A class action lawsuit launched against General Motors in 2023 regarding an alleged defect in the Shift to Park function of the 2017 GMC Acadia and 2018 GMC Acadia has been settled in Tennessee, with GM agreeing to the settlement while continuing to “deny all claims and allegations.”
The lawyers representing the class action plaintiffs will receive $2,035,000 from GM, while the two plaintiffs who initially filed the suit will receive $10,000 each according to CarComplaints.
Furthermore, some GMC Acadia owners in Tennessee and Ohio may be eligible to receive a payment of $500, or may have expenses related to repairing the vehicle affected by the Shift to Park issue reimbursed, provided they still have the paperwork to prove the repairs. The settlement has not yet been approved, with the final fairness hearing that will determine if the lawsuit has been appropriately concluded set for August 22nd.
According to the class action lawsuit against GM, affected GMC Acadia crossovers have a condition where shifting the vehicle into Park leads to the unit displaying “Shift to Park” on the instrument panel and cannot be shut down. The shifter then has to be “jiggled” until the vehicle finally leaves “Shift to Park” and enters “Park,” at which point it can be shut down. The issue is also claimed to cause a condition in which the Acadia’s doors can’t be locked.
GM has been slapped with a large number of lawsuits related to the “Shift to Park” issue, some initiated as far back as 2020. Among these are a lawsuit in California, in that instance related to the Chevy Malibu, the Chevy Volt, the Chevy Traverse and the Chevy Blazer. Another Acadia suit was filed in Texas and a similar example in Illinois.
The current settlement only applies to people in Tennessee who own an Acadia from the affected model years. They need to have been the original buyer of the vehicle, or to have been the first person to lease it when new. Additionally, they only apply for recompense if they can document that they sought service for the problem while the crossover was still under warranty, and if the dealership failed to give them a free shifter assembly or shifter control wire harness replacement at that time.
The portion of the lawsuit related to the Shift to Park problem alleged in Ohio vehicles is not included in the settlement and will continue.
Comments
This is why you skip class action. The $500 will not even pay to replace the shifter.
The lawyers just get rich.
Even the two that got $10k likely got half after legal fees.
This problem affects a broad spectrum of GM vehicles, including TrailBlazers. You should see the forum there…it’s filled with complaints. This should rise to a recall.
What about the class action on the Engine lifter issue.
Cost me 12K already and the dealer says it’s a warranty issue reference the rentals the three times I had to have it in the shop. 4K rentals and 8K for a new engine. The two more times into the shop for lifter problems.
Jokes on you for continuing to throw money at that junkmobile.
For the same $12,000 you can buy a clean low mileage GMT800 truck which has 100X the quality and durability of the new junk.
Buyer beware
This is why we have the Better Buisness Auto Division
Force a buy back through Mediation
As others have mentioned, class action lawsuits are a joke designed to do nothing but make attorneys rich. The poor people that get a bad product first get shafted by the manufacturer then the predatory attorneys shaft them for most of the monetary settlement leaving them with basically nothing.
I have a 2009 Chevy Silverado with oil consumption problems it’s be noted that problem exists due to bad pistons rings so the oil by passes and blows out the tale pipe. GM had started that it is problem but choose not to fix it.so I have to watch oil very closely like adding two to three quarts in between oil changes.