Skip to main content

The Corvette Z06 Class Action Suit Clarified

A class action suit has been filed against General Motors by a group of Chevrolet Corvette Z06 owners due to some problems with the LS7 engine, but some outlets are reporting the lawsuit in a way that has led some to believe that the new C7 Corvette Z06 with the LT4 engine is involved – but this lawsuit only pertains to the C6 Corvette Z06.
Corvette Z06 Centenial Edition

Before getting into the details of the class action lawsuit against General Motors, a quick bit of clarification on the Corvette Z06 engine recall. Several outlets which reported this lawsuit correctly referenced the 2006-2014 Corvette (C6) Z06 models, but they followed up by talking about the LT4 V8 in the 2015-2016 Corvette (C7) Z06. This has created some confusion as to which Corvette Z06 supercars are included in this suit, but it should be noted that this legal issue pertains strictly to the 2006-2014 model year Corvettes which are powered by the 7.0L LS7 V8 – NOT the LT4 V8 in the new Corvette Z06.

Of course, it should be noted that the 5th generation Chevrolet Camaro Z28 also has the LS7 V8, but there has been no mention of the Camaro in the legal documents.

C6 Corvette Z06 Lawsuit
The class action lawsuit against General Motors has been brought up by 19 individuals who have filed more than 70 complaints pertaining to their C6 Corvette Z06. The plaintiffs insist that the valve guides in the LS7 engine wear faster than they should and this excessive wear leads to early engine failure.

Reports allege that General Motors is aware of this issue and although they began testing the engines for this problem, they found many if the engines did have valve guides which were out of normal specification, but the company didn’t deem it necessary to go on any further with the tests. The legal paperwork insists that GM halted the investigation because they simply didn’t want to deal with the cost of repairs.

Also, the lawsuit claims that General Motors is fully aware of the LS7 valve guide problem, but the automaker has yet to come up with a solution. Granted, the company has sold thousands of cars with the LS7 engine and only 19 of them have joined forces to file suit, but with there could be more owners looking to get their lawyers involved if the company is found to be at fault for these engine failures.

Should GM lose this lawsuit, not only will they be responsible for making things good with the 19 people suing the company, but they could also be required to settle up with the others who own cars with these engines – possibly leading to yet another costly recall.

As more information becomes available, you will find it here on TorqueNews.com.

Automotive News
Performance Vehicles
Chevrolet

Comments

Mark McDougall (not verified)    October 20, 2015 - 8:58PM

Permalink

I have a 07-ZO6 and it runs fine but the last two oil changes had filings and debris in the oil....car has 24K and gets oils changed every 2500 miles.....could this debris be from bad valve guides?

rich faix (not verified)    October 21, 2015 - 3:18PM

Permalink

most likely the fillings, and debris are from the bad valve guides. GM SHOULD HAVE A RECALL ON ALL C6--ZO6 CORVETTES TO REPLACE THE VALVE GUIDES, WITH BETTER ONES. if that doesn't happen this is the last gm car that i will buy.

David Carmel (not verified)    October 28, 2016 - 3:37PM

Permalink

My 2013 427 Convertible is in the shop right now for this problem. Its under warrenty so they will fix it. If I was you I would make sure you check it out. There is a class action suit out right now with 19 owners involved, There problem happened after it was out of warrenty and GM knew about it but never issued a recall. So now there getting sued,

David Carmel (not verified)    January 7, 2017 - 12:30PM

Permalink

My comment was a little mis-construed. The engine noise I was getting, I thought was from the defective valve sleeves, but it was not. It was a drive train pulley that went bad. After that was fixed I brought my car to a independent Corvette mechanic, who they say is one of the best. He said that the value sleeve problem stopped after 2012. So your car should be fine.

Darrin O'Brien (not verified)    June 15, 2016 - 2:31AM

Permalink

I have a 06 zo6.you can bet your ass I'll be asking..while they fix the seat recall ..I'd hate to distroy something I worked my whole life for..that would piss me off .

Melissa Anderson (not verified)    June 28, 2016 - 4:52PM

Permalink

I have a C6 Z06 with a new engine under 3 years with only 22k miles on it, and my dealer alerted me to a problem with excessive engine noise, missing 7 quarts of oil even though I get it changed every 3-4K miles with synthetic. I had a high performance shop diagnose visible wear on the valve guides. Now my car has been at the dealer for 3 weeks. I'm getting the runaround with things now, even though my engine is under warranty. This is the last Chevy product I ever buy. And my car is still just sitting at the dealer, although they sell a large volume of Vettes and my car has not only been serviced here many times, I've spent thousands on things previously, they don't have anyone "qualified" to investigate this. It's a total scam and an unimaginable amount of stress for a car that should have had an engine replaced weeks ago. My guess is that Huffhines Chevrolet in Plano, TX is going along with GM's direction of "find a way we aren't liable". It's complete bullshit!!!

David Carmel (not verified)    October 29, 2016 - 12:39PM

Permalink

Melissa Iam experiencing the same thing at Huffines in Lewisville. They tried to tell me that the engine noise I am receiving is normal. I can tell you that problem is definitely the valve guides. Each time they said the car was fixed but each time the same noise was there. They never did anything. The car is still sitting at the dealership. I will never by another Chevrolet from anyone. I should have a bought a Porsche 911.

Ron (not verified)    September 29, 2018 - 5:16PM

Permalink

former Desert proving Grounds Special test guy.
I own 15 z51.....nothing but bs and lies from service on my car. GM was ir is broke, they delay/deny to get out of everything! I swear they give a rip about you , or their reputation. Lied about my CPO WARRANTY...it does not cover everything!! Corp lied about same! ASK about " appendix B" 40 pgs of exemptions!!!! Lies...
They dont test much anymore. They blame supplier for everything!!! It is sickening. My last new gm was 1983 SS MONTE, and it was junk also. Then i bought 2017 Canyon...extremely dissappointing also. Rearend recom to be serviced for 100000...M320 Dana. i drained into glass bowl, FULL OF METAL SLURRY!!!! 600MILES!!! GM IS FULL OF DUNG.!!
My Z51 service was awful!! they damage more than they fix. HACKS, ROOKIES.
I bought 4 service shopbooks from Helm for $430.
I will never go back to those neanderthals.
Join the class action, it will take years.
**did you notice that since the scam govt salvage of gm, that they got out of all billion dollar lawsuits against them that they lost??? yup
thx obama
Now, gm is not a s or c corp!!! nope
G.M, LLC.

worst type of business to deal with. spread the word...educate people

Fred Manthey (not verified)    July 20, 2016 - 5:21PM

Permalink

I have a 2013 427 convertible that had the original engine replaced at 3.5k miles. Has 10k now. Apparently titanium residue from the con rods plugged the oil system so blowup. Has anyone heard of or seen this same problem ? Was/is in part of any GM recall ? Or part of the above lawsuit ?
Thanks.

Roger Miller (not verified)    August 22, 2016 - 4:25PM

Permalink

I had to replace my LS7 after 54000 miles. It dropped a valve, so it was obviously the guides that were a problem!!
Is there any cost to joining this lawsuit. I would like to get my money back from GM for the replacement engine!!

Truman Britt (not verified)    September 15, 2016 - 2:10AM

Permalink

I have a 08 Z06 that has 37k miles and is making valve noise during deceleration. Unfortunate that our dream cars are becoming such a nightmare!
GM definitely needs to take care of this one!

Neal (not verified)    September 16, 2016 - 1:24AM

Permalink

I just bought an 07 zo6 with 42 k on it it now has 44 k on it and is sitting at the service dept with worn valve guides and a valve almost ready to drop. The dealership told me that they knew the 06 and 07 models have valve issues but that there is no recalls as of yet so the additional extended warranty that I bought is now reviewing the findings to assess whether the warrantee will pay for the cost of the new head at $6500

ADL (not verified)    December 26, 2016 - 10:02AM

Permalink

I have an 08 ZO6. Why do you keep going back to Dealerships that are giving bad service and you suspect of shady business? The ZO6 isn't black magic and as much as you may like to think of it, it isnt an exotic. As long as you take it to a reputable performance shop, better if they specialize in LS of course, it will be fine. Not to mention cheaper. Valve guides and head issues often don't necessitate new heads. I just had myour heads worked by a shop in TX for 2500. Refitted and out the door with all new parts around 4k total.

Rajend Prasad (not verified)    November 21, 2016 - 2:19PM

Permalink

I have 2008 zo6 i bought it new now it has 17,000 miles this is the 3rd cylender head been replace one set last only 3,000 and still do not run right Paid lot of money for the car IT IS A JUNK.

Giangaetano (not verified)    January 7, 2017 - 5:36AM

Permalink

Last year I changed my Z06 engine (due to the valve wear at 30k) with a new 2015 engine.
Can someone tell me if the 2015 engine could be free from such defect? The dealer said yes but I'm not so sure.
Thanks

Lonnie L Mixon (not verified)    January 15, 2017 - 10:47PM

Permalink

I have an 08 Z06 with 21k miles. I bought it used, and have no idea if the heads were repaired. I contacted my local Dealership said they no record in their database re: Heads, but there is an outstanding recall on the headlights. Would it help if more of us joined the lawsuit to get headwork done?
Thanks,
Lonnie Mixon

Rich Johnson (not verified)    February 4, 2017 - 2:29AM

Permalink

My 2007 C6 Z06 with 108,000 miles on it dropped valve last week and tons of white smoke out the hood and tail pipes. I had it towed to closest repair shop. The repair shop stated the engine is ruined with bearing in the motor. Requires new motor. Quoted me $18,000 under estimate for new motor and install of 32 hours labor.
Sign me up for the law suit

RJ (not verified)    April 18, 2017 - 2:20PM

Permalink

I'm in the market to possibly purchase a c6 z06 2011 or newer but from reading some of these comments should 1 only consider the 2013? since anything 2012 or prior may have engine issues?

David Carmel (not verified)    April 18, 2017 - 11:19PM

Permalink

Yes by all means I would not purchase a Z06 prior to 2013. I have talked to Corvette mechanics they have told me the 2013 does not have the defect but anything older than a 2013 is risky. You might get one thats okay and maybe not. The only way to tell is to take the heads off and inspect the valve sleeves.

Ciro (not verified)    August 22, 2017 - 9:16AM

Permalink

I have a 2013 Z06. With only 10,500 miles the SECOND engine just failed. The first one failed at 3300 miles. So it's going to be on it's 3rd engine soon if the "loud noises" the dealership noted will result in the engine needing a replacement.

Bill Teckenbrock (not verified)    July 18, 2017 - 12:26PM

Permalink

I own a 2007 Z06 and I'm concerned about what I'm reading Any new information would greatly be appreciated
At this time I have no issues with the motor
The car just turned 20k

Michael Dinich (not verified)    August 29, 2017 - 8:43AM

Permalink

Your 2007 should not have this issue, it's the supercharged engine in the new zo6 that makes to much heat. The previous ZR1 had the same issue, after a few laps the engine would build up so much heat that it would fail to out perform the ZO6.

Richard Ziober (not verified)    August 30, 2017 - 1:22PM

Permalink

I have a 2006 Z06 VIN 4001. Have been told that these early model Z06s do not have the valve guide problem. Any truth to this?