Corvette Class Action Lawsuit Says ‘Track Ready’ Cars Overheat

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General Motors was slammed with a class action lawsuit alleging their late model Corvette Z06 has a defective cooling system that causes the car to overheat and go into “Limp Mode” after less than 15 minutes on the track.

Lead plaintiffs allege in their class action lawsuit that GM marketed the Corvette Z06s as having “Track Proven Structure and Technologies.” However, says the class action, “The Z06s were far from ready for the track … in fact, they proved to be unreliable there.”

“GM deceived its customers when it sold or leased the Z06s while promising that they were built for the track, when in fact they were unreliable and unsafe for that purpose,” allege the plaintiffs.

According to the class action lawsuit, the plaintiffs all purchased late model Z06 Corvettes for $80,000 to $120,000 to be able to bring them to the track and drive them at high speeds. They say were disappointed when after less than 15 minutes, the cars overheated and went into Limp Mode. The plaintiffs further allege that it is dangerous for a car to be in Limp Mode on a track surrounded by other racing cars.

“Z06 forums and GM customer service files are replete with complaints from consumers who reasonably believed that their Z06 would in fact be fully track-capable,” the Corvette class action lawsuit states. “Instead, they have been put at risk of accident on race tracks and during non-track driving when the defective transmissions and rear differentials overheat, causing the cars to go into Limp Mode at drastically reduced speed and performance or forcing the driver to stop in order to protect the engine.”

The plaintiffs allege that the defective cooling system in the Corvette Z06 also causes damage to the vehicle’s engine.

According to the class action lawsuit, GM is aware of the defect. The car company suspended production of the Z06 and tried to fix the problem by using a new hood with larger vents and a new supercharger cover in the 2017 model, say the plaintiffs; however, the new hood did not solve the problem.

GM allegedly tries to shift its obligation to remedy the defect to consumers by warning owners that automatic transmissions have the potential for overheating. “But GM cannot shift its warranty obligations onto its customers. If the Z06s need a different cooling system to actually perform as advertised, then GM should retrofit the cars with these components on its 2015 and 2016 models as well as fix the 2017 model to allow the car to perform as promised,” argue the plaintiffs.

Further, GM needs to fix the other problem caused by the allegedly defective cooling system in the Z06, the Corvette class action states.

The plaintiffs seek to represent a nationwide Class of 2015-2017 Corvette Z06 owners along with various state subclasses. The plaintiffs claim that GM is in violation of the Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act and state consumer protection laws. They also allege that GM fraudulently concealed the defect from consumers and breached express and implied warranties.

The plaintiffs are seeking damages, a recall or free replacement program, a buy back program, and an injunction stopping GM from marketing the Z06 as being “usable on a track.”

The plaintiffs are represented by Stuart Z. Grossman and Rachel Furst of Grossman Roth Yaffa Cohen, Steve W. Berman and Shelby Smith of Hagens Berman Sobol Shapiro LLP, and Jason Weisser of Schuler Halvorsen Weidder Zoller Overbeck.

The GM Corvette Z06 Class Action Lawsuit is Vazquez, et al. v. General Motors LLC, Case No. 1:17-cv-22209,  in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida.