The halo car in the Chevrolet lineup, the Corvette has been a front-engine sports car for the past seven generations. After decades of speculation, the C8 generation finally made the switch to a mid-engine setup. And with the shuffle came the arrival of a Vette’s first ever frunk – aka the front trunk. Well, the thing could spell trouble for GM, according to a couple of complaints filed on the NHTSA web page.
Ever since it was presented, the 2020 C8 Chevrolet Corvette has been grabbing the attention of everyone in every conceivable way. The reception has been mostly positive – praising the attention to details from the designers, the styling choices that made even the engineers happy and the impressive performance specifications at a bargain price.
Of course, throwing away decades of front-engine evolution comes with many firsts. One of these is the introduction of a front trunk – called frunk in popular Tesla-speak. Of course, the reason for its apparition is plain obvious – the engine is now further back, and some storage needs to be relocated to the front.
Because the front hood on the 2020 C8 Corvette has effectively become the trunk lid, the engineering perspective has been modified accordingly – and the sports car has been produced with a different opening and latching system. It is also completely different from the earlier models’ front hoods – and Chevrolet might have an issue at hand.
More precisely there have been recent – and quite many – reports on fan forums that warn about faltering front trunk hoods. And, because of the relocation of the hinges compared to previous generations, there is a possibility for the lid to pop open while driving. Once that happens the hood becomes a major safety hazard – it will almost completely block the front view of the driver.
Apparently, the situation is not isolated and already there are two complaints on the 2020 Chevrolet Corvette NHTSA web page, both citing the exact same situation – the frunk lid opened while driving and impaired the vision of both drivers.
Fortunately, both incidents occurred at relatively low speeds and the two owners were able to pull over safely. Not so fortunately, one of the cars suffered damage to the hinges, hood and even the driver’s side fender.
Aurel has aimed high all his life (literally, at 16 he was flying gliders all by himself) so in 2006 he switched careers and got hired as a writer at his favorite magazine. Since then, his work has been published both by print and online outlets, most recently right here, on autoevolution. Full profile
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