Jan 8 (Reuters) - Australian law firm Maurice Blackburn

said it had filed a class action lawsuit against U.S. carmaker

General Motors' ( GM ) local unit, alleging the transmission

systems of certain models of its now-defunct GM Holden brand

were defective.

The class action covers people who bought certain models of

Holden vehicles between Jan. 1, 2011 and Dec. 24, 2024, Maurice

Blackburn said in a statement on Wednesday.

The alleged defect resulted in various problems, including

intermittent transmission shudders and leakage of automatic

transmission fluid, Maurice Blackburn said.

"The class action alleges that General Motors ( GM ) failed to

comply with the guarantee of acceptable quality under the

Australian Consumer Law and engaged in misleading and deceptive

conduct," the law firm said.

GM was not immediately available for comment.

The U.S. carmaker had retired the Holden brand in 2021,

saying that with sales plummeting, it could not justify the

investment to continue building right-hand drive vehicles.

The class action is seeking compensation for loss and

damage. Maurice Blackburn did not immediately respond to a

request to clarify the number of vehicles affected and the

amount it was seeking.