Corvette Chief Engineer Tadge Juechter Explains C8 Frunk Issue

It wasn’t a mechanical issue causing frunks to open at speed, but it’s not exactly user error, either.

Nearly every first-year car has a few hiccups to work out, and some are worse than others. The 2020 Corvette is no different. By now, you’ve surely read about the issue with the C8’s frunk popping open at speed and causing damage.

There was indeed an issue with the frunk, and Chevrolet has issued a recall, but it appears that the issue’s root cause isn’t mechanical. Instead, it appears that the problem is caused by unintentional user error.

The Corvette’s Chief Engineer Tadge Juechter explains the problem in a brief video, shared on YouTube by the Corvette: Sales, News & Lifestyle channel. The video is short and to the point, and it will hopefully save more than a few new C8 owners from heartbreak and headaches.

A Simple Mistake

As Juechter explains, the original procedure for opening the frunk involved two quick presses of the corresponding button on the keyfob. This is easy to do – too easy. Apparently, some folks were unintentionally double-tapping the button in their pocket. In some cases, other keys or items in the owner’s pocket would press the button when they sat down, or when they were walking.

Regardless of how it happened, the result was the same. The frunk would fly open at speed and cause expensive body damage. After much thought, the Corvette engineering team made a small change to the 2020 Corvette’s software.

Now, you must still press the button twice to open the frunk, but the procedure is different. Instead of two quick taps, you tap it once, then press and hold to pop open the frunk. This action is more deliberate, and should result in fewer accidental frunk openings by owners.

Since the C8 Corvette supports over-the-air updates, current owners don’t have to go to the dealer to get the software update. It’s downloaded by the car automatically. How cool is that?

If you’re unsure, it’s easy to test. Simply stand in front of your Corvette and give the keyfob button a double-tap to verify that it doesn’t open. Then, press the button once, followed by a press and hold, and see if it works that way.

If you haven’t taken delivery of your new Corvette yet, no sweat – all new Corvettes from here on out will be built with the updated software. This should spell the end of frunk issues for good – fingers crossed.

Photos: GM

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