— A GM “Shift to Park” class action lawsuit settlement has been reached between two customers and General Motors.
The General Motors lawsuit alleges a driver will see a message on the dashboard which says “Shift to Park” even though the vehicle is already in PARK.
According to the class action, once the message appears a driver cannot shut off the vehicle without jiggling the gear shifters, and the Shift to Park message allegedly means the doors cannot be locked.
The GM class action lawsuit says the batteries drain because the vehicles cannot be shut off, a problem General Motors allegedly concealed from consumers.
There were two Shift to Park class action lawsuits filed, one in 2020 and one in 2021. Those were consolidated into one class action, but the settlement includes only Ohio and Tennessee. In addition, there are strict conditions that must be met.
General Motors denies all the claims and allegations in the Shift to Park lawsuit but decided to settle to put an end to the expensive and ongoing litigation.
GM Shift to Park Lawsuit Settlement
There are two classes of customers, one for Tennessee and the other for Ohio.
The Tennessee class action includes 2017-2018 GMC Acadia SUVs, and these conditions apply.
- A customer must have been the original purchaser or lessee of a new 2017-2018 GMC Acadia in Tennessee.
- The customer must have sought a repair for the Shift to Park problem from a GM dealer during the warranty period.
- And the customer must not have been provided either a silicon-free replacement shifter assembly or a silicon-free shifter control wire harness at no charge.
The Ohio class includes these General Motors vehicles.
- 2017-2019 GMC Acadia
- 2019 Chevrolet Blazer
- 2016-2019 Chevrolet Malibu
- 2018-2019 Chevrolet Traverse
- 2016-2019 Chevrolet Volt
According to the Shift to Park lawsuit settlement:
- A customer must have been the original purchaser or lessee of a new vehicle in Ohio.
- The customer must have sought a repair for the Shift to Park problem from a GM dealer during the warranty period.
- And the customer must not have been provided with a silicon-free replacement part.
Certain customers in Ohio and Tennessee could receive a payment of $500, and a GM customer who meets the above conditions and paid out-of-pocket for repairs of the Shift to Park defect may be eligible for reimbursement.
A customer will need to file a claim form and submit supporting documentation.
According to the settlement agreement, the two plaintiffs who filed the class action lawsuit will receive $10,000 each, and the attorneys who represent those plaintiffs will receive $2,035,000.
Nothing is official until the judge grants final approval to the GM settlement. The GM Shift to Park lawsuit settlement final fairness hearing is scheduled for August 22, 2025.
The GM Shift to Park class action lawsuit was filed in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Tennessee: Jefferson v. General Motors, and Riley v. General Motors.
The plaintiffs are represented by Lemberg Law LLC, Lafferty Law Firm, Inc., and The Chandra Law Firm, LLC.
