Corvette Recall – Faulty Hood Can Fly Open
The 2020 Chevrolet mid-engine Corvette is undergoing a recall due to a faulty hood. Drivers are being warned that they should remain alert for warning chimes and lights indicating that the car’s hood is not completely latched. Failure to heed those warnings could result in the hood flying open while the car is in motion. The Corvette recall is being issued in response to a number of complaints that have been made to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and to Chevrolet from drivers who report that their vehicle’s hood has sprung open while the car was being operated, obscuring the driver’s vision completely.
The Corvette’s hood is commonly referred to by owners as the “frunk” because the front hood area contains the trunk compartment of the vehicle.
Operator Error, Poor Design, or Both?
GM recently released information about the problem and suggested that the hoods may be opening because of operator error. The company opined that the hoods were not being closed correctly, or that the Hood Unlock button, which is on the key fob, was being inadvertently engaged while the car was being driven. Even if the incidents are partly due to driver error, the number of complaints indicate that the ease with which such errors can be made is a defect in and of itself.
Speed to Be Limited When Hood Warnings Engage
A warning chime should sound within the vehicle if the hood is not latched properly. There is also a lighted icon on the dash that indicates the hood is ajar. When those alerts are active, the speed of the vehicle is currently limited to 82 mph. GM is now developing a software fix that will limit the vehicle’s speed to 26 mph when the hood is not properly latched.
GM is also making changes to the key fob in order to ensure that the hood will not become unlatched via the fob while the car is in motion. The company intends to begin issuing recall notifications to owners of the affected vehicles soon. Chevrolet dealers have already been notified of the impending recall and will not be delivering any 2020 Corvettes until after the identified defects have been fixed.
If owners accept certain terms and conditions, they will be able to receive the software changes via wireless over-the-air (OTA) technology. This would eliminate the need to bring the vehicle to a dealership, though those that would prefer to bring the car to the dealer for servicing have that option as well.
Not the First 2020 Corvette Recall
The 2020 Corvette’s front trunk has already undergone a recall. The interior trunk release was experiencing failures to open when the car would enter “sleep mode.” Sleep mode engaged automatically 10 minutes after the car was powered off. The trunk compartment release is required to function even in sleep mode according to federal regulations. This is a safeguard so that no one gets trapped inside the trunk. The prior fix was also completed via a software update by GM.
Watch the YouTube video on the most recent 2020 Corvette “frunk” recall.
Roseville Personal Injury Lawyer
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Photo Attribution: https://pixabay.com/photos/sports-car-racing-car-auto-corvette-4815234/
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