Holden class action: Maurice Blackburn sues GM over defective transmissions

Thousands of Australians could access compensation for faulty Holden vehicles sold in the last 13 years. See if you are affected.

Lawyers presenting a class action on behalf of Holden owners say the manufacturer let customers down by selling defective vehicles.

Maurice Blackburn has launched a class-action suit targeting General Motors, Holden’s parent company, alleging that the manufacturer sold cars with bad automatic transmissions.

The class action focuses on three transmissions, the GM 6L 45, 50 and 80, which were sold in large vehicles such as the Australian-made Holden Commodore and Thailand-sourced Colorado ute and Trailblazer four-wheel-drive between January 2011 and December 2024.

MORE: Carmakers brace for 2025 crash

Holden’s final V8-powered cars are part of the lawsuit.

Holden built its last locally-made Commodore in October 2017 before ending sales of all vehicles in December 2020.

Smaller models such as the Holden Barina, Cruze or Captiva are not affected by the issue.

Maurice Blackburn principal lawyer, Kimi Nishimura, 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”.

MORE: Australia’s favourite cars revealed

Four-wheel-drive models such as the Colorado and Trailblazer are included in the claim. Picture: Supplied.

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

“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.”

GM has been contacted for comment.

Holden Commodores such as the VE-generation SS are part of the Maurice Blackburn action.

The automotive giant has faced similar class actions and mass recalls in the US for eight-speed automatic transmissions found in models such as the Chevrolet Camaro and Silverado.

Nishimura said “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.”

Current and former owners of affected vehicles can be part of the class action suit.

More information: Maurice Blackburn

Originally published as Holden class action: Maurice Blackburn sues GM over defective transmissions