2023 Corvette Z06 Engine Fails After 621 Miles, New LT6 Installed Two Weeks Later

First and foremost, a full refund was the first option. The owner said next. A replacement vehicle was also proposed, although General Motors told Marco Garcia that his new Z06 would be delivered in six months or so.

Once again, he said no. A replacement engine was the solution the parties agreed on. Marco Garcia was given a two-month estimate for the brand-new engine, which goes to show that General Motors can’t make the LT6 quick enough. Each one takes 3.5 hours to build, and each LT6 is assembled by hand at the Performance Build Center.

Garcia isn’t the only 2023 Chevrolet Corvette Z06 owner to have experienced an engine failure. Purchased from Rich Hendrick City Chevrolet, the orange-painted car in the clip below was babied in the first 500 miles (805 kilometers), exactly how the owner’s manual says to.

Be that as it may, the flat-plane crankshaft V8 went kaput with merely 621 miles (999 kilometers) on the clock. To my knowledge, this is the second publicly documented engine failure involving a C8-generation ‘Vette Z06.

The owner claims that he performed a slight pull from first into second and third, then backed off the throttle as he was approaching a stop sign. During decelerating, the orange-painted sports car started clunking. As the owner made a U-turn, the engine locked up. The scan tool revealed misfires on cylinders one, two, seven, and eight. To whom it may concern, the firing order for the LT6 5.5L V8 is 1-4-3-8-7-6-5-2, as per official documentation.

As opposed to the infuriating tribulations Garcia went through with his dealer and OnStar, the owner of this ‘Vette was treated much better. General Motors and the Charlotte, North Carolina-based retailer offered him a brand-new engine, no questions asked. The replacement engine went into the car literally two weeks after the original powerplant crapped out under deceleration.

It's currently not known what causes the clunking that signals an engine failure. General Motors hasn’t released any technical service bulletin in this regard, nor has it talked about either LT6 engine failure with the media.

The owner believes that a rod bearing might have spun. Rod bearings are essential in any piston-type engine, and when they go wrong, that engine will need a major overhaul. In worst-case scenarios, it ends up in the dumpster. Whatever the LT6-specific issue may be, there’s no denying that GM is currently investigating.

A lot rides on the LT6, which will see two more applications in the C8-generation Corvette. First and foremost, it will receive two turbochargers to create the ZR1. And secondly, the C8’s run will end with the so-called Zora. The ultimate expression of the C8 will combine the LT7 twin-turbo V8 with an electrified front axle, most likely borrowed from the Corvette E-Ray.