Class action launched against Holden

If you purchased a Holden Commodore, Caprice or Colorado in the last 13 years, you could be entitled to compensation – even if you no longer own it.

That’s because Maurice Blackburn Lawyers has launched a class action against General Motors Australia and New Zealand Pty Ltd, on behalf of people who purchased certain Holden models between January 1, 2011 and December 24, 2024. It alleges that there is faulty transmission in various vehicle models, with both current and former owners of affected vehicles able to take part in the class action.

It involves three transmissions – the GM 6L 45, 50 and 80 – which were fitted to popular vehicles like the Holden Commodore (VE and VF series) as well as the Colorado ute and Trailblazer four-wheel drive.

According to the firm, consumers can register for the class action even if they have sold the vehicle, it’s been written off, or if they acquired an affected vehicle but have not experienced any problems with it.

Other Holden models like the Barina, Cruze, Captiva are not involved.

Holden ended production in Australia in October 2017 and it stopped selling vehicles altogether Down Under at the end of 2020.

According to principal lawyer at Maurice Blackburn, Kimi Nishimura, the class action alleges that the transmission systems in the affected Holden vehicles are defective due to a design fault in the torque converter and clutch systems.

“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.”

According to Ms Nishimura, 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.”

Holden owners (past and present) can find out more about the class action – and register – at the law firm’s website.

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