Corvette Class Action Lawsuit Says Rims Crack

Corvette drivers have filed a class action lawsuit against General Motors saying that their vehicles’ rims are prone to cracking, posing number of costly and dangerous problems.

The Corvette rim defect class action lawsuit was filed by Alfred Lupis. Lupis says that he purchased a new 2017 Chevrolet Corvette Grand Sport on Dec. 15, 2017. He says that in November 2018, when the vehicle had around 3,000 miles on it, a wheel on his car warped. In his Corvette class action, Lupis says he had to pay $115 to have it straightened.

According to the Corvette rim defect class action lawsuit, this defect has plagued many Corvette drivers, and affects 2015 to present Chevrolet Corvette Z06 vehicles and 2017 to present Chevrolet Corvette Grand Sport vehicles.

The Corvette class action claims that the rim defect poses a safety concern, because cracked rims can cause tires to explode while the vehicle is being driven. This explosion can reportedly lead to a loss of control and cause a collision.

Allegedly, the problem of the defective rims is a widespread one. To support this claim, Lupis notes that in Car & Driver magazine’s long-term review of a 2017 Chevrolet Corvette GS, three of the wheels bent, and one cracked. The magazine stated that the repairs and replacements for this problem totaled $1,119, and reported that General Motors refused to cover these costs under warranty.

The Chevrolet Corvette rim defect class action lawsuit says that the defect is inherent to the vehicles and is not caused by driver error or environmental factors. Allegedly, the defect is present at the time of sale.

Lupis argues that GM knew or should have known of the rim defect, because the company conducted pre-production testing and design failure more analysis that should have revealed the defect. Additionally, Lupis says that the company was or should have been aware of the defect because significant consumer complaints were made about the problem both to dealers and to the GM customer service hotline.

Allegedly, the knowledge of the defect was “exclusively in the possession of GM and its network of dealers,” and was unavailable to consumers.

The Corvette rim problem defect class action lawsuit asserts that customers rely on representations made by the makers of a product to discern if it is a quality product. The Corvette class action lawsuit says that GM represents Corvettes as quality vehicles, but has actively concealed the existence of the defect.

Allegedly, the defect is not advertised or disclosed to consumers before or during their purchase of a Corvette, and the company continues to conceal the defect after customers have priced their vehicles. Allegedly, when customers complain of the defect, GM tells them that the wheels are not defective, but the cracked wheels are caused by driver errors, potholes, or other environmental factors.

Lupis claims that GM does not repair the defect under the warranty, causing drivers to have to pay out-of-pocket for repairs and replacements to wheels.

Lupis is represented by Kathy Jo Cook, John T. Martin, and Benjamin H. Duggan of KJC Law Firm LLC; and by Mark A. Ozzello, Tarek H. Zohdy, Cody R. Padgett, and Trisha K. Monesi of Capstone Law APC.

The Corvette Rim Defect Class Action Lawsuit is Lupis v. General Motors LLC, Case No. 1:19-cv-11582-DPW, in the U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts.

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