In March of 2019, a group of Corvette C7 Grand Sport and Z06 owners filed a class-action lawsuit against GM. The grievance in question was that the factory wheels that came on their cars were substandard in quality, and were prone to cracking.
This even lead to a full thread on CorvetteForum.com outlining the damage to some wheels. We have used images from that thread to illustrate the issues in this post.
That particular claim was filed in the U.S. District Court for Central California, with the plaintiffs being represented by Capstone Law from Los Angeles.
Now, according to GM Authority, a new lawsuit has been filed in the U.S. District Court for Northern California. This suit files the same grievance, that 2015 and onwards Corvette Z06‘s and 2017 and onwards Grand Sports were fitted with wheels that were substandard and “prone to bending and cracking.”
This left many Corvette C7 owners needing repairs and replacement wheels. However, the finer detail of the new suit is that it covers two important bases the original lawsuit did not:
- The new suit covers all U.S. citizens that bought a C7 Z06 or Grand Sport new from GM and,
- That the cracking wheels can puncture the tires, causing explosive blowouts and accidents.
As well, the suit alleges that GM, despite knowing about the complaints and issues, did not provide a Technical Service Bulletin so that the wheels could be replaced outside of warranty. This has left many owners sour, as they have had to come out of pocket to purchase replacement wheels at many dealerships.
While this new suit has not seen arguments presented in court yet, it does mean that there are now two active lawsuits regarding defective wheels. The second suit was filed by Kehoe Law Firm, and they are encouraging any U.S. Corvette C7 Z06 or Grand Sport owners that are encountering wheel issues to contact them.
I had a 2002 Z06, 2009 Z06 and have a 2016 Z07 now. I have been a loyal Corvette owner for 19 years.. They are great cars and would have bought a 2023 corvette Z06… there are wheel issues (not forged steel and made in Mexico) for 3 corvette models in the years 2015-2018 (all over the internet). My back tires have been losing air since I bought the vehicle and developed cracks in the wheels. I spent over $1,000 for one rim….Chevrolet doesn’t have the professionalism or charter to do what is right!! especially to loyal customers who spend over 70k for one of their cars (total disrespect). When the company knows they went cheap and there is a manufactory defect. I am going to report this defect to the NTBS, BBB,and DMV…There is a major safety problem and chev is brushing it under the rug and screwing their corvette customers. I WILL NEVER BUY A GM PRODUCT AGAIN!!!!…AND I WILL TELL AS MANY PATIENTS AND BLOG AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE TO NEVER BUY FROM YOUR COMPANY AGAIN!!! I am copy and pasting this complaint and posting it on all reviews. This is my reply to the customer service of GM
Agree with everything you said. I am in the same boat, or same corvette with defective wheels. Had a slow leak in rear tire, 9000 miles, took it to the tire shop, cracked rim. Under “Bumper To Bumper GM Warranty”. GM says that does not cover rims! Rather than buy a new GM junk rim, I purchased 4 new full forged rims. I wanted to be able to drive it and not worry. When I had the new rims installed, I asked the tire shop to check the remaining 3 rims for any defect. All three were bent! Had several long conversations with different “GM Senior Advisors”, who all spoke like they never heard on this problem! They said they researched my case, and would not warranty the rims! One told me I should contact my homeowners insurance to see if they would cover them! I am with you, GM warranty sucks, this is my last Corvette.
I’ve owned many GM cars and trucks over the years, and several Corvettes. I purchased a 2016 Z06 convertible last year with less than 15K miles. I had a rear tire going down, and about 20K miles, so I ordered new tires. That’s when I discovered this issue. I had to order a new rear rim for about $900. I’m checking with my Chevy dealer to see if they ever got a service bulletin. From what I’ve read, they did not and I’m also inquiring about joining the class action suit against GM
I’ve been a loyal GM customer and usually trade cars every two or three years. I’ll be looking at other brands next time
My 2019 Grand Sport got a rear tire leak at 9000 miles. Tire shop found cracked rim. Rather than spend money on another GM junk rim, I bought new set of full forged rims. When I had the rims mounted, the tire shop found that the other 3 were bent! GM senior advisors said GM bumper to bumper warranty does not cover rims!! Had corvettes for 30 years, this is my LAST one.