Late yesterday we learned that GM has issued a recall and stop sale order for C8 Corvette Z06 and ZR1 models. The action has been taken thanks to a discovered fire risk related to refueling the mid-engine sports cars. Although rare, it’s understandable why the automaker wants to avoid any incidents.
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The recall is voluntary and still hasn’t been assigned a National Highway Traffic Safety Administration number, but it’s for 2023 to 2026 Z06s and 2026 ZR1s outfitted with the driver-side radiator/fan combination, according to a copy of the recall notice posted in a thread on Corvette Forum.
According to the notice sent by GM to Chevy dealerships, the problem is if excess fuel is spilled into the fuel-filler pocket while the owner is at a gas station, that fuel can in turn leak onto something hot, like the radiator or a hose.
Of course, when gas hits a heat source it will ignite, so there’s a fire risk in this situation. Although this rarely happens, and really only when a fuel pump isn’t working properly, GM is obviously making this move out of an abundance of caution.
The solution isn’t quite ready to be installed in the sports cars, but it involves an extra component. Dealer service departments will put a shield designed to divert any spilled fuel out of the fuel-filler pocket instead of allowing it to accumulate.
GM is also cautioning owners of C8 Corvette Z06 and ZR1 sports cars to follow the fueling instructions included in their owner’s manual. We wonder if anyone actually reads that since refueling a vehicle is something everyone knows how to do.
Just in case, those instructions include wise counsel like putting the nozzle all the way into the fuel pipe before you pull the handle, not overfilling the tank (something we know a lot of people do), and not turning the pump back on after it clicks off automatically.
The automaker is also telling Corvette owners to look for signs that a pump might be broken so they can avoid using it. Those might include absorbing agents on the ground in front of it, visible damage, or simply spilled fuel around the pump.
Image via GM
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