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GM Shift To Park Recall Required, Alleges New Lawsuit In Michigan

Yet another in a long series of Shift to Park class action lawsuits against GM is demanding the issuance of a recall for 2020 to 2023 Chevy Malibu, 2021 to 2023 Chevy Trailblazer, 2020 to 2022 Chevy Traverse, and 2020 to 2023 Buick Encore units based on allegedly defective shifter assemblies.

As CarComplaints.com reports, the lawsuit is filed on behalf of all people in the USA who bought or leased one of the listed models in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan.

The suit against GM includes some Chevy Trailblazer model years.

Named Green, et al., v. General Motors LLC., the lawsuit claims that the defective shifter causes the vehicle to enter Accessory Mode when the driver attempts to shift it into park. It is alleged this will cause the “Shift to PARK” warning message to display while the vehicle is already in PARK, while remaining in Accessory Mode rather than correctly shutting down may drain the battery.

GM has issued several service bulletins related to the issue, which the lawsuit cites as evidence of its claims. A pertinent passage in one such bulletin reads, “The transmission will mechanically be in Park, but the electrical circuit intended to indicate the shift lever position may not be functioning correctly.”

Rear three quarters view of the GM lawsuit involved Chevy Traverse.

While the service bulletins contain a fix for the issue, instructing dealership service personnel to replace the defective shifters, the lawsuit alleges this remedy does not correct the “shift to park” issue. It asserts a more comprehensive repair is needed and demands a recall. It also points out that the service bulletins were issued after warranty periods expired, leading to significant payouts for the fix by owners.

The “shift to park” issue has kept The General’s lawyers busy for several years fending off lawsuits. Among the cases filed in 2020 and later is a class action suit in Texas related to the GMC Acadia, a similar suit in Tennessee, an August 2021 suit in Michigan for multiple models, late-2021 suits filed in Illinois and California, and yet another during May 2023 in Tennessee.

Front three quarters view of the 2020 Buick Encore.

Two months ago, a GMC Acadia “shift to park” lawsuit was dismissed in Connecticut. However, this was based on a technicality involving the Nutmeg State’s express warranty laws rather than a denial of the claims themselves.

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Comments

  1. This Shift to Park problem has been a persistent issue with some GM vehicles. Why cant they sort it out?

    Reply
    1. The solution is simple. Get rid of the electronic precision shift garbage and return to the tried and true PRNDL mechanical shifting that’s been in use for the last 100 years.

      Same with the truck tailgates. Get rid of the electronic power and release nonsense and put back the mechanical locks and handles. It’s ridiculous you can’t open the tailgate without power. It’s even more ridiculous the electronic switches are not properly weather tight.

      Same with all the stalling engine problems introduced with auto start/stop. When you start your vehicle there should not be any electronic, computer control system making decisions as to whether the engine should be on/off. As soon as the system screws up or fails your engine shuts down while driving at highway speeds or attempting to make a turn through on coming traffic. This is simply BS. Once the engine is on, and you are driving, the engine should remain on until you the driver shut it off.

      Reply
      1. None of the vehicles mentioned in this article have electronic precision shift, they are all traditional PRNDL…just so we’re clear.

        Reply
        1. You are correct, but it’s an electronic PRNDL.

          Reply
    2. Because they’ve determined it’s more cost effective to litigate than do the right thing and fix the vehicles. The longer they drag the legal process out the more people will simply give up and most importantly the lower their exposure because the affected vehicles will age out and be retired.

      Seriously, I’ve actually seen the cost to fix vs litigate analysis done. Never involving safety issues however. The MOST important factors in determining the litigate vs fix decision is their exposure (number of vehicles affected) and cost per. In this case, their potential exposure must be quite high.

      GM isn’t the only one that does this.

      Reply
    3. I own a 2021 Trailblazer, and I’ve been experiencing a serious issue with shift to park. The vehicle refuses to go into park, or the vehicle keeps running even after I put it in park and turn it off. This is a significant dangerous safety concern and inconvenient as the problem should have been resolved.
      ,

      Reply
  2. 2019 Blazer has this problem and should be included.

    Reply
    1. My 2019 blazer started acting up last week with the same issue.

      Reply
  3. I had this problem with my 2017 Malibu….it obviously has been around awhile

    Reply
  4. Specifically, the Shift to Park defect is prevalent in 2016-2019 Chevrolet Malibu, 2016-2019 Chevrolet Volt, 2018-2019 Chevrolet Traverse, 2017-2018 GMC Acadia and 2019 models of the Chevrolet Blazer. So GM knew of this issue as far back as 2016 but the other years and models aren’t included. And to make matters worse for me is I bought the first year model of the Blazer returning which was in 2019. I can’t buy a winning lottery ticket but I can sure pick a lemon of a vehicle.

    Reply
    1. Maybe switch to Toyota if you are tired of Lemons.

      Reply
      1. Nah. I’ll stick to GM. This is the first GM I’ve ever had a problem with. Besides, it’s in my blood. Born & raised in Pontiac, Mi. Had a Ford once. ‘nough said about that. 😂

        Reply
        1. Your blind brand loyalty will cost you dearly lol. Enjoy the problems with your junk.

          Reply
          1. Wow. Aren’t you a ray of sunshine. By the way, this site is for adults helping & conversing with other adults who have the same issues. Just a heads up for you. Have a nice evening.

            Reply
          2. man you need to get on with your hate, take that bs somewhere else. Let the man buy what he wants with his money

            Reply
  5. My 2018 Malibu LT, purchased new, began to exhibit the “Shift to Park (StP)” defect back in 2020. This nearly caused the car to be undriveable because of the wait time involved for the alert to turn off. Sometimes it was thirty seconds; other times it was several minutes or more. The car could not be left until it cleared because it could not be locked while in that mode. The car was brought to the dealer to be fixed, had the harness replaced, but that failed, too. It was then brought back to the dealer in 2023 for another repair and, thus far, is working properly. As mentioned in comments above, any lawsuit that involves StP needs to include all affected models.

    Reply
  6. I had the same problem with my 2017 Malibu.
    Local mechanic was able to adjust so it was OK by being carefull when shifting into PARK!
    I wonder if Toyota has this problem?
    DR.B

    Reply
  7. The issue is spread across so many vehicles that gm cannot do the typical gaslight and blame the customer for how they use and maintain the vehicle.

    Reply
  8. To be clear – this problem stems from a tiny mechanical switch located in the shift mechanism. My guess, at most a $0.50 cost part for GM.

    I had the issue with my 2017 Cadillac ATS – very frustrating. I decided to swap the shift mechanism out myself (~$125 for the GM OEM part) and about 3 hours of my time. What a waste of time and materials since the rest of the mechanism was perfectly fine.

    This is a known problem across many different GM brands and it’s absolutely ridiculous GM had not found a better switch manufacturer or redesigned that part of the shifter.

    If there’s a class-action in Colorado, I’d be interested in being reimbursed for this too! Please lmk…

    Reply
  9. Husband had this issue with his 2020 blazer and had repaired among other sensor issues. Now his fan has been replaced 3 times in two months … allegedly due to a faulty part from GM?

    Reply
  10. My 2019 Buick Regal has this issue intermittently. I have bought it to the dealer who “couldn’t duplicate the problem “ of course. When it happens I toggle the shifter release button behind shifter and it goes away. Hopefully there’s going to be a recall for everyone who has this problem.

    Reply
  11. I have a 2017 Malibu, bought new,and now has close to 90,000 miles and have this problem. I told the dealer and they wanted almost $500 to replace the mechanism. What I have found out this is related to a spring on the top and it isn’t a big deal to replace that spring, and not sure once yo disassemble that part you may not have to replace that spring, but there is not a reason to replace that mechanism for $500. If you move the gear shift around enough it will clear itself eventually. I am done with General motors cars, and that is one reason that I would look at a foreign made car. Most foreign mad cars will take care of and fix your problem without any hassle. I will not be looking to get an electric car either. Pinegar Chevrolet in Republic, MO was the dealer.

    Reply
  12. My 2017 Malibu also has this problem although it is only occasional…Just like the check engine light and the popping sound from the rear end.

    Reply
  13. My ’16 Malibu that I bought used has the same issue. I got the wiring harness installed 3 years ago for $50 (the first GM fix) which greatly reduces but does not eliminate the problem. I discovered by chance that if I shift into park, into reverse and then into park again, it eliminates the STP message 95% of time, and for the other 5% it stays on less than 10 seconds.

    The permanent fix it to install a a bridge wire in the shifter assembly between the ground and the cable that brings the signal to the system. All you need is a wire, or cable and connect the black cable (second pin from the bottom) to the purple-and-white cable (first pin from the top). It grounds the shift to park signal, which effectively tells the shifter control module that the vehicle is always electronically locked. Not a complicated job, but removing the shifter knob and its cover is not something that I’ll do unless the method I mentioned above stops working.

    Reply
  14. My 2011 lacrosse, 2011 saab 9-5 and 9-4x all had the same issue. Usually when it’s cold out. It boils down to a micro switch that is faulty. Very common but should of addressed a long time ago. I’m surprised earlier 2010’s aren’t part of this.

    Reply
    1. The micro switch isn’t faulty at least not usually, it’s the tiny 50 cent piece of metal that bends and then doesn’t press the microswitch down that is the problem. That tiny piece of metal is held in by a tiny spring and is just poor design. GM makes 500-700 a op to replace them though so why fix it.

      Reply
  15. You can also add the 2019 Chevrolet camaro to this list too shift to park just started acting up have to hit the top of the shifter to turn it off.

    Reply
    1. The Camaro isn’t included in any of the TSBs GM has issued for different models with the STP message issue. e.g 19-NA-206 and PIT5616A, so it’s not a widespread problem with Camaros. I’ve never had that msg on my ’18 Camaro.

      Reply
  16. GM also has a problem (among many others) with the side detection modules on several models. Mine specifically is a 2014 Impala. The modules are located inside the rear fenders, right where all that slop that is thrown when driving. The modules are not sealed, they get wet inside, and fail. Being part of the computerized system, the car electronics go crazy and becomes undrivable. The modules fail about every year to year and a half, cost about $400 to $600 each to replace.

    Reply
  17. As a Chevy service writer this is a huge ongoing problem with Malibus since 2016.

    Reply
    1. I had two different dealerships act like they have never heard of it before. I’m not dumb and can look at all the YouTube video’s and forums about it and know it’s simi common. Sure inspires confidence in in them boing honest establishments.

      Reply
  18. My Malibu, Blazer and my new Trax have all had this.the only car that didn’t do it was the trailblazer.

    Reply
  19. My 2020 Chev Traverse recently starting showing this message “Shift to Park”. Are there any recalls for the 2020? I see there is for the 2019.

    Reply
  20. I have a 2017 Chevy traverse that my shift plate is broken. no recall on my year transmission, sure wish it did tho. stupid cause they know my year traverse is bad to. transmissions in every year traverse is bad. need to recall all

    Reply
  21. After reading all the problems people have with the Shift to Park, I landed on a solution that doesn’t cost a thing and so far it’s worked every time.
    When getting ready to park the vehicle, leave it in drive with the brake on and shut it off. The message will come up and the chime will sound because the feature is doing what it’s suppose to do at the time it’s suppose to do it. Press on the brake and shift the car into park. That shuts the message and chime off.
    I wish I knew who wrote the comment and on what article because I’d give him a big virtual kiss. ♥ This is the only suggestion that has turned out to be tried and true short of heading to the dealership.

    Reply
  22. GM = Garbage Made

    Let replies begin😂

    Reply
  23. I have a 2017 Chevy traverse still drives but shift plate is broken. It slams into reverse when it finally does shift 2 mins at most unless engine is hot. Don’t know why and second gear won’t take immediately. Rpm’s will go high got to let off gas then it will go to second. Rest of gears shift just fine.

    Reply
  24. Just fixed Shift to park for the 3rd time in my 2017 Acadia..first time under warranty. This time ruined the 2 yo battery too.

    FYI found the car could be locked using the key fob.
    Which made me ignore it and cost me total of $1500 for tow, new battery, repair and rental car for a week.
    Looking for a new car now and seems most of the GMs have this problem!
    Guess I’ll be trading big comfy seats for reliability this time

    Reply
  25. My 2019 GMC Acadia started the shift to park error a couple of days ago. So it’s not just limited to 2017-2018 models.

    Reply
  26. I have a 2021 Buick Encore GX and it just started doing this!! I have an appointment to bring it in. Hoping it is a quick fix!

    Reply

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