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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.

Hot Wheels' Twitter-enabled vending machine coughs up free Camaro diecasts

There are still plenty of companies that haven't gotten the whole social media thing down pat yet, but Hot Wheels isn't one of them. During the recent Canadian International Auto Show in Toronto, Hot Wheels created a lot of buzz for itself by using a vending machine filled with Chevrolet Camaro models, but instead of money to get the cars, show attendees just had to use Twitter.
To get the free car, people were asked to send a tweet to Hot Wheels Canada saying what they liked about the new Hot Wheels Edition Camaro, and including the #ChevyCIAS hashtag. This seemed to be a popular marketing tool, too, as AdWeek reports that the @HotWheelsCanada account more than tripled in followers during the course of the 10-day show. Looking ahead, this could open up even more innovative marketing possibilities using social media.
Check out the video posted below to watch how it works, and while the auto show has ended and the free-car giveaway has too, we're almost certain that some of the 1,500 freebies will make their way onto eBay.

Worldwide, Nissan Leaf has outsold next two competitors combined

Nissan may not be meeting some of the more optimistic prognostications with sales of its Leaf electric vehicle, but it's certainly kicking the competition's butt. EV Sales is tracking global sales of plug-in vehicle models and estimates that Nissan has sold almost 172,000 units of the Leaf worldwide. That's more than the two next-best-selling plug-ins combined. Globally, EV Sales estimates, the Chevrolet Volt extended-range plug-in has moved about 88,000 units, while Toyota has sold about 71,000 of its Prius Plug-in Hybrid vehicles worldwide. Fourth-place Tesla Model S is close behind at about 66,000 units. Among automakers, Nissan is also by far the lead dog, but Mitsubishi has leapfrogged Chevrolet among plug-in vehicle makers, as the Outlander Plug-in Hybrid continues to sell well. Impressively, the relatively new BMW i3 has moved almost 23,000 units since its debut in Germany last year. As for Nissan, company chief Carlos Ghosn said at the New York Auto Show earlier this month that the company could sell as many as 50,000 units a year of the Leaf in the US, provided that charging infrastructure throughout the country improves. Earlier this year, cumulative US Leaf sales moved past 75,000 units since its late-2010 launch. Related Videos: Featured Gallery 2013 Nissan Leaf View 55 Photos News Source: EV Sales Green Chevrolet Nissan Electric volt