General Motors has issued a recall for the 2020 Corvette due to a problem with the internal frunk (front trunk) release on the vehicle.
The problem: according to a statement released by General Motors, the internal release button on the inside of the frunk may not work if the vehicle enters low-power sleep mode.
The hazards: all 2020 Corvette models are programmed to enter low-power sleep mode after 10 minutes of sitting with the power off, so if a “small person” was inside the frunk after the vehicle entered low power mode, they could become trapped inside with no way to get out, increasing the risk of injury or death.
Affected vehicles:
- 2020 Corvette Coupe
- 2020 Corvette Convertible
Affected parts: frunk release mechanism, BCM software.
The fix: GM will perform an over-the-air update on the 2020 Corvette’s Body Control Module (BCM). This should repair the software fault that made it so the frunk release does not work when the low-power sleep mode is engaged.
Owners should: 2020 Corvette owners who have enabled over-the-air updates on the vehicle will not have to do anything for this recall, apart from waiting for the BCM update to download. Owners who did not enable this feature can take their car to a dealership to have the software updated instead. Owners with questions to concerns can contact Chevrolet or the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration using the information provided below.
Notably, this fix will not address the problems that some 2020 Corvette owners have experienced with the vehicle’s frunk flying open as they drive down the road. As of this writing, GM had not responded publicly to these owner complaints.
Contacts:
- Chevrolet Customer Service: 1-800-222-1020
- NHTSA Toll Free: 1-888-327-4236
- NHTSA (TTY): 1-800-424-9153
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Comments
Recalled for FRUNK mechanism?
That’s FERRIBLE.
Regarding the flying open of the frunk/hood lid once at speed, is there NOT a secondary mechanical safety latch as on all other front opening hoods? I thought that was a mandatory requirement. Is the secondary safety latch actually electronic, which would not be reliable? Does that pass NHTSA? An audible warning warning will not work for the hearing impaired. A visual instrument warning will not work in certain blinding sunlight conditions. A traditional mechanical secondary safety latch would work in all of those conditions. Please folks, help me understand what i am missing here.
from what I was to understand there is not a secondary mechanism because it is technically not a hood with no engine inside anymore, and not many, if any, with no engine in the front are required to have a secondary “catch” mechanism.
This is correct, Tesla front trunks operate in the exact same fashion as the C8.
Actually that’s not true. The regulation, FMVSS 113, applies to “any exterior movable body panel forward of the windshield that is used to cover an engine, luggage, storage, or battery compartment.”
Dave – You just hit the issue squarely on the head. Good job. In order to save complexity and weight, there is no manual release latch on the frunk. Like you, I don’t know if there is a mandate for a safety latch that is mechanical. And like you, however, it makes no sense to have both the primary and secondary releases both opened by an electronic switch. If there is a problem with the electrics, it means that both fail-safe systems would potentially be affected by the electronic failure, if that were to occur. My 2001 Mustang bullitt has a lever that is moved to allow entry in the engine compartment in the front. Likewise, my 2012 Porsche Carrera has a manual lever to gain access to its frunk. Moving closer to present day, my 2019 Mercedes-Benz C300 has a manual release in cabin and also has a secondary manual release under the hood. All of these secondary manual releases insure that if the trunk is opened somehow while the car is moving, that there still will be a second manual release necessary before the trunk could be opened or even fly open. I applaud Chevrolet for attempting to move forward in the 21st Century. However, I personally would feel more comfortable if a micro-release were developed that was mechanical and held that, “frunking” (term I just invented) lid partially closed until released by the fingers of a human being! AF
To summarize:
1. Locking a “small person” in frunk, BAD.
2. Frunk lids flying open while driving, meh…NO WORRIES.
Thank you, Chevrolet. Glad ya’ll got this covered.
#Small Persons Matter
(This is sarcasm, for all of you without a sense of humor, that need clarification.)
Sarcasm…PRICELESS LOL
Thank you. We C8 owners, “…don’t got no frunking mechanical frunk release!!!!”
Insider info: 12” bungee cords are being mailed to all 2020 Corvette owners.
They shoulda kept the front frunk lid with the hinge in front like Vette hood’s were when engine was up front. Can’t blow open.
The engineering team likely thought of doing it that way, but then realized it would be a royal PITA to try to place something into or remove something out of the frunk from the side of the car. Maybe the J.C. Whitney catalog/website may have a really cheap set of hood pins to keep the lid down, like some wannabe muscle cars had back in the ’70s, LOL!
Maybe the frunk flies open in case there’s a small person trapped inside? It’s a liability thing…
Does anybody know when California dealership like Temecula Paradise Chevrolet will be receiving any C8 Corvettes? I have a deposit since February and was told they have no ideal when actual orders will be placed. The only thing I have been told is that my car will be a 2021. I have been contacted by and seen C8’s on Auto Tempest.com where people are trying to play the supply and demand game for crazy markups. I guess that is the American way for those of us who can afford to play that game. Well I am to old and wise to deal with that BS. So I will wait and see what happens. Mike………
Eventual determination conclusion may be that the new fully electronic latch assembly is……”Frunked-Up”!
Dave – Perfect! Credit you a big one!!!!!!!!!!! AF
I read yesterday where there were a number of C8’s that were stuck on storage vehicle/trains/parking lots after the Covid shutdown. Apparently when dealerships received the vehicles the front trunk lids of many of these vehicles were open. The speculation is that when the battery voltage runs low it triggers a trunk lid release. No idea why or how this happens.
The same person also said that you could tell if you had the current frunk update by disconnecting the battery terminal for a minute or so and then reconnect the battery. If you don’t have the current frunk update installed the lid will pop open when you reconnect the battery. If you have the update the lid stays shut.
This is amazing information and adds to the library of information being developed on the C8 for customers, owners and fans of the Corvette Supercar. I’ve left my car and come back later to find the frunk open. I’ve also gotten out of another car in the garage and while doing so, watched as the frunk just opened on its own. Only thing I could figure out is that maybe the key in my pocket squeezed the button. I actually think the functions on the smart key are wonderful. What isn’t wonderful is the design of the key, practicality-wise. A keyless entry key, should be protected in a manner that front and rear pockets and the inside of purses should not allow an inadvertent signal to be able to occur, if a button gets pushed up against something during storage. Likewise, GM should have had a specific slot in the dash to store the key while the car is in use that protects the key for accidental inputs and from any extraneous electrical waves in the vicinity of the key that might cause an action to occur. Lastly, if GM had a manual second release instead of electronic, none of this would have been an issue. If I had a Z06, I’d want a manual release. Just because the C8R hasn’t had these problems, doesn’t mean there isn’t a design problem. Reminds me of Mercedes-Benz denying for more than 20 years that they had a design problem that resulted in a very large quantity of near accidents and did eventually cause a 4 car injury collision in California on the 405 South freeway in South Los Angeles. While Mercedes then changed its cruise control system for 2019 and perhaps, 2018, with a new design which prevents the accidents that the old design facilitated, Mercedes still doesn’t admit that the old design was problematic. I suspect that if Mercedes were a start up, they’d have been sued over this. But as one of the oldest and most powerful car countries on the planet, no one will sue them because going in, the litigation should be planned for nothing short of 8 years. There’s something wrong with the frunk in the Corvette and there is something wrong with the key and how its buttons are inadvertently pressed, thus activating the frunk. AF