I’ve always heard that you should never buy the first year of a new generation vehicle. This is because, with a new car, the manufacturer may not realize what problems are on the horizon. Then, as the problems arise, the vehicle will have to be taken in for repairs and updates, taking time away from the owner. And as they say, time is money, even though these repairs cost the dealership and not the owner. So when we saw that the new C8 Corvette had a recall, we weren’t that surprised because these types of things happen. 

The 2020 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray convertible and Chevrolet’s first mid-engine GTLM race car – the Corvette C8.R – are unveiled Wednesday, October 2, 2019 at the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida. The Corvette Stingray convertible is the first hardtop and mid-engine convertible in Corvette history. The C8.R will make its racing debut at Rolex 24 at Daytona in January 2020. (Photo by Preston Mack for Chevrolet)

Some of the past recalls for the C8 include the driver’s side seat belt retractor, sensor connection contamination on the electronic brake boost system, and a couple of front trunk lid latch problems. While these may or may not seem like a big deal to C8 owners, the most recent recall would undoubtedly get the driver’s attention. It appears that some of the 2021 and 2022 Corvette (the second and third year for the new eight-generation) left the factory without one or more halfshaft bearings. 

The Problem

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) released the safety recall report 22V-091 on February 18, 2022. The report states, “On September 2, 2021, a GM engineer conducted a warranty inspection of a rear halfshaft recovered from a 2021 Chevrolet Corvette that fractured and caused the vehicle to lose propulsion. Upon inspection, it was found that the halfshaft was missing two of six ball bearings. Discussions with the supplier indicated the supplier may have failed to discover the misbuild due to a potential failure in its inspection process. On October 7, 2021, a GM engineer submitted a report to GM’s Speak Up For Safety (SUFS) program.” The report goes on to say, “On October 16, 2021, the supplier identified 19 VINs containing halfshafts that may have been improperly inspected. GM opened a formal investigation on November 24, 2021. A review of field data completed on January 22, 2022 revealed no additional relevant field incidents. GM is not aware of any injuries or crashes related to this condition. 18 of the 19 vehicles with suspect parts are currently in the U.S. On February 10, 2022, GM’s Safety and Field Action Decision Authority decided to conduct a safety recall for vehicles that may have received suspect rear halfshaft assemblies. On February 17, 2022, the supplier notified GM of six additional affected vehicles that were inadvertently left out of earlier communications. Four of these additional vehicles are in the US.” 

2021 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray Coupe and Convertible (far right in new Silver Flare Metallic)

C8 production has had a rough couple of years with production delays, tornados, and possible strikes. But fortunately, the latest recall only affected a small number of C8s over two years. And if you are concerned that your C8 might be affected, you can check with GM’s recall center here. You will need the vehicle identification number (VIN) to verify.