[VIDEO] The NHTSA Has Complaints of the 2020 Corvette’s Frunk Opening While Driving

1. Some people are just better off using Uber or Lyft…the same ones who have been known to eat Tide Pods. 🙂

2. I would think the frunk opens because the last person in the frunk didn’t properly latch the frunk and ignored the dash light that informs them of the fact as they drive away in a burst of speed. To latch the frunk lower the lid then press down twice and listen For two distinct latch clicks and note the lid is flush with the inside edge of the fenders. It does not have a self closing device. Do not slam the lid to close the frunk it won’t latch and will fly up! The tendency to open the frunk to Show everyone you meet the Corvette moved the engine to middle increases the likelihood you leave without latching the frunk. So stop it and don’t suggest there is something wrong with the Frunk Latch when they probably need a recall on the drives that won’t leave them closed in the first place!

3. I am sorry for the owners that this is happening, but I am once again reminded why I have sworn off Corvettes forever, due to this statement above

   “they wouldn’t pay as it was my fault,” (flying frunk club owner)

   Joining the “I love GM lawyers club members”:

   “they wouldn’t pay because the bent wheels were the drivers fault”
   “they wouldn’t pay because the wonky transmission shudder was the drivers fault”
   “they wouldn’t fix because oveheating only occurs on a racetrack and we don’t believe a Corvette should be on a racetrack.”
   and pre-C7:
   “they wouldn’t pay because the motor eating valves is the drivers fault on the c6 Z06.”

   The C8, with a price twice the median price of a 2020 new car, is not a cheap car. But GM continues to treat all Corvette owner’s like bums.

   Now who is the real bum here?

4. Thanks, my C 8 is suppose to be shipped Friday

5. WOW…..now I’m thinking to cancel my 2021 order with furman…..engine seizes……front trunk opening without warning….what’s next?

6. I am sorry for the owners that this is happening, but I am once again reminded why I have sworn off new Corvettes forever, due to this statement above:

   “they wouldn’t pay as it was my fault,” (flying frunk club owner)

   Joining the “I love GM lawyers” club members:

   “they wouldn’t pay because the bent/cracked wheels were the drivers fault”
   “they wouldn’t pay because the wonky transmission shudder was the drivers fault”
   “they wouldn’t fix because overheating only occurs on a racetrack and GM doesn’t believe a Corvette should be on a racetrack; just look at what happened to GM president Mark Reuss at the Detroit GP!”

   and pre-C7:
   “they wouldn’t pay because the motor eating valves is the drivers fault on the c6 Z06.”

   The C8, with a price twice the median price of a 2020 new car, is not a cheap car. But GM continues to treat all Corvette owner’s like bums looking for handouts in the form of free repairs on their cars. Corvette owners just want a car that runs, and if, in the land of the cheapest bidder supplier, a part or mechanism fails while under warranty, to have it fixed under warranty without having to keep a litigious consumer product liability attorney on retainer to force the repair.

   Now who is the real bum here?

7. The fact that GM won’t pay for the repairs is inexcusable. This is clearly an engineering issue. There should be no possible way for the trunk to open when the car isn’t in park, and it shouldn’t leave park unless the trunk is completely latched. That it can and does open in these situations is GMs fault, and they are responsible for any damage caused, to the car or otherwise.

8. Not buying it!

9. I have owned my C8 for 27 hours. Earlier today when washing it, I noticed the frunk rattled when closed. It doesn’t seem to latch tight, in other words it moves around when I push down on it it when properly closed. It also rattles when I thump it lightly with my fist. I was going to have it looked at during my first oil change at 500 miles but I don’t think I’ll wait given all this. I’m worried that this is a scary problem that Potentially could kill or injure me or / and my wife. You can’t dismiss our safe being.

10. Gee…mine seems to work fine….just like every Corvette I have ever owned. But, then, I know how to follow instructions and try to never senselessly abuse my vehicles. Maybe that makes a difference.

11. DrZ C-8 #422. Last NCM pre co-v museum delivery. March 17,20, my 30+ vette. Look at the dash dumb-a, this car is PERFECT! We have logged on 2200 miles so far with no problems whatsoever, except the few times we’ve topped it off, it takes 20 minutes at the gas station to answer questions to very respectful onlookers, dreamers and historians (usually self proclaimed) folks who bought a ‘58 for $800 bucks. All in all, this car is the most fun you can have with your clothes on…. sour grapes to the nay-sayers who didn’t belly up and order one, check all the boxes and go for it June of 2019!!! Snoozer loozerz! BTW, cmon- 495hp,470ft/lbs torque, a PERFECT tremendous tremec 8 so dct!!!! After 5 Ferraris, countless Porsche’s a pantera, my “ other car is a ‘93 NSX….. My matrix grey 3LT w morello red is a showstopper and I can’t wait to rack up the miles driving it like I stole it! I guess Jeremy Welborn is a great guy but he seems too good to respond to the great story on #422… oh well…

12. This is just another example of why you shouldn’t buy the first year model of an all new or radically redesigned American made car of any brand. I once made the mistake of buying a new 84 Corvette. It was by far the most troublesome Corvette I’ve owned and I’ve owned seven other Corvettes. I kept the 84 for only sixteen months before I traded it in on an improved 85 Corvette. And yes I believe in only buying American cars but wait for them to get the bugs worked out of them.

13. All of the evidence to the contrary and all the scientific efforts to get normally operating C8, have no bearing at all upon whether or not the frunk opened without warning on the affected motorists. In the test trials, I did not see the person attempt to use the electronic opening device on the door. But even that is not relevant. Countless tests on 90% of the cars or more increase the chance that driver error was involved. However, these tests do NOT confirm whether or not something went wrong in some part of the release mechanism. I note that in the cases cited that there is a possibility that the frunk was left inadvertently open in each case. However, with the material brought to bear in each of the three cases (nominal) there is no proof whatsoever that the hood either was nor wasn’t closed properly. Given that the hood can open from the mechanical loop; can open with 2 clicks of the key; and can open from the driver’s compartment and can open from within the frunk, there are a lot of switches and wiring involved. What are other possibilities? All of the following are unlikely, but could have occured: 1) An intentional outside signal was deployed; 2) Unintentional outside wave signal occurred, triggering the trunk opening; 3) Electronic failure of some sort within the electronics/switching/signaling system of the car triggered the opening of the frunk. A partial open was not detected by the driver information center (DIC), or warning light system, resulting in driver being unaware he was driving away with frunk unlatched, or latched once. 4) Defective latch or receiver. In none of the cases was it reported exactly what the driver was doing the few seconds before the occurrence. Was there an attempt at any electronic input where an error might have occurred, or was the driver solely driving with no other input.

    I will reiterate that it is important to check the frunk more than the trunk. The immediate blocked vision creates the extreme danger.

    Apparently, thousand of Corvette owners have had thousands of repetitions without the frunk flying open. I do know that on one occasion in a Mustang I own, after charging the battery on it for a couple of days, I pulled the charging equipment off the battery and somehow forgot to close the trunk of the car and enough lift occured after driving about 21 miles per hour that my front trunk lid flipped open. I had to repair the roof of the car and have some alignment issues corrected and it cost me a bunch of money. It was my fault. The peculiar thing is, it took me a while before I realized my own mistake. I was so surprised by the happening, that I forgot that I had forgotten to latch and close the trunk.

    I clearly have left the frunk open once or twice and the error message alerted me. Perhaps, just like a brake interlock, perhaps the mid-engine corvette shouldn’t be allowed to start, if the frunk is left open. The only things that I can see that would cause the accident that would not be recorded on the event data recorder, would be a happenstance signal that instructs the frunk to open. If this occurred, it would be a manufacturing/engineering error that allows intentional or unintentional waves to instruct the frunk to open. Hacking of electronics in vehicles has been mentioned as a concern in modern vehicles.

    The safest method to know for sure is to consciously look and even physically check the frunk every time before entering the car. Any time closing, of course, both listen to and feel both positive clicks.

    The park and drive feature, where the car senses the key and unlocks within a 3 feet or 3 yard radius of the lock could inadvertently open the frunk if the electronics of either the key or the car itself were somehow compromised as a result of the build or materials of either the key or the vehicle. It’s possible, as unlikely as it seems reasonable. AF

14. As far as GM taking responsibility or refusing to take care of its customers, my personal experience with both Porsche and Mercedes Benz, in situations where I know that it was a personnel error during a service that caused one problem I had; and an engineering error that was well known that caused another problem I had. Both companies refused to accept responsibility. One was inconvenient and just meant that I had to pay for a heated seat repair when a mechanic or employee caused the problem during a service. The other was more serious and I sustained a number of painful injuries as did my wife in an accident where a sudden acceleration was caused by a design flaw in a cruise control that resulted in the loss of control of the car and a subsequent 4 car accident. Had traffic been very light, my wife and I would have been killed. The heavy traffic allowed the high impact collision to be mitigated as the out of control Mercedes did not have time to get any faster than35-45 mph before the collision brought the car to a stop. The point is, that in both cases, I believe the car company deserved some or all of the responsibility. I was told to take a hike. Tesla is now well known for denying responsibility when one of its self driving or self-stopping systems fail and kills someone and suits are pending against them. This frunk situation is very unfortunate. A lot of people would not like a frunk interlock as it takes away freedoms. Well so did the brake interlock now in effect on all USA sold cars take away a freedom. Ultimately there is no real inconvenience to the brake interlock and there would be no real inconvenience to a frunk interlock (must be closed in order for the car to start. AF

15. This is what happens when the front Corvette hood opens the “wrong” direction for the first time ever.
    Why is there no manual secondary safety latch like all other cars have? I thought it was mandatory.

16. Chevy Engineers are going to put a small glass window in the frunk so when it pops open you can see where you’re going and come to a stop.

17. It’s only a problem if it happens to you, just like the wheel problem on z06 and grand sport C7s

18. Curious that the 2021’s won’t let you put the car in drive without putting your seatbelt on,but you can drive up to 82 mph with the frunk unlatched

19. Can’t the frunk be designed to open in the same direction the hood did on the C7 ?

20. For several generations Corvette had a FRONT hinged hood. C-8 should have continued that tradition with a front hinged FRUNK. Problem should never have come up. (No pun intended)

21. Has anyone had a broken windshield on a C8?

    A minor pebble—that I did not hear hit my windshield—broke the windshield and sent a crash halfway across my windshield.

    Anyone else had a windshield issue?

22. All becoming clear how they are able to sell this car starting at 60k…….

23. A friend told me today that his hood flew open as he drove away from his house recently.  How did it happen?  He simply forgot to close the hood, got busy, then got in the car and took off.  He didn’t even notice the warning on the instrument cluster until the hood came all the way up.  The same could happen even when someone truly thinks they had closed the hood.  Could any of the reported incidences happen in this manner?  It’s definitely a possibility.  

24. This is what happens when the front Corvette hood opens the “wrong” direction for the first time ever.
    Why is there no manual secondary safety latch like all other cars have? I thought it was mandatory.

25. I am reading this article because this happened to me yesterday at a speed under 30 miles per hour, without any warning signals until the front truck lid was straight up in front of my face with only 3 miles on the car odometer. I was on the way to the customers house after fueling the vehicle for delivery. I was convinced one of the lot kids didn’t shut it all the way, but pics taken minutes before I drove it to get fuel for the customer show the lid shut flush. It did not pop open on me on the way to the gas station, but pulling out after fueling. I had both key fobs in the cupholder as well, so it wasn’t accidentally “double clicked” to open. The only item in the front truck was the window sticker. I had to remove the hood 1 mile from the dealership to drive it back and then got hinges overnight from Cincy to get the vehicle delivered this morning. The customer knows about it and when I drove the car to his house this morning I didn’t want to drive over 20 mph and I didn’t have to as the customer lives in a subdivision behind the dealership. There was not a warning for open hood until it was fully up in front of my face and I was able to see under it until parked safely off the roadway. 32 years of selling Chevy’s at my store so I am not entirely an idiot…lol

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