Today marks month 2 of non use- Interesting I got a call from the GM executive office today in regard to the letter I sent below. BTW I sent this to GM executive office,, WSJ, Road and Track, Automobile and Car and Driver magazines. I'm beyond frustrated and will look to see what happens now



The quintessential domestic car, the Corvette, has been something I lusted for since childhood and a dream I was able to fulfill only decades later. I had pangs of patriotism as I finally abandoned European sports cars for the gorgeous Long Beach Red 2019 corvette grand sport that arrived in my driveway in April 2018. It was love at first sight and I get thumbs up on the road from every age group; small children to senior citizens and everyone comments on this car. It is truly an icon of the American dream and you can't dream of anything more American than a red Corvette.

I daily drive my car in metro New York, driving to work from Long Island to the boroughs. Thirteen thousand miles later and this car has never left the tri-state area. About a year ago though I started to get a slow leak in one of my tires. Turns out it was a cracked rear rim. About a month later I had a slow leak from a crack in the other rear rim. Another rim was replaced. On November 6th of this year my front tire went flat. Back to service to find a cracked front rim, but this one won't hold air. My car is incapacitated. A quarter million miles of sports car driving over thirty years and I've never before cracked a rim much less three separately.

Here we are December 26th 7 weeks later. Twenty-two calls to GM customer service and more emails than that, and I still can't use my car. My American dream has been shattered. There has been no guesstimate of when to expect a replacement wheel nor an offer to reimburse for my inability to use the car. I'm being ignored and I'm in limbo.

A quick goggle search reveals that I'm not alone. It seems particular to this model: the large rims, run flat low profile tires and cast aluminium wheels are a triad destined to failure. In fact there is a class action suit initiated by a California owner. Review of the on-line forums and bulletin boards and again many other owners chime in.

I want to like the brand - I really do. In fact some time ago I placed a deposit on an order for the new mid engine c-8 corvette. Can I seriously consider staying with GM when the brand denies an issue and does not back up their product with appropriate customer service? Call me disheartened. If America wants to remain competitive we need to consider the customer as well as back up the products we sell. American products can be great- but that requires the whole package including servicing the customer.

 

Please provide cliff notes of phone call with aforementioned GM Executive.......

 

Yup. That would be very frustrating.

 

it was the an executive assistant who gave same chain of questions but seemed to entertain the thought of this issue perhaps being a defect. I pointed out the two (now) class action suits pending as well as NHTSA claims. I am told today was a background information gathering and I would get a response in 48 hrs.

My ask was 1- a freaking rim!
2- reimbursement for 2 + lost months vehicle use
3- recourse in the event of future rim defects

 

How bad are the potholes in your area?

 

And? Pray-tell.

Have followed your ordeal since you posted re the issue.
It's awful, unacceptable what GM's doing & done, to 100s of others also I'd bet.

Instead of paying 7 mos on a car you can't use, why not cut to the chase.
Invest in 4 new wheels of your choice & budget.
It is not right, granted, while neither is not driving a beautiful and valuable C.
Pick your poison, leaving the beauty parked would not be my choice..

G/L...really hoping you get some satisfaction from the general's helpers, now.
Thing is?
There's absolutely nothing preventing this happening, again.

 

Please post a photo of your wheel(s). Just a good side shot will do. I'm looking for some black wheels and I want to know what style wheels are doing all the cracking.

 

I have read a lot of posts about the cracked rims. My question is....has anyone actually filed a class-action suit against GM? If so, what was the result?

 

GM's lack of warranty supports is the main reason I will not consider getting a C8. The first year model usually has issues and a complete new design like the C8 will introduce mulltiple possible warranty issues. What make anyone think GM will support the warraty issues on the C8 better than they have on the C7. BTW my C7 Z51 has had no warranty issues and I am very happy with it. The wheel issue and - 8 speed AT issues and GM's lack of warranty support is why I didn't even think of an "upgrade" to a Grand Sport. I'll see if GM does any better with the C8 before I consider a C8.

 

I went through the same basic problem. They said I had 4 bent wheels and one was cracked. I have a 2017 GS with 17500 miles and they are not covered under the 3-36 warranty. I was give an estimate for $3600. and told the wheels are on back order. After reading others on the forum that have been waiting 6-8 weeks and still don't have their wheels. I called a forum member Bob's House of Wheels in South Florida. For the same GM brand OEM wheels Bob's was half the price for the exact same wheel and I received them the following day, basically over night. These wheels where not knock off or a close after market. They where GM wheels OEM that match the ones on my GS. The funny thing was when I took them to the dealer they told me "they would not be covered by my warranty" I laughed at them and said "you wouldn't cover them before, what the hell is the difference". A couple day later an about $2100. later I drove my GS home with no more problem.

 

I would just buy replacement wheel(s) and send the bill to GM. They will likely not pay up but at least you can drive your car.

This guy figured it out.

 

The run around I have been getting from 4 dealers and three GM customer service agents for my A8 shudder the past 6 months has me saying the same thing. Why buy GM again? You just know the first C8' are going to have more issues than even the C7.

 

Sorry to hear you bent a rim. Sometimes that's the price we pay for driving sports cars.

I'd consider spending a few hundred bucks on a new/used wheel. Sounds like you've put a ton of time and money when you could have been driving long ago while this got sorted out. At least you'd have a spare wheel or you could resell it again.

 

OP, Just bite the bullet & buy 4 new wheels & move on....MAYBE GM will settle with you at some point/maybe not but a cracked wheel(s) would not stop me from driving my car....BTW I own an LS7 car, so I feel your pain

 

I hope you don’t have a 3LT interior.

 

Buy the C8, have your aftermarket wheels purchased and installed at delivery and avoid any wheel drama, place take offs for sale on forum where they would sell within a week, then enjoy your C8 if that's really your desire to have one and avoid any wheel issues.

 

Clearly, GM doesn't care enough to remedy, at their cost, an obvious design / fabrication flaw. It's a cost - risk to them, gambling that they do not alienate enough buyers to impact their future sales. So, we're left to eat the cost, not GM.

 

GM behaves in this manner simply because they can. The only thing that will change this is if we stop buying Corvettes and that's not going to happen.

 

GM doesnt care about customer service. They got your money and thats all they care about. I have a 15 Z51 so no wheel issue but the dash leather is lifting. GM had issue with full size SUV and Trucks dashs cracking. Trying to get it fixed was nightmare Models were 2007-2014. Thousands had problems. I had 2 crack. I was out of warranty but my dealer replaced the first but not the second.

 

Class action lawsuit. That's funny. If GM loses lawyers make a windfall and owners that are part of the class get a $50 coupon good towards their next oil change.....