NHTSA Complaint #10489562 — 2000 CHEVROLET CORVETTE

RIGHT FRONT TIRE WENT FLAT SEVERAL TIMES. WHEELS ARE THE STANDARD 5 SPOKE POLISHED OEM (FACTORY) WHEELS. LEAK TESTING INDICATED HAIRLINE CRACK APPROXIMATELY 3/8" IN LENGTH ON EXTERNAL SURFACE NEAR WHERE SPOKE RADIATES FROM MAIN WHEEL RING TOWARDS CENTER OF WHEEL. IN OTHER WORDS, WHERE THE SPOKE IS ON THE WHEEL. DEALER DETERMINED THAT WHEEL WAS DEFECTIVE AND I PAID FOR NEW, REPLACEMENT WHEEL. AFTER MUCH RESEARCH, WHEEL DEFECTS AND CRACKS ARE PREVALENT IN THE 2000 - 2004 C5 CORVETTE MODELS. SOME CRACKS ARE DETECTED AS THE TIRE BEGINS TO LEAK AIR AND THE TPMS ALERTS DRIVER. OTHER CRACKS ARE VISIBLE TO THE NAKED EYE WHEN WASHING AND DETAILING IS PERFORMED. EVERY INTERNET POST ABOUT WHEELS STATE THAT THE WHEELS ARE NOT DAMAGED DUE TO POTHOLES OR HITTING CURBS OR OTHER OBSTACLES. OTHER THAN LOCAL CHEVROLET DEALER, I AM THE ONLY DRIVER AND THERE HAVE BEEN NO IMPACTS OR OTHER EXTERNAL DAMAGE TO THE WHEELS. SOME REPORT FAILURE AFTER REPLACEMENT OF THE ZERO PRESSURE OR RUN FLAT OR EMT TIRES. OTHERS HAVE HAD THREE SETS OF TIRES MOUNTED. IN MY CASE, I HAD NEW TIRES INSTALLED APPROXIMATELY 2000 MILES AGO. I HAD A SET INSTALLED APPROXIMATELY 35,000 AND HAD NO ISSUES. WHEEL CRACK MAY BE SUPERFICIAL. CHEVROLET/GM DOES NOT PROVIDE EXTENDED WARRANTY. NO INFORMATION AS TO WHETHER THE WHEELS ARE IMPREGNATED WITH A SEALER TO PREVENT AIR LOSS DUE TO MINUTE POROSITY IN THE CASTING. THIS IS A MAJOR CONCERN AND THE INCIDENTS ARE BECOMING MORE COMMON PLACE BASED ON INTERNET RESEARCH. *TR