Exploding Stingray & Multiple Z06 Failures Prompt an Open Letter to GM CEO Mary Barra (Will GM Help?)

One C8 owner has suffered an incredible string of bad luck, including a literally exploding Stingray and four Z06 transmission failures. 

The C8 Corvette, in all its forms, is an amazing sports car. It took a significant leap forward in performance compared to the C7. The C8 Z06 is a veritable supercar. And many folks are excited about the E-Ray. But there have been some problems as well. Some serious failures have been reported with the Stingray and Z06. And one unfortunate Corvette Forum member seems to be experiencing all of them. Literally. From a literally exploding Stingray to a Z06 that has had the transmission fail four times. Sure, some issues are to be expected with a new generation. But we also expect GM to step up and fix them.

The C8 has gotten quite expensive. With dealer markups, some folks are dropping a quarter million dollars on a new Z06. Which means GM needs to improve the way it treats these types of upmarket customers. But that does not seem to be the case. Corvette Forum member C8gofast recently started a thread in the forums with the title: “Letter to Mary Barra due to ZO6 Failure.” The letter, which is copied below, was sent via certified mail to Mary Barra, the CEO of GM. As you will see from the letter, this owner has not had the best of luck with his C8 Corvettes.

Ms. Mary T. Barra
300 Renaissance Ctr.
Detroit, MI. 48265-3000
Ms. Mary T. Barra,

My 2021 C8 Corvette VIN ************** with less than 4000 miles exploded and burned in March. The engine threw a rod through the block and punctured the fuel tank. Please see the attached photos. But that is not why I am writing to you today. I need your help in resolving the issue with my 2023 ZO6 Corvette VIN ***********, which I purchased to replace the C8.

The ZO6 has been at the dealership for the past 10 of 12 weeks. After the 1500-mile break in, the transmission failed the first day at Road Atlanta in May, where I am a driving instructor. The car sat at the dealership for four weeks, while they replaced the valve body. I trailered the car to Road Atlanta where it failed again on the first lap in June. Car was returned to the dealership where it sat for three more weeks while they replaced the wiring harness to the fluid pressure sensor. I went to pick up the car July 14th and I did not make it out of their parking lot before the transmission failed again. The ZO6 is still at the dealership, Terry Thompson Chevrolet going on three more weeks. I love corvettes, but I believe I have a “lemon.”

I have owned nine corvettes and have loved them since I was 10 years old. The ZO6 is the premier world-class sports car and the flagship of Chevrolet. This is not what one would expect when purchasing such a car.

I am a driving instructor at Barber’s Motorsports Park and Road Atlanta, and professionally raced corvettes for 20+ years. The ZO6 was purchased specifically to be used as a “track” car as it was designed.

I no longer trust the reliability of this car and expect future problems. I have no interest in the pursuing the lemon law process or getting attorneys involved. This is evident by me not pursuing legal action against GM when the C8 exploded. GM did not spend a penny in compensation on the C8 since I let my insurance cover the loss.

Considering the trauma and emotional stress of almost being killed in the C8 and the ridiculous infuriating circus I am going through with the ZO6, I would like to donate this car back to GM, so the engineers can determine lessons learned and replace it with the first available ZO7 corvette. I believe this is a reasonable resolution. I look forward to your reply.

For a little extra context, C8gofast mentioned to us that his —

ZO6 did not indicate any transmission problems during the 1500 mile break in period while calmly driving on the freeway. However, upon aggressive driving on the track, the transmission immediately failed multiple times. This could possibly be a prelude to future transmission problems for the majority of Z06 owners who only drive their cars on the street as the transmission wears over time.

GM’s First Reply

The day after posting the above letter C8gofast provided an update. He stated that GM did call him, but they offered nothing in the way of compensation other than adding 40K miles to the powertrain warranty. And that warranty would cover components only, not labor.

Obviously, this was not the desired outcome. C8gofast reports that the dealership has been great to work with. But they need direction from GM, and that has not been happening. The owner plans to take the car to another track weekend on August 19 and 20. If the transmission fails again, it will be the FIFTH failure and at that point, the owner will pursue legal action.

GM, for its part, has said they would call C8gofast on August 21 to see how the car did. Hopefully, the Z06 is fixed. (Fingers crossed.) But if not, we’re also hoping both parties can find an amicable resolution for what, to our laymen’s eyes, appears to be a vehicle that qualifies for a Lemon Law buyback of some kind.

The letter to Mary Barra is well written, and it comes from a long-time and loyal Corvette owner. And an owner that uses the car as intended. The exact type of person that GM should want to please. And as you would expect, most Corvette Forum members see it the same way and are hoping that GM will do the right thing here and step up with an agreeable solution. Others shared a similar experience, such as this post by danm1:

I took delivery of my 2023 Z06 on July 28, it broke down with multiple system failures the same day and had to be towed right back to the dealership. After I was told that because the car had so many problems and the parts to repair it were on back order it could take several weeks to get it back on the road. Of course, I found this completely unacceptable, and I contacted Mary Barra’s Office for help. A member of her staff did call me back and was sympathetic to my plight. Another rep contacted me and said they were considering a buy back since the car was so problematic. Well, I heard from them a week later, that was today, and they said no buy back, they want to try and fix it. I live in New Jersey, Lemon Laws are tough here, so that’s the route I’m going to take. I didn’t spend that much on a car to have it sit in the shop. It’s a shame that GM won’t do the right thing to help people after they took their money and sold them a defective product. Well, this is America, and even the little people can fight back against the corporate giants by going to the courts, and that’s what I’m going to do!!

Dark Cloud Over the C8

The C8 Corvette as a car is phenomenal. But the GM experience is far from it. I wrote an article about a year ago where I made the point that with the Corvette moving upmarket the Chevy dealers were going to need some upgrades. A few months later I followed it up with a piece about Corvette becoming its own brand and if so the dealership and warranty experience must be premium. Forum member MattMD agrees with me:

One of the things that makes me optimistic about the idea of Corvette as a standalone brand. When you have a $150,000 exotic with same system, customer reps, and service bays as $20,000 crossovers some things just aren’t going to mesh with part availability, customer service, etc.

However, based on what we see in this CorvetteForum thread these improvements are not happening. Dealers can only do so much without the support of GM. And GM is at risk of losing these buyers over it. At the prices being charged for the Z06, there are a lot of other options out there. And with this kind of treatment are folks going to be as excited to spend even more money on a ZR1 or Zora?

Conclusion

We all hope for the best for anyone that is experiencing issues with their C8. GM built a wonderful car. Yes, it has some problems. But so does any car. If you think every Ferrari, McLaren, Porsche, or even Toyota is perfect you are fooling yourself. And we don’t want to blow the Corvette problems out of proportion. As forum member michael510 says:

I don’t see these threads as an indication of the overall problems with the Z06. Forums will always make a vehicle seem like a dud. The way these issues are dealt with is more of a concern to me personally. All makes have examples of issues. I just bought a new BMW and in the first 2 weeks the AC quit working. But the way BMW is handling my issue has been excellent. I hope to see GM taking care of the problem cars promptly and thoroughly.

Dear GM, your C8 Corvette is fantastic. Admit that some have experienced failures, fix them, do right by the owners and we can all move on. Trying to force your most loyal and well-heeled customers into lawsuits is not the way to compete against the more prestigious European brands.

Images: Corvette Forum; Chevrolet

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8.14.23 UPDATES — This article was updated three days after publishing with two photos of C8gofast’s Z06 as well as additional quote.

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