Lawsuit Over Cracked Corvette Wheels Dismissed

Nardizzi et al., v. General Motors LLC

In a lawsuit filed by a C7 Corvette owner that includes 2015 to 2019 Z06s and 2017 to 2019 Grand Sports, it was alleged that there was a problem with warped rims but that GM knew about this issue and concealed it even as owners filed complaints. A judge recently dismissed this case. 

The owner says he bought his Z07 from a GM dealer and went to a third party auto shop to have the rims coated. The auto shop alleges the rims were already bent when the car arrives. Then the owner had to pay for replacement wheels, which costs $7,500. GM agreed to pay $1,200 of the $7,500.

The judge pointed out that the warranty requires any repairs to be requested by the owner and then completed at a Chevrolet dealership.

GM filed a motion to have the case dismissed for several reasons. One of the reasons was that the plaintiff never stated a plausible claim, according to Car Complaints.

The true issue the judge had with the suit, and the reason it was dismissed is because the plaintiff alleged the defect was do to the design. The warranty on the car covers issues due to materials or workmanship. The judge also said the implied warranty claim was dismissed because of the Song-Beverly Act. In this case, the judge said the plaintiff failed to allege his car had a persistent defect, one that could not be resolved via repair or replacement of a specific part or component of the car. 

The judge also said that the plaintiff failed to provide evidence that GM knew of the specific defect. While there have been other complaints similar to the ones of the plaintiff, the majority of those complaints came in after the Corvette in question was purchased, so GM didn’t truly know the extent of the issue at the time of the sale.