zzdcar
Home
/
Reviews
/
Racing
/
Corvette Z06 Owners Hit GM With Class-Action Lawsuit Because The Car Is So Bad On Track
Corvette Z06 Owners Hit GM With Class-Action Lawsuit Because The Car Is So Bad On Track-June 2024
2024-02-19 EST 22:11:21

The current is a supercharged monster, a 650 horsepower nightmare aimed at dominating the track in a way that shames Hellcats and Porsches alike. But it has a well-documented problem with overheating. Now Z06 owners have filed a class-action lawsuit against General Motors today, alleging that GM’s top-tier trackrat doesn’t deliver the performance they were promised.

Theclaims that a cooling system defect can put the 2015-2017 Z06 into “limp mode” after only 15 minutes of track use. Fifteen minutes! Not much of a track day.

“Limp mode” drastically reduces the car’s power and speed. A sudden loss of power can create a dangerous situation on track, as speeding traffic around a limping car may not expect that car to slow down, the lawsuit said.

Given that most track day sessions last longer than 15 minutes, this can be a major problem when you can’t get all of the track time you paid for as well.

The suit, filed today by perpetually automaker-suing firm Hagens Berman, claims the Z06 can go into limp mode on public roads, so it’s not a problem limited to owners who use their Z06 on track. The cooling system defect allegedly warps vital engine components due to the high temperatures, causing further headaches over costly repairs.

We reached out to GM for comment but have not heard back yet; this post will be updated if that happens.

The suit has been filed in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida, and it alleges that GM knew of the issue yet failed to disclose it and ensure that owners could operate their cars safely.

Steve Berman, managing partner of the firm, explained in a statement that owners are suing over GM’s “bait and switch” regarding how the Z06 was marketed and sold as a car built for track use:

We believe we’ve found GM to be guilty of a classic bait and switch – one that cost thousands of consumers dearly, up to $120,000, and broke state consumer protection laws. GM enticed race enthusiasts with bells and whistles, promising a car that could maintain safe speeds and power when tracked, but we believe what it sold them was far from what it promised. This defect not only damages the Z06 engine, but endangers drivers.

The defect in question markedly limits the car’s performance – the sole reason these hotrod enthusiasts bought the Corvette Z06 in the first place. If they’d known of this defect at the time of purchase, they likely wouldn’t have spent six figures on the Z06.

The lawsuit claims that GM violated state and federal laws, and has brought counts of breach of warranty, fradulent concealment, unjust enrichment and other claims against the company. It seeks monetary damages for affected owners, included for the diminished value of the car now that many people associate the Z06 with overheating problems on track.

Attorneys estimate that over 30,000 2015-2017 model year Corvette Z06s are affected by this defect, and have asked owners of cars that may be affected to with any questions related to the alleged defect or the class-action lawsuit itself.

The Z06s’s engine cooling issues are well-known at this point. A heat-soaked Z06 was quickly eliminated from contention in Motor Trend’s test in 2015 after going into a similar limp mode on track with test driver Randy Pobst behind the wheel.

GM, however, maintained that the car Motor Trend got for their test went into limp mode due to a servicing oversight; yet it was mechanical issue we’ve heard from journalists or owners about the current-generation Z06.

The 2017 Z06 several upgrades to its cooling system as a result of problems reported with the car, however, this year’s model is also listed in the list of affected cars in the class-action lawsuit.

You can view the of the class-action lawsuit below.

Comments
Welcome to zzdcar comments! Please keep conversations courteous and on-topic. To fosterproductive and respectful conversations, you may see comments from our Community Managers.
Sign up to post
Sort by
Show More Comments
Racing
Watch Sebastian Vettel Try To Scare The Crap Out Of Me In A Ferrari F12berlinetta (Actually It Ruled)
Watch Sebastian Vettel Try To Scare The Crap Out Of Me In A Ferrari F12berlinetta (Actually It Ruled)
Finding out that —well, it’s really a shame. I mean, when else do we get to welcome foreign driving legends like Sebastian Vettel to this land? Not often. While I was covering a Shell event at Driveway Austin before this year’s race for I got the chance to take a...
Jun 13, 2026
Twitter Users Share All Of The Places That F1 Driver Fernando Alonso Would Rather Be
Twitter Users Share All Of The Places That F1 Driver Fernando Alonso Would Rather Be
Following the Brazilian Grand Prix , McLaren Formula One driver Fernando Alonso took a seat and basked in the sun a bit. Little did he know that it would lead to a (hilarious) photoshopping frenzy of “” on Twitter. And it looks like with our own veteran commenter, reader and...
Jun 13, 2026
Rosberg Wins F1 Brazilian GP Over Hamilton And The Podium Is Just As Awkward As Usual
Rosberg Wins F1 Brazilian GP Over Hamilton And The Podium Is Just As Awkward As Usual
Mercedes AMG driver Nico Rosberg won his second Brazilian Grand Prix in a row on Sunday, finishing a whole 7.7 seconds ahead of teammate and Formula One champion Lewis Hamilton. For those wondering, . Scuderia Ferrari driver Sebastian Vettel crossed the line in third, and perhaps was the happiest of...
Jun 13, 2026
16-Year-Old Crashed Mom's Car On Nürburgring While She Waited In Parking Lot
16-Year-Old Crashed Mom's Car On Nürburgring While She Waited In Parking Lot
We’ve got a late entry for Mom of the Year, folks. reports that a Swiss mother-son duo who got busted doing 133 mph in an 80 mph zone on the way to the last open tourist drive day of the year at the Nürburgring, but she unleashed him alone for...
Jun 13, 2026
Sébastien Ogier Wins WRC Season Finale, Teammate Is First To Crash Out
Sébastien Ogier Wins WRC Season Finale, Teammate Is First To Crash Out
After in September, Sébastien Ogier closed out the FIA World Rally Championship season with a third-straight win at Wales Rally Great Britain and his eighth of the season by 26 seconds over second place. But his teammate didn’t have nearly as good of a day. Fellow Volkswagen Motorsport driver Jari-Matti...
Jun 13, 2026
Subaru Throws It Back To The Days Of McRae At Wales Rally GB
Subaru Throws It Back To The Days Of McRae At Wales Rally GB
This weekend at the World Rally Championship’s Wales Rally GB, there’s a bit of magic in the air. It’s the 20 year anniversary of Colin McRae’s first WRC drivers title win that he earned with Subaru. A win that, by and large, set off this motorsport icon’s career and put...
Jun 13, 2026
Copyright 2023-2026 - www.zzdcar.com All Rights Reserved