Photo: Chevrolet
I have to admit I’m not a huge fan of Consumer Reports. Remember the 103-point overall score of the Tesla Model S P85D from a few years back? That controversial review comes to mind, along with the Suzuki v. Consumers Union lawsuit that fizzled out after eight years in court.
On this occasion, however, I have to agree with the nonprofit organization’s take on the 2021 Chevrolet Corvette, the second year of the mid-engined sports car. In summary, Consumer Reports took delivery of a coupe in May 2021 after more than a year of waiting. Four months later, the verdict is out.
The Z51-equipped Stingray received a rating of 97 points in the road test, five out of five points for owner satisfaction, and two out of five points for predicted reliability. According to Consumer Reports, “we can’t recommend the new Corvette because of its inconsistent reliability history.”
They’re right, and there are facts to back up these inconsistencies. If you search for the 2021 Chevrolet Corvette on the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s website, you will be flabbergasted by the 128 manufacturer communications and the sole recall over a malfunction with the airbag indicator light. The previous model year is flexing 285 manufacturer communications and four callbacks, and we’re not done yet.
A certain someone was delivered a C8 with mismatched boomerangs from the factory despite opting for the body-color accent. Other peeps had the LT2 small-block V8 crap out after less than 100 miles of driving the car as intended in the break-in period, an issue that stems from the valve springs.
General Motors acknowledged the faulty valve springs in September 2020, and we’re still not done yet. Lest we forget, owners have also complained about uneven stitching on the dashboard in the passenger area, power windows that go up and down by themselves while driving, a self-blowing horn, small dots in the paintwork, a screw gouging the driver’s door paint, as well as a leaky transmission that sets a DTC for the LSD fluid pressure.
With a bit of luck, the 2022 model year ‘Vette may be manufactured a little more responsibly by GM and the Bowling Green factory's workforce.
The Z51-equipped Stingray received a rating of 97 points in the road test, five out of five points for owner satisfaction, and two out of five points for predicted reliability. According to Consumer Reports, “we can’t recommend the new Corvette because of its inconsistent reliability history.”
They’re right, and there are facts to back up these inconsistencies. If you search for the 2021 Chevrolet Corvette on the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s website, you will be flabbergasted by the 128 manufacturer communications and the sole recall over a malfunction with the airbag indicator light. The previous model year is flexing 285 manufacturer communications and four callbacks, and we’re not done yet.
A certain someone was delivered a C8 with mismatched boomerangs from the factory despite opting for the body-color accent. Other peeps had the LT2 small-block V8 crap out after less than 100 miles of driving the car as intended in the break-in period, an issue that stems from the valve springs.
General Motors acknowledged the faulty valve springs in September 2020, and we’re still not done yet. Lest we forget, owners have also complained about uneven stitching on the dashboard in the passenger area, power windows that go up and down by themselves while driving, a self-blowing horn, small dots in the paintwork, a screw gouging the driver’s door paint, as well as a leaky transmission that sets a DTC for the LSD fluid pressure.
With a bit of luck, the 2022 model year ‘Vette may be manufactured a little more responsibly by GM and the Bowling Green factory's workforce.
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