Chevrolet Class Action Says Shifter Defect Prevents Vehicles from Shutting Off

Chevrolet Shifter Defect Class Action Lawsuit Overview:

• Who: Plaintiffs Doug Spindler and Makesha Satterwhite filed a class action lawsuit against General Motors LLC.
• Why: The plaintiffs allege that certain Chevrolet vehicles have a shifter defect that prevents vehicles from shutting off, potentially leaving drivers stranded.
• Where: The lawsuit was filed in California federal court.

General Motors LLC faces a class action lawsuit that alleges some of its Chevrolet vehicles have a shifter defect that prevents drivers from shutting off their vehicles.

Plaintiffs Doug Spindler and Makesha Satterwhite filed the lawsuit on Dec. 2 in California federal court. They allege that several Chevrolet vehicles contain a defect in which the vehicles fail to detect that they have been shifted into park, including 2016-2019 Chevrolet Malibu, 2016-2019 Chevrolet Volt, 2018-2019 Chevrolet Traverse and 2019 Chevrolet Blazer vehicles.

Even though the driver has shifted the car into park, the affected vehicles allegedly display a “Shift to Park” error message, according to the class action lawsuit. Because the vehicle does not register that it has been shifted into park, drivers are allegedly unable to shut off the vehicles and lock them.

Chevy Shifter Defect Causes Drivers to Become Stranded, Plaintiffs Say

When faced with this shifter defect, drivers “are forced to resort to trying to trick their vehicles to detect that the shift lever is in fact in ‘Park,’” the lawsuit alleges. However, because the shifter defect allegedly prevents the vehicle from shifting into gear, drivers become stranded and must have the affected vehicle towed for repair.

“Indeed, Plaintiffs have repeatedly found themselves stuck inside their vehicles at home, running errands, and at various other places away from home, unable to shut off their vehicle,” the class action lawsuit states. “To get their vehicles to detect that the shifter is in fact in ‘Park,’ Plaintiffs were forced to repeatedly wiggle the shifter, shift it through its gears, and start and shut off the engine.”

Spindler and Satterwhite claim they are not alone and point to numerous complaints posted online by other Chevy drivers who have experienced the shifting defect.

The plaintiffs assert that GM has known about the Chevrolet shifter defect and issued the first service bulletin about the issue in January 2017. However, Chevrolet dealerships allegedly refuse to acknowledge the defect and require vehicle owners to pay for repairs at their own expense.

Spindler and Satterwhite say they each paid more than $1,000 to repair the Chevrolet shifter defect in their vehicles. Despite these repairs, the vehicles continue to experience the issue. Had they known about the Chevrolet shifter defect, they would not have purchased the vehicles, or would have paid less for them, according to the lawsuit.

Have you experienced a shifter defect in your Chevrolet vehicle? Tell us about your experience in the comments below.

The plaintiffs are represented by Michael F. Ram and Marie N. Appel of Morgan & Morgan Complex Litigation Group.

The Chevrolet Shifter Defect Class Action Lawsuit is Doug Spindler, et al. v. General Motors LLC, Case No. 3:21-cv-09311, in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California.

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