2015 Chevrolet Corvette Other / unspecified Problems

The factory supplied OEM GM wheels on this vehicle are cracking in the rims. This is not due to striking any road hazards whatsoever, there is simply a manufacturing defect within the wheel itself. My vehicle is a 2015, but only has 23000 miles on it. My rear left tire developed an air leak which was the initial hint that something was wrong. The crack was confirmed as the cause by my auto shop. I had this repaired via a weld, but the future structural soundness of the wheel is suspect. The shop has repaired many Corvette wheels like mine and most have come back again for the same problem. I had the other wheels inspected and found out the left front wheel is cracked as well. I am replacing the wheels with mono block forged wheels from an aftermarket supplier at my own expense due to having no confidence in the GM wheels. A wheel coming apart at high speed is an obvious safety hazard to myself and others on the road. GM is shirking any responsibility for this manufacturing defect. There are thousands of threads about this issue all over the Corvette forums. It is shameful that a vehicle that costs over six figures should have this issue. I have never had this sort of problem with any other vehicle I have ever owned throughout the decades, not even entry level vehicles. This really should be a safety recall.

NHTSA ID

11623627

Incident

Sep 17, 2024

I currently have a cracked but now welded rim that is off my 2015 Z06 Corvette. This rim is cracked due to a manufacture defect. This is now a known issue and yet to be resolved but this is definitely a safety issue when driving down the road.

NHTSA ID

11546302

Incident

Sep 15, 2023

I own a 2015 Corvette Z06 and I had new tires put on last week and the shop found a crack in the rear passenger side wheel. I had to buy a replacement wheel before i could drive it again, since it could have lost air in the tire at any time, which is not safe. This is a common problem with this vechicle.

NHTSA ID

11539684

Incident

Aug 11, 2023

A SMALL CRACK DEVELOPED ON THE INSIDE RIM OF ONE OF MY REAR WHEELS AS I WAS DRIVING ON CITY STREETS AND AN INTERSTATE HIGHWAY. I NOTICED THE PROBLEM WHEN "LOW TIRE PRESSURE" CAME UP ON MY SCREEN. . I WAS 500 MILES FROM HOME WHEN I NOTICED THAT THE TIRE WAS LEAKING. I WENT TO A LOCAL TIRE DEALER. HE DISCOVERED THE CRACK AND SAID THAT IT WOULD TAKE ABOUT 5 DAYS TO GET A REPLACEMENT. I NEEDED TO GET HOME SO HE PUT SOME STICKY TIRE GOO ON THE OUTSIDE OF THE CRACK AND INFLATED THE TIRE TO 50 PSI. AFTER ABOUT 400 MILES ON MY TRIP HOME, THE PRESSURE WAS ABOUT 24 PSI. I INFLATED IT BACK TO 45 PSI AND MADE IT HOME SAFELY.

NHTSA ID

11413833

Incident

Apr 22, 2021

Mileage

14,000 mi

2015 Z06 CORVETTE CRACKED 3 REAR WHEELS (20" DIAMETER). ONE AT 24,000 MILES, ONE AT 30,000 MILES AND ONE AT 40,000 MILES. CAR IS ONLY DRIVEN TO WORK ON INTERSTATE QUALITY ROADS. NO IN TOWN DRIVING. ALL WHEEL CRACKED ON THE INSIDE. THE CRACKS STARTED AT THE OUTER EDGE, DOWN THE RIM, THEN TOWARD THE CENTER OF THE WHEEL. WHEN THE CRACK PROPAGATED PAST THE OUTER BEAD OF THE TIRE, THE WHEEL STARTED LEAKING AIR. I HAVE TWO OF THE CRACKED WHEELS PRESENTLY. NONE OF THE WHEELS ARE BENT.

NHTSA ID

11363910

Incident

Aug 15, 2020

Mileage

24,000 mi

WHEEL RIM CRACK AT BEAD AND LEAKS AIR. IT A WIDELY KNOW ISSUE, AND I HAVE BECOME A STATISTIC. I HAVE READ THERE MAY BE A CLASS ACTION AGAINST GM FOR SUCH ISSUE.

NHTSA ID

11320205

Incident

Mar 1, 2020

Mileage

25,000 mi

EXPERIENCED THE EXACT SAME WEIRD CRACKED WHEEL THAT MANY OTHER C7 OWNERS HAVE EXPERIENCED ON 7/11/19. NO SPECIFIC POTHOLE. JUST CRACKED WHEEL WHICH LOOKS LIKE ALL THE OTHERS ON THE CORVETTE FORUM.

NHTSA ID

11231824

Incident

Jul 11, 2019

Mileage

19,000 mi

CRACKED REAR WHEELS ON BOTH SIDES. NOTICED BECAUSE OF AIR LEAK AFTER LONG TRIP.

NHTSA ID

11219771

Incident

May 31, 2018

Mileage

22,500 mi

BOTH OF MY OEM REAR WHEELS (SPECTRA GRAY - 10 SPOKE), HAVE DEVELOPED CRACKS REQUIRING REPLACEMENT AT MY EXPENSE. DESPITE MY CORVETTE BEING ON WARRANTY AND A HIGH PERFORMANCE, SPORTS CAR WHICH IS REGULARLY SERVICED, THE CHEVROLET DEALERSHIP REFUSES TO REPLACE THESE WHEELS, EXCEPT AT MY EXPENSE, CITING THAT POOR ROAD CONDITIONS IN CALIFORNIA ARE BLAME FOR THE FRACTURES, RUNNING HORIZONTALLY ON THE RIM LIP. THE FRACTURES CREATE A VERY DANGEROUS SITUATION GIVEN HIGH TORQUE LEVELS, LOW PROFILE TIRES WITH A WIDE STANCE. THE TIRES AND THE SUSPENSION ARE DESIGNED FOR HIGH PERFORMANCE, AND HIGH G FORCE, BUT WHEELS ARE APPARENTLY FLAWED FOR THE DESIGNED TOLERANCES IMPOSED BY DRIVING A HIGH PERFORMANCE CORVETTE. MY CAR RAPIDLY LOSS AIR PRESSURE AT FREEWAY SPEEDS AND THE AIR PRESSURE WARNING LIGHT ACTIVATED IN BOTH OCCASIONS, WARNING OF THE HAZARDOUS CONDITION.

NHTSA ID

11166176

Incident

Jan 8, 2018

Mileage

32,000 mi

WHEN I TOOK THE CAR INTO A DISCOUNT TIRE STORE TO HAVE NEW TIRES PUT ON THE BACK AT ABOUT 15,600 MILES ON THE CAR CRACKS WERE FOUND ON THE INSIDE RIM WHERE TIRE BEAD SEALS OF BOTH BACK WHEELS. PROBLEM WAS IMMEDIATELY REPORTED TO DEALER WHO VERIFIED CRACKS, BUT DEALER AND GM REFUSED TO REPLACE UNLESS I PURCHASE NEW WHEELS FOR DISCOUNTED PRICE OF $1,100.00 FOR REAR WHEELS ONLY. SPOKE WITH REPRESENTATIVES OF GM ENGINEERING AND FOUND PROBLEM IS A KNOWN ISSUE WITH REAR WHEEL CRACKING GOING BACK SEVERAL YEARS WITH CAST CHINA MADE WHEELS ON CORVETTE Z06 AND ZR1 MODELS. I WAS TOLD GM CORVETTE CHIEF ENGINEER HAS POSTED INFORMATION ON THE WHEEL CRACKING PROBLEM ON CORVETTE FORUM AND ONLY WAY TO NOT HAVE WHEEL CRACKING PROBLEM ON REPLACEMENT WHEELS WOULD BE TO NOT DRIVE ON ROADS WITH BUMPS OR POT HOLES. THEY AGREED THIS WAS NOT REALISTIC BUT GM STANDS FIRM ON PAYMENT FOR NEW WHEELS WITH NO ASSURANCE THIS WILL SOLVE THE PROBLEM. MY COMPLAINT WAS CLOSED AT GM AS CUSTOMER DECLINED REDUCED PRICE OFFER AND IS DISSATISFIED. CRACKING WHEELS SHOULD BE A MAJOR SAFETY CONCERN AND ESPECIALLY WITH CARS THAT HAVE THIS MUCH POWER TO THE WHEELS AND ARE CAPABLE OF THE SPEEDS THESE MODEL CARS CAN OBTAIN. THIS IS TOTALLY IRRESPONSIBLE OF GM TO ALLOW THIS TO HAPPEN AND NOT RECALL THE WHEELS AND REPLACE THEM WITH ONES THAT DO NOT CRACK, ESPECIALLY ON CARS WITH SUCH LOW MILEAGE.

NHTSA ID

11131647

Incident

Sep 14, 2018

Mileage

15,600 mi

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2015 CHEVROLET CORVETTE. WHILE THE CONTACT WAS HAVING TIRES INSTALLED AT BILL STASEK CHEVROLET (700 W DUNDEE RD, WHEELING, IL), HE WAS INFORMED THAT ALL THE RIMS WERE CRACKED AND THE REAR PASSENGER WHEEL WAS LEAKING. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURES. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 13,466.

NHTSA ID

11035178

Incident

Oct 13, 2017

Mileage

13,466 mi

CHEVY IS SELLING 2015 Z-51 CORVETTES WITH SUMMER ONLY RUN-FLAT TIRES. MICHELIN INDICATES THAT THESE TIRES SEVERELY LOSE TRACTION WHENEVER TEMPERATURES FALL BELOW 40 DEGREES F. THEY ARE ALSO NOT APPROPRIATE FOR USE IN WET OR SNOWY CONDITIONS. MICHELIN OR ANY OTHER TIRE MANUFACTURER DOES NOT MAKE AN ALL-SEASON TIRE THAT IS A RUN-FLAT. OWNERS WHO ARE NOT AWARE OF THIS CONSTRAINT OR THOSE WHO IGNORE THE PROBLEM ARE AT RISK FOR A SERIOUS ACCIDENT AND INJURY. CHEVY IGNORES THE PROBLEM AND OFFERS NO SOLUTION. OTHER MANUFACTURERS SUCH AS BMW ALSO USE SIMILAR SIZE TIRES WHICH DO NOT HAVE SUITABLE ALL-SEASON RUN FLAT REPLACEMENTS. THOUSANDS OF THESE CARS ON THE ROAD PRESENT SERIOUS RISKS FOR EVERY DRIVING ALONG SIDE THESE VEHICLES. PEOPLE WHO BUY USED CARS WITH THESE SUMMER ONLY TIRES MAY NOT HAVE ANY IDEA THAT THEY SUMMER ONLY TIRES NOR THE RISK THEY MAY BE TAKING. I AM SURE THERE ARE NO RECORDS OF HOW MANY ACCIDENT HAVE BEEN CAUSED BY THESE TIRES SINCE NO ONE HAS PROBABLY TAKEN NOTICE OF THE TIRE TYPES ENVOLVED IN ACCIDENTS.

NHTSA ID

10717670

Incident

May 21, 2015