Car giant GM to face class action over defective transmissions in Holdens

8 January 2025

Hundreds of thousands of Holden owners could be eligible for compensation after leading law firm Maurice Blackburn launched a class action over alleged faulty transmission systems in a range of Holden vehicles sold throughout the past 13 years.

The Holden Transmission Class Action, against General Motors Australia and New Zealand Pty Ltd, has been brought on behalf of people who bought certain models of Holden vehicles between 1 January 2011 and 24 December 2024, equipped with a:

• GM 6L 45 transmission;
• GM 6L 50 transmission; or
• GM 6L 80 transmission.

The affected models include the best-selling Commodore VE, the Commodore VF and the Colorado.

The class action against General Motors Australia and New Zealand Pty Ltd is filed in the Federal Court of Australia. Maurice Blackburn is running the case, with support from litigation funder Balance Legal Capital.

Maurice Blackburn principal lawyer, Kimi Nishimura, said:

“Our class action alleges that the transmission systems in the affected Holden vehicles are defective due to a design fault in the Torque Converter and Torque Converter Clutch.”

“Because of the alleged defect, car owners have experienced problems with their vehicles including intermittent transmission shudders, excessive vibrations and harsh gear shifts.”

“Owners of the affected vehicles have also reported leakage of automatic transmission fluid, accelerated degradation of transmission system components and greater servicing requirements.”

“The class action alleges that General Motors failed to comply with the guarantee of acceptable quality under the Australian Consumer Law and engaged in misleading and deceptive conduct.”

“For most Australians, cars are one of their biggest investments, and consumers are entitled to expect that the cars they buy are free from defects.

“Through this class action, we are seeking to recover compensation for those consumers who experienced loss and damage related to the transmission system in the affected vehicles.”

Ms Nishimura said car owners do not need to register or sign up to be a group member in the class action, but she encouraged people to register so the firm could keep them updated about the progress of the case.

Consumers can still register for the class action if they have sold the vehicle, the vehicle has been written off, or they acquired an affected vehicle but have not experienced any problems with it.

Holden owners can find out more about the class action, including how to register, at www.mauriceblackburn.com.au/holden.

Full list of affected Holden vehicles:

Media enquires:

Paddy Murphy at Maurice Blackburn Lawyers: 0490 297 391.