Corvette Z06 Engine Failure Lawsuit Dismissed
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A class-action lawsuit that was filed against General Motors over claims the 7.0L LS7 V8 engine in certain C6 Corvette Z06 is defective has been dismissed by the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals.
According to Car Complaints, the plaintiffs that filed this suit claim there is an improper clearance level in the valve guides in the 7.0L LS7 V8 engine. This, according to the plaintiffs, is evidenced by the alleged fact that GM developed a test for technicians to determine if there were valve guide problems in affected engines and abandoned the test procedure once it realized the test may result in a product recall. These plaintiffs also say GM has told them that excessive valvetrain noise in the 7.0L LS7 V8 is normal.
This suit, which was filed in U.S. District Court for the Central District of California, was previously dismissed, however seventeen of the plaintiffs then filed a motion to appeal that was sent to the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals. The Ninth Circuit dismissed the suit this week, saying the plaintiffs “have failed to produce admissible evidence that their vehicles actually contained the alleged valve guide defects.” The only evidence of the engine defects provided to the court were “expert declarations,” that were determined to be not admissible in court.
The 7.0L LS7 V8 engine is the only engine offered in the C6 Corvette Z06, which was produced between the 2006 and 2013 model years, and is good for an impressive 505 horsepower and 470 pound-feet of torque. This engine was also used in the fifth-generation Chevy Camaro Z/28 and produced the same output in the limited-run sports coupe as it did in the Corvette Z06. The engine remains available to order through Chevrolet Performance as a crate engine today.
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My personal Z06 has dropped a valve due to this issue and I’ve personally removed the sleeves and repaired 3 different ls7 blocks for other people that were damaged from a dropped valve. This issue is real, what it appears is the plaintiffs on the case didn’t appear to provide any direct financial hardship linking themselves to the issue. Meaning they probably all preemptively changed their heads, which is not on GM. The legal team should have been better prepared.
I can provide any info they need. I was surely financially impacted by a known faulty engine. What’s more ridiculous is the people who haven’t been impacted chiming in like it’s all make believe.
cars dropping valves with less than 15K isn’t a myth, GM denying the issue yet writing a stupid TSB that allowed a wiggle test and then replacing parts if the cars failed yet they still deny the issue….if it wasn’t an issue why did they fix cars? why the test? why issue a TSB? Why did GM try and hide behind “old GM and new GM” when there was never any break in building cars? There was no old and new GM they just tried to dodge responsibility. If you won’t allow expert testimony then why have experts testify? So much for GM standing behind their product.
30k on my LS7 and the valves went out. Literally every z06 I see for sale mentions the valves being fixed and if it doesn’t it’s all that’s talked about in the comments.
Why are people so determined to say this is a myth? I bet you the 20k I spent getting a new engine that it’s not a myth. Any takers?
It’s absolutely not a myth … one idiot on here gave me $hit for basically saying the same thing you just did. I have owned four ls7s and every single one has failed the guid clearance test.
Gentlemen, I just recently had to have my ‘09 Z06
LS7 engine replaced. The exhaust valve blew apart and caused catastrophic engine failure. The car has only 18000 miles on it. I bought it with 15000 miles. The car was running great before this happened. My mechanic who specializes in Corvettes was well aware of the problem. Between the engine cost and labor I spent over $20k.
So this problem is real not something made up. This was not the first time he has had to replace one. I have contacted GM and they have no interest in accepting any kind of blame. Typical response from large companies. Only wish they would let everyone know there is a problem. How about a recall so people don’t have to spend thousands of dollars fixing their mistakes.
Obviously there are design flaws in the engine but I can’t see GM being on the hook for anything 13 years down the road. It makes you wonder about the LT6 in the new Z06. It’s a radical departure from anything GM knew prior. They took apart a Ferrari engine and applied that reverse engineering to their own design. Ferraris are known to need major engine work and maintenance sub 50k miles. I suspect C8 Z06 owners had better be financially prepared for major repairs beyond the warranty period. That or get a very good extended warranty from a reputable company.
So, do not beat-up on your engine and have the engine checked ? Or, replace the heads.