2016. Extremely hard shift from 1st to 2nd ever since new. Talked to the dealer’s service department twice during the first year. 1st time was told the transmission was learning my driving habits. 2nd time was told it was a common problem Chevy was aware of but has not figured out the cause.

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