Jon Styf , Jessy Edwards ย |ย  September 9, 2024

Category: Auto News
Close up of General Motors signage, representing the GM class action.
(Photo Credit: Linda Parton/Shutterstock)

Update:ย 

  • General Motors must face class action claims that certain transmissions in its vehicles from the last decade are defective and can create unsafe driving conditions.ย 
  • On Aug. 28, a 6th Circuit panel rejected GMโ€™s motion to dismiss the claims, saying it found no reason to undo class certification for the drivers.ย 
  • The plaintiffs say GMโ€™s Hydra-Matic 8L90 and Hydra-Matic 8L45 transmissions manufactured between 2014 and March 2019 can cause vehicles to shudder, lurch forward or delay acceleration.
  • They allege the issues are caused by transmission fluid issues, which can allegedly cause the GM transmissions to fail to purge air properly from valve bodies.

GM class action overview:ย 

  • Who: Thirteen consumers filed a class action lawsuit against General Motors (GM).ย 
  • Why: The class action lawsuit claims vehicles with a GM Hydra-Matic 8L90 or Hydra-Matic 8L45 transmission have transmission fluid and transmission issues that cause the vehicles to shudder, lurch forward or delay acceleration.
  • Where: The GM transmission class action was filed in federal court in Michigan.

(April 25, 2024)

A group of 13 consumers claims certain transmissions in General Motors vehicles from the last decade are defective and can create unsafe driving conditions, according to a new GM transmission class action.

The plaintiffs say GMโ€™s Hydra-Matic 8L90 and Hydra-Matic 8L45 transmissions manufactured between 2014 and March 2019 can cause vehicles to shudder, lurch forward or have delayed acceleration.

They allege the issues are caused by transmission fluid issues, which can allegedly cause the GM transmissions to fail to purge air properly from valve bodies. This, the class action argues, is the cause of the shudder, lurching and delayed acceleration, as well as overall poor shift quality.

GM class action: Automaker elected not to recall, replace defective transmissionsย 

The GM transmission issues happen around the time the affected vehiclesโ€™ warranties run out, the class action claims. The plaintiffs allege that GM covers fluid flushes for customers who complain about their transmissions during the warranty period, without fixing the underlying issues.

GM engineers asked the company to fix the transmission issues for $305 a vehicle, which would have cost GM about $592 million, according to the lawsuit.

GM instead only replaced the defective transmission in 6,518 unsold Cadillacs and trucks in certain states where it expected customers to complain within warranty, the GM class action claims.

Six drivers filed a 2022 class action lawsuit alleging that several vehicles manufactured by GM are equipped with defective eight-speed transmissions and that GM concealed the defects from buyers for years.

Do you own a vehicle with a GM Hydra-Matic 8L90 engine? Let us know in the comments.

The plaintiffs are represented by Theodore J. Leopold, Douglas J. McNamara, Karina G. Puttieva and Madelyn N. Petersen of Cohen Milstein Sellers & Toll PLLC along with Robert Gordon, Steven Calamusa, Geoff Stahl and Rachel Bentley of Gordon & Partners PA; Russell D. Paul and Amey J. Park of Berger Montague PC; Tarek H. Zohdy, Cody R. Padgett and Laura E. Goolsby of Capstone Law APC; E. Powell Miller, Sharon S. Almonrode, Brian M. Saxe, Emily E. Hughes and Dennis A. Lienhardt of The Miller Law Firm PC; Joseph H. Meltzer, Melissa L. Yeates, Lisa M. Port, Tyler S. Graden, Jordan E. Jacobson and James A. Maro of Kessler Topaz Meltzer & Check LLP; Lynn Lincoln Sarko, Gretchen Freeman Cappio and Ryan McDevitt of Keller Rohrback LLP; and Michael L. Pitt and Beth Rivers of Pitt McGehee Palmer Rivers PC.

The GM class action lawsuit is Ulrich, et al. v. General Motors LLC, Case No. 2:24-cv-11007-JJCG-EAS, in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan Southern Division.


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444 thoughts onGM transmission class action to proceed

  1. John,stasz says:

    I have a delay in accelaration. I have a 2014 Silverado.

  2. Jerry matney jr says:

    2017 silerado ltz has same issue sense I bought it

  3. Clayton palmer says:

    I have a 2016 gmc sierra with 6.2.
    The tranny has been an issue since new,would live to be part of the law suit how do I join.
    At highway speeds it delays in throttle response free wheels from time to time,bangs hard into gear,just going to cause me to be in an accident 1 day

  4. Ron wells says:

    I have 2015 yukon Denali 8 spd ,same tranny problem.Had to replace for reman gm 8 speed 6000.00 dollars.

  5. Michael Kajano says:

    Same issue on my 2016 cadillac ats. Just living with it now.

    1. Alice Autrey says:

      I have a 2015 srx cadillac had fluid changed twice sense I had it after change always have problems with noise and sifting

  6. Vincent Valdez says:

    I bought a 2019 colorodo 4ร—4 and started having the shudder and lurching and delayed acceleration at 60,000 miles. Changed fluid 6 times with AC Delco recommended fluid. I last awhile but comes back.

  7. Scott R says:

    Purchased A 2018 GMC Sierra SLT with 6.2 motor and 8-speed transmission. I got a great deal on it because the transmission was shuddering. I flushed the transmission fluid, changed the filter, and refilled with 11 qts. of Amsoil synthetic trans fluid. Shuddering problem solved. Then I did a hard reset of the entire computer system and the shifting problems went away.

  8. Karl Cranek says:

    I have a 2017 GMC Sierra 1500 SLT with this transmission and only 55k miles. At 53k miles torque converter replaced with fluid. After that kept smelling a burning oil smell. GM Techs couldnโ€™t find the issue. Truck started shuttering, hard shifts, and delayed acceleration again after about 2k miles. At 55k miles torque converter and fluid replaced again. Burning smell went away but transmission still shutters and hard shifts. I was told the transmission was โ€œresetโ€ and is in a โ€œlearningโ€ mode. I love this truck but donโ€™t feel safe driving it with my 3 year old in the truck with me. Definitely looking at getting rid of it. I donโ€™t understand why GM wonโ€™t just replace the transmission if they know itโ€™s junk, especially if a person is having problems. Very disappointed in GM. GM you can do better!

  9. Daniel Hurlburt says:

    I have a 2019 GMC SIERRA THAT DEFINATELY HAS THESE ISSUES. PLEASE INCLUDE ME IN THIS CLASS ACTION. hurlburt.danny@gmail.com

  10. JEFFERY REILMAN says:

    I bought the truck Iโ€™ve always wanted a 2016 Chevy Colorado Z71 and itโ€™s turned into a nightmare within two months they replaced the transmission under warranty and 20,000 miles later with 3rd gen fluid the shutter has begun again. I canโ€™t afford a new transmission, back ordered over 9 months out and owe more than itโ€™s worth. I have lost faith thereโ€™s a way out of this nightmare situation.

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