[17C7Z06]

Hello everyone.
We recently purchased a like new 17 Z06.We absolutely love it. It was a single owner car with only 8500 original miles. The car was a garage queen that has never been tracked or even ran hard. Now that we have it, it's definitely getting run...LOL We did a really cool rally over the weekend which gave us the opportunity to really stretch it out over a 40 mile section. It was mostly 4500-6500rpms the whole time. Towards the end of the first leg, about 25 miles, it started to really heat up. It actually turned the A/C of automatically because it was running so hot. It was a very hot day, 95+ degrees outside. Is it normal for a Z06 to get that hot, almost 300 deg, when running like that? There was a McLaren 620 and Porsche 911 turbo running hard like us but they didn't get anywhere near our temps. All of the fluids were fresh and full. I'm looking for some recommendations to help it run cooler. Running it that hard for that long is definitely a rare occasion but I'd definitely like to keep it from running that hot on future adventures. During typical driving with some spirited moments here and there, we've never had an issue with temp. I've attached a couple clips from the vette's PDR so you can see how we were running it. In the first video( 7min in) you can see the good old supercharged American muscle motor past the McLaren going up hill at 175mph. That was pretty cool. Thanks for your time and advice/info.

Part 1:

Part 2:Settled down and just followed the McLaren and 911 in this one.

 

[racingvette]

Multi class action lawsuits on this

Lawsuit accuses GM of selling hyped, co-called ‘track-proven’ hotrod with cooling system defect that throttles high speeds

A federal judge gave a nod to several state consumer-rights claims pertaining to warranty and fraud in a class-action lawsuit filed against General Motors regarding its Corvette Z06 vehicles that attorneys say were knowingly sold with a defective cooling system that causes the engine to overheat unexpectedly and makes the car unsuitable for track use, despite the automaker’s promises of a track-proven racecar, according to Hagens Berman.

Law firms Grossman Roth Yaffa Cohen, the Miller Law Firm, and Schuler Halvorsen Weisser Zoller Overbeck also represent the vehicle owners who say that GM sold more than 30,000 affected Corvette Z06 cars that it knew were defective.

Judge Victoria A. Robert issued the order Mar. 29, 2019 upholding the rights of plaintiffs under various state laws in California, Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Kansas, Michigan, Missouri, Nevada, New Hampshire, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia and Washington.
The 70 remaining claims fall into two major categories: warranty claims and fraud claims.

If you own or lease a 2015-2017 Corvette Z06, you may be entitled to compensation for this defect that inhibits your car’s performance. Contact Hagens Berman to find out more about this issue and your consumer rights against GM.

“We look forward to continuing to represent the classes of consumers in this case and fighting for their rights against General Motors,” said Steve Berman, managing partner of Hagens Berman.

“We believe those who purchased the affected Corvette Z06 so-called ‘track cars’ were severely shortchanged and GM owes them answers after failing to live up to deliver on the racecar hype it created.”

The defect at the center of the lawsuit manifests after less than 15 minutes of track driving, when affected Corvette Z06 models overheat and causes the car to enter limp mode due to a defective cooling system.
When the vehicle enters limp mode its power and speed are “drastically reduced,” creating an incredibly dangerous situation when surrounded by other speeding cars, the lawsuit says

Owners report they have experienced limp mode also while on public roadways.

“Accepting as true Plaintiffs’ allegations, the Court finds that Plaintiffs plausibly allege their cars are not fit for the ordinary purpose of providing safe and reliable transportation on public roads and safe and reliable use on race tracks,” the order states.

Judge Robert upheld fraudulent concealment claims, stating,

“In fact, accepting as true Plaintiffs’ allegations regarding the frequency in which the Z06 overheats and enters Limp Mode when used on the track, and in light of how rigorously [Corvette’s chief engineer, Tadge] Juechter says GM track-tests the car, it would be implausible to infer that GM was not aware of the car’s alleged defective cooling system as a result of its testing.

” Judge Robert also upheld claims that GM had a duty to disclose the defect and likely had knowledge prior to sale.
The lawsuit seeks monetary damages as well as injunctive relief for GM’s misconduct related to the design, manufacture, marketing, sale and lease of affected vehicles.

Lawyers suing GM Claims:

Affected vehicles
• 2015 - 2017 Chevy Corvette Z06

According to Hagens Berman's investigation into consumers' reports, Chevrolet has sold its model year 2015-2017 Corvette Z06 cars as track cars built to sustain high speeds, but Chevy failed to tell purchasers about the vehicle's lack of transmission and differential coolers, which can greatly diminish the track capabilities that consumers seek when they purchase the Z06.

Corvette Z06 owners have reported this causes the car to overheat and enter limp mode, while in use, even when the car is not being tracked.
If you own an affected Chevy Corvette Z06 and have experienced overheating and limp mode, fill out the form to find out your consumer rights to compensation.
Corvette Z06 LIMP MODE Explained

The Corvette Z06 reportedly enters limp mode, causing the car to fail to maintain desired speeds.
Limp mode is a safety system designed to protect the engine from being damaged during extremely hot temperatures.
Once limp mode engages, the engine will only run at very low RPMs and will be barely able to move.

Corvette owners report affected cars entering limp mode when in regular use.
Owners have also reported that despite Chevy's promise to consumers that the Z06 was "conceived on the track and engineered alongside the C7.R race car," the vehicle is reportedly prone to overheating when driven at high speeds.

Owners have cited Chevy's ads and promotion of the Corvette Z06 as a track car, but consumers were never warned that their vehicles would quickly overheat when tracked or driven at sustained high speeds.

Your consumer rights

Hagens Berman believes that consumers have the right to reimbursement for the premium price they paid for what they thought was a car capable of reaching and sustaining high speeds without failure.
Nowhere does Chevy divulge these vehicles' failure to maintain high speeds to consumers.
According to the firm's investigation, Chevy knew about the limp mode defect present in Corvette Z06 models and continued to market these vehicles extensively as fully functional, charging consumers high prices for vehicles that in no way uphold its promises.

 

[17C7Z06]

Thank you for all that info. I’m wonder if this suit would pertain to second owner cars or only the original owner. I heard that there were some overheating issues in the earlier years but I thought they were sorted out by 2017. Obviously they are not. Has anyone had any luck with Chevy upgrading their cooling system to correct the issue or is it strictly a monetary compensation that they offer? Thanks again for educating me on this issue. Definitely way bigger than I originally thought.

 

[racingvette]

I may be wrong but heard that class action was lost as they could not prove their case
But if I recall, there is another class action still pending on this

I doubt this would go beyond the original buyers

You might consider a high flow radiator, and a lower opening temp Tstat
Check that the wiring connector for innercooler is firmly connected in
Might want to look at the 2 innercoolers ZR1 have over the single one in Z06

Also, might see if your Z06 is covered by the extended GM warranty as below

More on lawsuits and GM

GM directed dealers this week it will begin offering new extended warranty coverage on 2015-18 Z06s because some cars “may have a condition where the vehicle may overheat and enter a reduced power mode when driven on a track at sustained high speeds in high ambient temperatures.”

Ever since it debuted in 2015, some Z06 models have experienced overheating on the track, & GM tried to solve the problem in 2017 by changing the hood intake vents & cooling system, with only limited results.

The revised warranty will cover 2015-18 Z06s for a period of 7 years or 72,000 miles, whichever occurs first, from the date the car was originally placed in service, regardless of ownership.
In addition, owners or lessees who have already paid for repairs are eligible to have their money refunded.

To fix the problem,
GM is telling dealers to install an updated radiator package & to update shift point calibration software for Z06s with A8 transmissions, at no charge to owners if they provide proof of the overheating problem via a diagnostic code, photos, or video.
(Overheating has also been reported in cars equipped with 7-speed manual transmissions.)

Class-action lawsuits have popped up over the years against GM because of the overheating problems, which surfaced early in the life of the 650-horsepower behemoth Corvette.

In fact, back in October 2015, Motor Trend itself reported the issue during its Best Driver’s Car competition, leading to a Did Not Finish for the Z06. That car entered limp mode repeatedly during testing by MT, and Chief Engineer Tadge Juechter explained the culprit back then in this way:

“One of our pre-loan checks is to bleed the intercooler circuit to make sure there is no air in it,” Juechter said.
“Some customer complaints about overheating Z06s have been traced to improperly bled intercoolers

. [However, that was not the exact issue; instead] the technician doing the work plugged in the electrical connector for the intercooler pump, and it seemed to seat and ‘click’ into position, but the secondary latching mechanism did not fully lock into position, leading to intermittent operation.”

-----------------------------------------------------

A federal judge gave a nod to several state consumer-rights claims pertaining to warranty and fraud in a class-action lawsuit filed against General Motors regarding its Corvette Z06 vehicles that attorneys say were knowingly sold with a defective cooling system that causes the engine to overheat unexpectedly and makes the car unsuitable for track use, despite the automaker’s promises of a track-proven racecar, according to Hagens Berman.

Law firms Grossman Roth Yaffa Cohen, the Miller Law Firm, and Schuler Halvorsen Weisser Zoller Overbeck also represent the vehicle owners who say that GM sold more than 30,000 affected Corvette Z06 cars that it knew were defective.

Judge Victoria A. Robert issued the order Mar. 29, 2019 upholding the rights of plaintiffs under various state laws in California, Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Kansas, Michigan, Missouri, Nevada, New Hampshire, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia and Washington.
The 70 remaining claims fall into two major categories: warranty claims and fraud claims.

If you own or lease a 2015-2017 Corvette Z06, you may be entitled to compensation for this defect that inhibits your car’s performance.
Contact Hagens Berman to find out more about this issue and your consumer rights against GM.

“We look forward to continuing to represent the classes of consumers in this case and fighting for their rights against General Motors,” said Steve Berman, managing partner of Hagens Berman.
“We believe those who purchased the affected Corvette Z06 so-called ‘track cars’ were severely shortchanged and GM owes them answers after failing to live up to deliver on the racecar hype it created.”

The defect at the center of the lawsuit manifests after less than 15 minutes of track driving, when affected Corvette Z06 models overheat and causes the car to enter limp mode due to a defective cooling system.
When the vehicle enters limp mode, its power and speed are “drastically reduced,” creating an incredibly dangerous situation when surrounded by other speeding cars, the lawsuit says.
Owners report they have experienced limp mode also while on public roadways.

“Accepting as true Plaintiffs’ allegations, the Court finds that Plaintiffs plausibly allege their cars are not fit for the ordinary purpose of providing safe and reliable transportation on public roads and safe and reliable use on race tracks,” the order states.

Judge Robert upheld fraudulent concealment claims, stating, “In fact, accepting as true Plaintiffs’ allegations regarding the frequency in which the Z06 overheats and enters Limp Mode when used on the track, and in light of how rigorously [Corvette’s chief engineer, Tadge] Juechter says GM track-tests the car, it would be implausible to infer that GM was not aware of the car’s alleged defective cooling system as a result of its testing.” Judge Robert also upheld claims that GM had a duty to disclose the defect and likely had knowledge prior to sale.

The lawsuit seeks monetary damages as well as injunctive relief for GM’s misconduct related to the design, manufacture, marketing, sale and lease of affected vehicles.

 

[Bruno]

I may be off the subject line a bit here but have noticed that the temperature gauge for the C7 Z06 goes to 320*. With the red marks starting at 300*. My C6 Z06 gauge only goes to 260* with the red marks starting at 250*. Did GM know all along that these engines were going to run hot? I am not sure how you keep a engine from overheating at close to 300*. I have run my car hard on a few occasions, but I don't think I ever crossed 225* for the water temp and maybe 220* for the oil temp.

 

[Eighthtry]

So where did we end up on this? I have a 2018 pilot car, VIN 00002. I wonder if I suffer from the same problem. My understanding of pilot is it went down the 2017 lines early and delivered to GM execs.

My high speed runs in heat have been limited to 80 mph. However, bumper to bumper can get to 225/230 degrees. Was this corrected in the 2018's?

Where do we go for official reading on GM's additional warranty info. Seems much like my 2010 V supercharger warranty extension.

 

[racingvette]

Your coolant temps are normal as GM does not even turn on the cooling fan until about 215 deg
This is done solely to please the smog gods in hotter temp will be a bit cleaner exhaust being leaner AFR

Real simple have the PCM tuned and using this fan table in your PCM command the fan on bit sooner and with a
higher rotation

As you can see, no fan rotation until 104 C and commanding fan only 14.9 % rotation and not even 100% at 124 C temp

Also, could swap with a bit lower thermostat temp opening and also installing in a higher flowing radiator

In any case, make sure the wiring connector for the intercooler pump is firmly plugged in due to many been found not done at the plant when making them

If really wanting a complete fix for hot weather racing is look at the changes GM made to the ZR1 as dual intercooler
bricks (Z06 has 1) in the intake manifold, etc

 

[CTYANK2]

No comment on the temperature issue. Thanks for giving me a ride in that video!

 

[Eighthtry]

No comment on the temperature issue. Thanks for giving me a ride in that video!

Who do you figure got the ticket?