GM Says the Fix for the C8 Corvette Z06 Recall and Stop Sale Is Almost Ready

It’s now been three weeks since General Motors issued a voluntary recall for all C8 Corvette Z06s and ZR1s produced while also issuing a Stop Sale Order on any new Z06s or ZR1s from being delivered. This response from GM was due to a number of vehicle fires that were investigated and believed to be caused by an excess fuel spillage issue during refueling.

The issue only affects the Z06 and ZR1 as they have a driver-side fan/radiator that is located directed under the fuel filler door. It’s believed that spilled fuel is leaking down into the side air intake and then getting blown around by the cooling fans that operate even if the car has been turned off. If that spilled fuel hits an ignition source, it could cause the car to go up in flames.

GM initially said they are working to create a spilled fuel diverter that would send any leaked gas away from the cooling fans and now it looks like they have that part developed and ready to go. Our friends at the MidEngineCorvetteForum.com had reached out to GM regarding the recall issue and got the following statement on Friday morning from a GM Spokesperson:

“GM has developed the recall remedy (an insert / shield to divert spilled fuel) and is working to quickly source production and deliver it to dealers. When parts are available, GM will inform affected vehicle owners of remedy availability and encourage them to make appointments with their local dealerships. In the meantime, vehicle owners can visit gm.com/service (https://experience.gm.com/ownercenter/recalls?vin=) and enter their Vehicle Identification Number (VIN) for recall information.”

That’s good news that they have the part developed and tested and now it’s a matter of scaling production as there were just over 23,600 Corvette Z06s subjected to the recall notice. Once those parts are produced, they will be sent to dealers for installation on both customer Z06/ZR1s that were previously delivered as well as being able to put them on any new Corvette Z06s that are stuck at dealerships as part of the Stop Sale notice. We had estimated there were roughly 1,630 or so of these cars at dealers.

Our friend John from MECF has an early 2023 Z06 and so he plugged his VIN into the GM Recall Website and got the following notice:

Two weeks ago we were at the NCM for the 31st Anniversary Celebration and when we asked several GM engineers about it, we were only told that it was in the works. We’ve also heard that it could be October before dealers get their parts to start the remedy process. So if you have a Z06 or currently waiting to get your new Z06 or ZR1 released from the Stop Sale hold, we are thinking that it could still be a couple more weeks before that happens.

While at the National Corvette Museum, I took a few minutes to check out the ZR1 Cutaway display and it was very illustrative as the fuel filler door is located directly above the radiator and fan in the ZR1’s side intake scoop. Because this was a cutaway car, I think it may be missing some additional parts around the fuel intake, but I was able to look right down and see the radiator directly under it.

As GM has suggested, take special care when filling up a Z06 or ZR1. If the automatic shutoff clicks off, stop there and return the nozzle back to the pump. Don’t attempt to overfill and don’t leave your car during the refueling process.

Source:
MidEngineCorvetteForum.com

Related:
GM’s Voluntary Recall for the C8 Corvette Z06 Affects This Many Cars
GM Issues a Voluntary Recall for 2023-2026 Z06 and 2025-2026 ZR1
Nearly 45 Percent of Chevrolet’s Nationwide C8 Corvette Inventory are Z06s

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