Photo: GM/Corvette Blogger
Last year on March 21st, the Kehoe Law Firm filed a class-action lawsuit on behalf of seventh-generation Chevrolet Corvette owners for an issue with the standard wheels fitted to the Grand Sport and Z06. The case points the finger at “less material than necessary in order to try to save unsprung weight,” a condition that leads to cracking and bending.
As expected of the biggest of the Big Three in Detroit, the eighth generation has also been hit with a wheel-related problem. According to a General Motors technical service bulletin published in full by Corvette Blogger, some vehicles “may have a condition where exposed porosity in wheel castings are larger than allowed and don’t meet internal GM requirements.”
The document claims that 13,049 units of the Corvette are involved, of which 10 percent are believed to be impacted by large porosities. To escape a class-action lawsuit, the Detroit-based automaker has instructed dealers to inspect all four wheels and replace them if necessary. Both 2020 and 2021 models are involved, which probably means GM knew of the condition since the 2020 model started production in Bowling Green.
Faulty wheels have to be drilled through the barrel so they can’t be used, and GM further instructs U.S. dealers to dispose of the wheels through a reputable metal recycler. That said, this isn’t the only C8 problem acknowledged by GM through a service bulletin instead of a safety recall.
Remember the valve springs problem from September 2020? In addition to the LT2 engine, other variants of the 6.2- and 5.3-liter V8 also had to receive brand-new valve springs because the original ones were prone to breaking.
Hoping that GM will get a little better in terms of quality control for the 2022 model year, prospective buyers can look forward to a brand-new Corvette variant in the guise of the Z06. As opposed to the LT4 supercharged V8 in the previous generation, the newcomer will switch to a flat-plane crankshaft V8 based on the engine found in the C8.R endurance race car.
The document claims that 13,049 units of the Corvette are involved, of which 10 percent are believed to be impacted by large porosities. To escape a class-action lawsuit, the Detroit-based automaker has instructed dealers to inspect all four wheels and replace them if necessary. Both 2020 and 2021 models are involved, which probably means GM knew of the condition since the 2020 model started production in Bowling Green.
Faulty wheels have to be drilled through the barrel so they can’t be used, and GM further instructs U.S. dealers to dispose of the wheels through a reputable metal recycler. That said, this isn’t the only C8 problem acknowledged by GM through a service bulletin instead of a safety recall.
Remember the valve springs problem from September 2020? In addition to the LT2 engine, other variants of the 6.2- and 5.3-liter V8 also had to receive brand-new valve springs because the original ones were prone to breaking.
Hoping that GM will get a little better in terms of quality control for the 2022 model year, prospective buyers can look forward to a brand-new Corvette variant in the guise of the Z06. As opposed to the LT4 supercharged V8 in the previous generation, the newcomer will switch to a flat-plane crankshaft V8 based on the engine found in the C8.R endurance race car.
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