GM Hit With Class-Action Lawsuit Over Troublesome 8-Speed Transmissions
The lawsuit involves over 800,000 vehicles ranging from Chevy Corvettes to Cadillac Escalades.
A Michigan judge has granted class-action status to a lawsuit involving over 800,000 eight-speed transmissions built by General Motors. The lawsuit, Speerly v. GM, currently represents 39 plaintiffs and alleges that GM sold two faulty transmissions, the 8L90 and 8L45, despite knowing they were flawed. The lawsuit is for transmission failure as well as jerkiness, shuttering, and other unpleasant behavior that the plaintiffs allege is a safety hazard to drivers.
The transmissions in question were produced between 2015 and 2019. They were installed in a variety of engines in Chevrolet, Cadillac, and GMC vehicles, from pickups to sedans, sports cars, and SUVs. Everything from the Corvette to the Escalade was equipped with one of these transmissions.
The lawsuit states that the transmissions would "slip, buck, kick, jerk and harshly engage," and that some drivers even felt as if they were "hit by another car," on account of the transmission's behavior. Ted Leopold, the court-appointed lead counsel for the case, said "Dealers were directed to tell the customers that harsh shifts were ‘normal' or ‘characteristic.’ Such decision-making is both highly irresponsible and emblematic of what GM believes it can get away with."
In a statement to the Detroit Free Press, GM declined to comment, stating that refusing to do so was "generally [its] practice with ongoing litigation."
The plaintiffs have not claimed any injuries or fatalities as a result of the alleged defect. As well as this lawsuit, there is another ongoing case, Battle v. General Motors. The latter is for eight-speed-equipped vehicles built after the 2019 end date claimed in Speerly v. GM.
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