6th Circuit Decertifies GM Transmission Class Action Involving 800,000 Vehicles

General Motors secured a significant legal victory when the 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals voted 9-7 to decertify a class action lawsuit involving about 800,000 vehicles equipped with allegedly defective eight-speed automatic transmissions. The court ruled that the differences among vehicle owners, the variability in defects, and the complexity of 26 statewide subclasses and 59 separate state-law claims made it impractical to manage the case as a single class action. The lawsuit concerned multiple GM models from 2015 to 2019, including Chevrolet Silverado, Corvette, Camaro, and Cadillac Escalade, with plaintiffs reporting shaking, shuddering, and lurching issues even after attempted repairs. Circuit Judge Karen Nelson Moore dissented, criticizing the majority for creating "insurmountable barriers" to class certification for plaintiffs challenging national manufacturers. The case has been sent back to U.S. District Judge David Lawson in Detroit to consider whether smaller, more narrowly defined subclasses can be certified, leaving the broader legal fight ongoing. GM had argued that many customers never experienced problems and that the range of issues across models and states made a class action unsuitable.