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GM faces possible class action lawsuit over 8-speed transmission

General Motors has been hit with a class-action lawsuit from owners who allege the eight-speed automatic transmission found in several rear-wheel-drive Chevrolet, Cadillac and GMC models between the 2015 and 2019 model years has a defect that causes the vehicles to hesitate and jerk when accelerating or slowing down. The lawsuit was posted to ClassAction.org and spotted by GM Authority. Problems with GM's Hydra-Matic 8L90 and 8L45 transmissions have been well-documented on Internet forums and via complaints filed with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, with many reporting damage to their vehicles. The lawsuit was first filed in December in U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida but appears to have been transferred recently to New York. Autoblog sought comment from Theodore Leopold, the lead attorney for the plaintiffs. "These transmissions have a common defect," the complaint reads. "Drivers attempting to accelerate or decelerate their cars feel a hesitation, followed by a significant shake, shudder, jerk, clunk, or 'hard shift' when the vehicle's automatic transmission changes gears." The problem also occurs when the vehicles accelerate in a single gear, without shifting, the plaintiffs allege. "Drivers have reported that the shift is sometimes so violent, they feel as though they have been hit by another vehicle." The problem is believed to center on the transmission, torque converter or both. The complaint says it causes undue friction, causing hydraulic systems and gears to function improperly and sometimes leaves metal shavings throughout the transmission, leading to costly repairs and replacement of parts or the entire transmission. It says GM has known about the problems since shortly after it introduced the transmissions, and has issued 13 technical service bulletins, none of which have resolved the problem. GM declined to comment on the lawsuit. The plaintiffs say GM should have warned consumers about the issues and covered repairs under each vehicle's three-year/36,000-mile bumper-to-bumper warranty. They're seeking statewide classes in at least six states: California, Florida, Illinois, New York, Oklahoma and Texas.

Cadillac can't keep up with Escalade demand, can't move its sedans

No matter how much Cadillac revitalizes its lineup and its image, it seems that all consumers want is the Escalade. In fact, Automotive News reports that General Motors can't keep up with demand for the fullsize luxury SUV, despite sticker prices that start at over $70,000 and approach six figures at the top end of the spectrum. Contrast that with sedans like the ATS and CTS, which are far cheaper but which Cadillac hasn't been able to move fast enough to keep up with production, prompting both the manufacturer and dealers to offer substantial incentives to keep them from piling up. Cadillac had been resisting a price cut of the ATS or CTS, lest it hurt resale values – itself a factor that could explain consumers' reluctance to buy them in the first place – but been offering subsidized leases, discounted financing, rebates and cheaper options. Combined with incentives from individual dealers, according to AN, buyers can be looking at five-figure discounts on buying a new Cadillac sedan. And now, finally, it seems the CTS will indeed get a little bit off its bottom line. Yet GM has been producing the ATS and CTS at rates that their sales can't keep up with. The automaker was forced to idle the plant in Lansing, MI, where it assembles the ATS and CTS for six weeks starting this past December. And since it reopened late in January, it's been reduced to a single shift as dealers try to move the metal they've already got. Meanwhile the plant in Arlington, TX, that produces the Escalade and its Chevy and GMC siblings has been running on overtime, with three shifts throughout the week and even into the weekend to keep up with demand. Profitable as it's been for Cadillac and GM, though, the Escalade does not represent the future of where it wants to take the brand - separating the Escalade as almost a brand unto itself that's been left out of the company's new naming scheme. If only it could make its sedans as successful as its fullsize SUVs, it'll be all set.

2020 Cadillac CT4 spied completely undisguised for the first time

A few weeks ago, Cadillac gave us our first look at its new small luxury sports sedan in the form of the CT4-V. This was a bit unusual considering the company hadn't shown us the regular one yet, and the reveal is still off in the not-too-distant future. But we were lucky enough to catch a normal 2020 Cadillac CT4 parked at a local gas station completely and totally undisguised. Based on what we know about other recent Cadillacs and their trim and design, this CT4 is probably a Luxury or Premium Luxury trim, since it has plenty of bright chrome and red taillights instead of dark gray ones. The differences from the CT4-V are subtle. The mesh grilles of the V are swapped for a main grille studded with small Cadillac badge shapes and the lower grille has simple slats. The little air intakes by the lower sections of the running lights are smaller than the ones on the V. This car also lacks the V's side skirts and wider canards on the edges of the front bumper. There doesn't appear to be a rear spoiler either. While we've had a good look at the exterior of the CT4, we'll have to wait until the car's full reveal later this year to know what's under the skin. We do know that it will continue to use the Alpha platform shared with the CT5, Camaro and the old ATS and CTS. We suspect the base engine will be the same 2.0-liter turbocharged inline-4 from the CT5, which makes 237 horsepower and 258 pound-feet of torque. Since the CT4-V uses a turbo 4-cylinder that makes 320 horsepower and 369 horsepower, there might not be a V6 option for the regular CT4. The CT5's twin-turbo 3.0-liter V6 makes more power and torque, so that's out, and the old ATS's naturally aspirated V6 made 335 horsepower and 285 pound-feet of torque, which would be uncomfortably close the CT4-V's specs. But we could see a V6 of some sort in an even more potent V iteration of the CT4 later.