— A GM Shift to Park class action lawsuit in Ohio alleges five models do not detect when a driver shifts the vehicle into PARK.
GM drivers report seeing the “Shift to Park” message on the instrument panels when the problem occurs.
This prevents a driver from shutting off the vehicle and locking the doors, forcing a driver to jiggle the gear shifter and use "all sorts of gimmicks" to get the vehicle to detect it is in PARK.
The GM Shift to Park class action lawsuit includes:
"All persons or entities in Ohio who bought or leased a 2017-2019 GMC Acadia, 2019 Chevrolet Blazer, 2016-2019 Chevrolet Malibu, 2018-2019 Chevrolet Traverse, or 2016-2019 Chevrolet Volt vehicle."
Because of GM's alleged unlawful conduct, the automaker benefits by avoiding its warranty obligations, "while consumers are harmed at the point of sale as their vehicles suffer from the Shifter Defect, which GM cannot fix."
GM Shift to Park Class Action Lawsuit — The Plaintiff
Ohio plaintiff Mark Riley purchased a new 2017 GMC Acadia in June 2017, but he says the vehicle had a Shift to Park defect.
"To get his vehicle to detect that the shifter was in fact in the “Park” position, Plaintiff was forced to repeatedly wiggle the shifter, shift it through its gears, or start the engine and then shut off the engine." — GM Shift to Park class action lawsuit
The plaintiff says he complained to the dealer about the Shift to Park problem and was allegedly told it was a known problem but no recall had been issued.
The lawsuit says in July 2018, the plaintiff was told to check back later at the dealer, and in November 2018 the plaintiff's lawyer sent a letter to GM about the Shift to Park problem and how the problem hadn't been repaired.
A GM dealer eventually performed repairs based on TSB 19-NA-206 but it didn't fix the Shift to Park problem.
According to the plaintiff, he must "repeatedly wiggle the shifter, shift it through its gears, and start and shut off the engine."
This class action lawsuit was filed in March 2021 and is still in court.
The GM Shift to Park class action lawsuit was filed in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Ohio (Eastern Division): Mark Riley v. General Motors LLC.
The plaintiff is represented by the Chandra Law Firm LLC, and Sergei Lemberg.