aurieg

Dear Forum,

I have a 2017 Grand Sport, still under bumper-to-bumper warranty. I got what I thought was a flat tire, took it to the dealer, and dealer found actually the rear wheels are cracked. Funny thing is the dealer worked on those wheels a couple months ago and never mentioned any cracks. Anyways, the service guy at the dealer has been trying really hard to get warranty coverage, and he says GM is denying them. An independent inspector even came out and said definitely not road hazard damage or user abuse. What can I do now?

I found this online that suggests actually cracked wheels plus GM denying warranty coverage is a common problem: https://www.classaction.org/media/lu...motors-llc.pdf

Prime Target

Very common issue on C7 GS and Z06. These wheels are notoriously weak. I see you’re new to the forum. If you do a search you’ll find a plethora of information on the cracked/bent wheel issue. All 4 wheels on my 2017 Z06 convertible are bent, and the rear driver side is also cracked. GM denied my warranty claim under the 3/36 BTB warranty. It’s not the dealer’s fault. It’s GM. I have a great relationship with my dealer. They tried to get them warrantied but knew going in that GM would deny claim. Add your name and issue to the NHTSA complaint that is presently opened up. I’m replacing the stock tin can wheels with forged wheels in the spring. It’s an expensive fix, but it resolves the issue for good. And when you sell the car you can put the old wheels back on and sell the forged wheels separately to recoup some of your money.

aurieg

Hey Prime Target, thanks for the info! Ok I'll do a search. May I ask, are you driving the car on cracked wheels? Mine is losing air in one, so I'm not sure about driving on it for TOO long. But if it's safe for few hundred miles that helps a ton.

Landru

Denying coverage for this common problem w/ C7 wheels is GM 'policy'.
GM knows damned well they've a colosal problem, potential payout is real and enormous.
Keep badgering dealer *&* contact GM CS to file a complaint.
Even tho' it probably won't bear fruit you'll be on record in the advent there's a class action judgement for this.
Real trouble is poor wheels, even if covered, are the same junk, not unlike harmonic balancers.
Shame on GM.

Only rational response is acquiring a good set of forged wheels, which of course is unfortunately on your dime.
Although doing so costs it also puts the issue of cheap poorly made wheels to bed, permanently.

aurieg

so... I actually had a legal argument with Dan Ammann about a year ago. yes like former President Dan Ammann. GM hired some very expensive people for him. not only did I win, but I retained rights to over two dozen legal claims. included are claims of defrauding the government about safety issues.

should I just got full bore here? I remember GM lawyers lecturing us about one of their big settlements with the government (stuck gas pedal I think?) and how if we saw anything we were supposed to speak up because the government had already caught them lying, and if they lie any more then it invalidates the settlement. lol.

AORoads

Maybe it's coincidence, but for all those who've bought non-forged wheels that are cast construction, I haven't read of one that cracked or bent on here. And they are significantly less expensive than many forged wheels. Just a thought, and there are vendors on here who sell non-forged wheels. Good luck.

Here's some background on cast, flow formed, forged.
https://www.turnology.com/tech-stori...forged-wheels/

olblue75

Go full retard on them(you never go full retard)!! I had 3 bent supposedly on a track ready car that can’t take the transition from road to parking lot of 3/4 of a inch, both front and right rear. So that tells me it’s happening to me anyway going into parking lots off the main road.

Who gets the movie reference??

Pribilof

Vendors on here sell flow forged wheels that are GM reproductions. That'll fix your issue for 1/3rd the cost of true forged wheels.

Scudz

Post here and I will add you to the list. Maybe something will come of it one day. Another member just won at arbitration with the Better Business Bureau. Also, check all wheels for runout. They may be bent too. For just one wheel, I might take my lumps, but all 4, no way. I am awaiting an arbitration date with the BBB.

https://www.corvetteforum.com/forums...post1600184137

KenHorse

Tropic Thunder

Great flick

RMS73

Sorry wheels and no GM warranty support - That is one reason I am staying away from a C8. I wonder what on the C8 GM will not stand behind.

Litfuse

Unfortunately, until there are several fatalities linked to this issue, nothing will happen.

449er

Another option to going with an aftermarket forged wheel would be to go with a C6 wheel, there are many nice designs & no quality issues with them that I know of & they would be cheaper than an aftermarket wheel

Vetteman Jack

Good point about the C6 wheels. Certainly a cost effective option if you like the wheel designs.

mycorvette02

There is a lot of people that have had the same problem. GM will not warranty them. Join in on the class action law suit. That is about your only recourse at this time.

aurieg

Thanks everybody for all this input! Sure beats GM customer support.

For those who went with aftermarket wheels: does it affect the bumper-to-bumper warranty at all? Are there wheels with a decent warranty? I’m mainly concerned about resale value— I actually already had plans to get a new car in a couple months. I guess I could also give the dealer the car now, with broken wheels, and let them figure it out.

mountainears

Did you have the tire and wheel extended warranty as well, or just the regular bumper to bumper?

My understanding is they were covering under the optional tire and wheel warranty.

aurieg

with the car i bought a $1024 road hazard warranty thru some non-Chevy company— the dealer sold it as an add-on. those guys sent out their own inspector who ruled the cracks were not from road impact nor user abuse and hence coverage denied from them. they also said the chevy b2b warranty should cover it. tires are OEM fresh. nice thing about the road hazard peeps is i got a puncture once and they don’t patch— i got a fresh rear tire. so in two punctures it pays for itself.

GM knew the result of the independent before making their own call. so clearly looks like GM trying to do adversarial lawyer things now.

Rky Mtn C6

I belong to a large (260+ member) Corvette club, and nobody has had any problems with cracked wheels on GS'. Which wheels are having the problems?

plmmd

Still waiting on GM to supply my third cracked rim. Nov 4 th I was out of service as the wheel drained air too quickly. I have logged 22 calls to customer service have been "escalated" twice and still have no information as to when wheels may be available. I now make a daily call to my customer service dedicated rep which doesn't get answered._ Im at 4 in row. I have wheel warranty coverage and they have replaced 2 cracked and on bent so far in a 2019 GS with 13k miles