- Owners of certain C7 (last-generation) Corvettes may finally be entitled to compensation over an alleged issue with their rims
- A new program from Chevrolet will reimburse Z06 and GS owners who complained of cracks in the cars’ wheels
- There’s a catch, though: you’re gonna need a long paper trail to prove the crack isn’t from a pothole or curb impact
Fire up your ALL CAPS button, find those while New Balance speakers, and don yer jorts — news has surfaced that Chevrolet is in the throes of reimbursing some Corvette owners whose vehicles have suffered from wheel problems.
At issue is the alleged propensity for the rims on certain examples of the C7 generation of America’s sports car (namely, the 2015 through 2019 Z06, and the 2017 through 2019 Grand Sport) to bend and/or break under normal usage. In case a refresher is needed for what type of wheel was used nearly a decade ago on these cars, the ’19 Grand Sport, as an example, wore 19-inch wheels up front, and 20s in the rear. Overall widths were 10 inches and 12 inches, respectively.
Conjecture across various corners of the internet and on (*shudder*) car forums indicate the problem may stem from GM’s cost-driven decision to hew the wheels out of cast aluminum instead of forged alternatives. Those in the know assert that methods like spun forging results in a stronger metal than casting would produce, yet maintain similar weight properties.
There are no shortage of owners who maintain The General knew about this problem, yet did nothing, leading to a slew of class-action lawsuits against the Detroit automaker. Now, Chevy is kinda-sorta owning up to the issue with this new “Corvette Wheels Limited Special Reimbursement Program”.
Owners of affected cars are likely to receive a letter stating there is now a measure of extended warranty coverage and a new repair reimbursement program for people who have repaired these wheels. To be eligible, GM is requiring a “proof of payment” that a repair was paid for within the four-year 48,000-mile span after the car’s original in-service date. Supporting documents are also required, including service records, invoices, and receipts from a GM-authorized dealer stating said repair did not find the damage was result of a road impact.
That’s a decent amount of paperwork but, assuming one’s record-keeping skills are reasonable, not an insurmountable ask. What’s key is the final part of the missive, requiring confirmation the repair was not because you smucked into a giant pothole or other road hazard.
If the original repair invoice does not state such, the owner will also have to apparently submit as “proof” an affidavit saying “the vehicle received a wheel repair or replacement for a bent or cracked wheel and that, to the best understanding, knowledge, and belief of the owner or lessee, the wheel repair or replacement was performed for reasons other than damage caused by impact damage or road hazard damage,” under penalty of perjury. Hefty stuff, then.
There’s a website for making a claim under the program, but also a mailing address if you’re still living in the 1950s. The deadline to file a claim is January 25, 2025.
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