2001 Chevrolet Corvette Tires & Wheels Problems

2001 CORVETTE, PASSENGER SIDE FRONT WHEEL HAS AN APPROX 3" CRACK WHERE THE SPOKE MEETS THE RIM AND RUNS FROM WHERE THE TIRE MOUNTS TO INSIDE THE WHEEL AFFECTED WHEEL LOSES 20PSI OF AIR PER HOUR.

CRACKS OBSERVED ON REAR WHEEL AT POINT WHERE SPOKE MEETS RIM. *TR

WITH 46,920 MILES ON MY 2001 CORVETTE I REPORTED TO GM ON 4/14/2012 THAT I NOTICED CRACKS IN 2 OF 5 SPOKES ON THE RIGHT REAR WHEEL OF THIS CAR. THIS IS A QF5 POLISHED ALUM 5 THIN SPOKED WHEEL. GM DIRECTED ME TO HAVE AN AUTHORIZED DEALER TO INSPECT THE CONCERN. I DID THAT AND THE ANSWER FROM THE GM DEALER WAS " THERE IS A PROBLEM HOWEVER THERE IS NOTHING WE ARE GOING TO DO FOR YOU OTHER THAN SALE YOU A NEW WHEEL". I ASKED THE DEALER IF THIS CAR WAS SAFE TO DRIVE AND THEIR COMMENT WAS THAT THEY HAVE NO WAY OF KNOWING HOW DEEP THE CRACKS WERE SO THEY WERE NO COMMITTAL AS TO MY QUESTION. MY GM COMPLAINT FILE NUMBER IS [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6) *JS

2001 CHEVROLET CORVETTE. CONSUMER WRITES REGARDING FRAUDULENT PRACTICES OF WHEEL DISTRIBUTOR *TGW THE CONSUMER AND HER HUSBAND PURCHASED A SET OF FIRESTONE TIRES AND WHEELS AS A PACKAGE DEAL FOR A VEHICLE THAT WAS TO BE USED ON A RACE TRACK. THE SET WERE MOUNTED AND BALANCED. HOWEVER, WHEN THEY ARRIVED AT THEIR DESTINATION, THEY DISCOVERED ONE OF THE NEW TIRES WERE FLAT. ONCE THE TIRE WAS REMOVED FROM THE RIM, IT WAS DISCOVERED THAT THE BEAD HAD BEEN CUT. WHEN THEY ARRIVED AT THE SHOP THE NEXT MORNING, IT WAS ALSO DISCOVERED THE TIRE HAD NOT BEEN BALANCED EITHER AS ORIGINALLY THOUGHT. *JB

FIRST INCIDENT HAPPENED A COUPLE YEARS AGO. NOW AGAIN, I THOUGHT THAT I HAD A FLAT TIRE BUT ACTUALLY, MY CAR'S RIM CRACKED AND ALL THE AIR LEAKED OUT. DOES CHEVROLET DO SOMETHING ABOUT THIS? I HAVEN'T DRIVEN OVER ANY BAD POTHOLES... JUST ALL OF A SUDDEN, WHEEL CRACKS... *TR

THE TIRES IN QUESTION WHERE PURCHASE IN JULY 2007. APPROXIMATE MILEAGE SINCE INSTALLATION 2200. TRAVELING WEST ON I80/94 IN NORTHERN INDIANA 3 MILES THIS SIDE OF ILLINOIS STATE LINE. I NOTICE AFTER PASSING EXIT 3/CLINE AVENUE, THAT THE ROAD WAY STARTED TO SOUND LIKE A "BUCK BOARD" ROAD SURFACE. SINCE I WAS IN THE FAR LANE I STARTED TO MOVE OVER TO EXIT ONTO KENNEDY AVE OFF RAMP AND DROVE INTO A PARKING LOT AND STEPPED OUT TO SEE WHAT WAS GOING ON . I IMMEDIATELY NOTICED THAT THE "LEFT REAR TIRE" ON MY CORVETTE SEEMED LIKE IT WAS GOING FLAT. I SAW A SERVICE STATION UP THE STREET SO I DECIDED TO SEE IF I COULD DRIVE TO IT AND SEE IF ANYONE MIGHT BE ABLE TO OFFER US ASSISTANCE. AS IT WAS THEY COULDN'T. I LOOKED AT THE TIRE AGAIN AND FELT THERE WAS ENOUGH AIR IN THE TIRE TO GET US TO A DEALERSHIP OR TIRE STORE. WHILE WAITING FOR THE LIGHT TO CHANGE AT THE INTERSECTION UPON EXITING THE SERVICE STATION WE HEARD A LOUD "BANG". I DROVE INTO A PARKING LOT ACROSS FROM THE SERVICE STATION AND PARKED THE CAR. IT WAS NOW AROUND 5:00PM. THE YOUNG WAS JUST GETTING OFF WORK FROM HIS JOB WITH "BERTS TOWING, INC". THE HAD HIM TOW THE VEHICLE TO MY LOCAL CHEVROLET DEALERSHIP 'BILL JACOBS" IN THE JOILIET IL. THE DEALERSHIP GOT THE CAR INTO THEIR BODY SHOP AND "NOTICE" THAT THE "INSIDE" SIDE WALL HAD SEPARATED' WHICH CASED THE TIRE TO CRACK THE WHEEL. FOR HE NEXT THREE WEEKS THE DEALERSHIP TRIED TO GET A REPLACEMENT WHEEL, BUT COULDN'T FIND ONE SO WE PURCHASED A WHEEL SO I COULD MOVED THE CAR THE BILL AT THIS POINT WAS AROUND $950.00 DOLLARS PLUS IT WOULD COST AN ADDITIONAL $1212.00 FOR A NEW WHEEL FROM GM FOR A TOTAL AROUND $2150.00. I CONTACTED BRIDGESTONE/FIRESTONE ON SEPTEMBER 8TH WITH THEIR CLAIM REPORT NO. 842571. YESTERDAY I RECEIVED A LETTER REF. NO. 919077 THEY REJECTED THE CLAIM DO TO "THIS TIRE WAS OPERATED FOR AN UNKNOWN PERIOD OF TIME WITH INSUFFICIENT AIR PRESSURE. WAS I SUPPOSE TO STOP THE VEHICLE IN THE MIDDLE OF THE HIGHWAY AND WHICH COULD CAUSE AN ACCIDENT. *TR

MY 2001 CORVETTE RIGHT REAR WHEEL CRACKED WHILE I WAS DRIVING DOWN THE HIGHWAY AT ABOUT 75 MILES PER HOUR. I LOST MOST OF THE AIR BY THE TIME I STOPPED. I HAD THE TIRE CHECKED FOR LEAKS AND NO LEAKS WERE FOUND ON THE TIRE. I HAD THE WHEEL CHECKED AND A CRACK WAS FOUND AROUND THE SPOKE TO THE OUTER EDGE OF THE WHEEL. *TR

I OWN A 2001 CORVETTE, WHILE GETTING THE TIRES REPLACED THE DEALERSHIP TOLD ME ONE OF THE RIMS SPOKES HAS A CRACK IN IT AND SHOULD BE REPLACED. THIS CRACK (WHICH IS COMMON IN THESE CARS) COULD BREAK THE RIM APART AND CAUSE A HORRIBLE ACCIDENT. *TR

LEFT REAR WHEEL IS CRACKED AT THE SPOKE MEETING THE RIM. *NM

AFTER BROWSING A CORVETTE ENTHUSIAST'S WEB SITE I WAS MADE AWARE OF A FLAW WITH THE 2000-2004 POLISHED WHEELS THAT CAME ON BASE AND CONVERTIBLE MODELS. I INSPECTED MY CAR UPON ARRIVING HOME AND FOUND THAT INDEED MY VEHICLE TOO WAS AFFECTED THERE ARE 2 LARGE STRESS CRACKS IN THE REAR DRIVER WHEEL. *NM

I HAD A FLAT TIRE. WHILE LOOKING FOR THE CAUSE I FOUND THAT IT WAS A CRACKED RIM. AFTER LOOKING AT MY OTHER RIMS I FOUND ANOTHER ONE CRACKED, BUT NOT LEAKING. I HAVE A 2001 CHEVY CORVETTE WITH THE Y2K STYLE, HIGHLY POLISHED, THIN SPOKE DESIGN RIMS. THE CAR HAS 59,000 MILES BUT THE CRACKED RIMS ONLY HAVE 55,000 MILES. THE RIGHT REAR WAS THE ONE WITH THE LARGE LEAKING CRACK, AND THE LEFT REAR WAS CRACKED BUT NOT LEAKING. THE FRONT RIMS DO NOT APPEAR TO BE CRACKED AT THIS TIME. I HAVE ORDERED FOUR NEW AFTERMARKET RIMS TO REPLACE MY CRACKED OEM GM RIMS. *NM

1. 50,000 MILES OF DRIVING 2001 CORVETTE. 2. CRACKS HAVE APPEARED IN BOTH REAR WHEELS WHERE THE SPOKE TRANSITIONS TO THE RIM . POSSIBLE CATASTROPHIC FAILURE AND VEHICLE CRASH. 3. STOPPED DRIVING THE CAR UNTIL I CAN REPLACE THE WHEELS.

WHILE WAXING THE FACTORY POLISHED SPOKE WHEELS ON MY 2001 CORVETTE YESTERDAY (SATURDAY APRIL 23, 2005, I NOTICED ONE OF THE WHEELS, LEFT REAR, HAS A CRACK WHERE THE SPOKE JOINS THE RIM. BASED ON INFORMATION PROVIDED ON THE CORVETTE FORUM BY MEMBERS WITH IDENTICAL PROBLEMS, I AM VERY CONCERNED. MY VEHICLE IS OUT OF WARRANTY BY 16 MONTHS, BUT THIS STILL SEEMS LIKE A DANGEROUS ISSUE. THE LINK TO THE PARTICULAR FORUM POSTING IS: HTTP://FORUMS.CORVETTEFORUM.COM/SHOWTHREAD.PHP?T=1072167&FORUM_ID=103 THE PHOTO THAT APPEARS FIRST IS OF MY WHEEL. IT IS CURRENTLY APPROX. 3/4" LONG. *JB UPDATED 05/01/06

CRACKED WHEEL. *NM

A DEEP AND LONG CRACK WAS ON THE REAR LEFT WHEEL, WHICH CAUSED AIR TO LEAK FROM THE TIRE. *AK *JB

PROBLEM WITH 2001 CHEVROLET CORVETTE. *MR THE REAR LEFT WHEEL WITH NO IMPACT HAD EXPERIENCED A HAIR LINE FRACTURE. THE CRACK WAS SO DEEP THAT THE COMPUTER INDICATED THE TIRE PRESSURE TO BE 10 PSI. THE CONSUMER ALSO OWNED A 98 CHEVROLET CORVETTE WHERE A PIECE OF METAL HAD FALLEN OF THE WHEEL ALONG WITH THE COATING. AN INSPECTION CONCLUDED THAT THE COATING IS A CLEAR MATERIAL AND WAS LIKELY TO EITHER HAVE BEEN IMPROPERLY APPLIED OR IS NOT SUITED FOR SOUTHERN FL. UP EXPOSURE. *SCC

BAD SET OF TIRES. I BOUGHT THIS CAR NEW AND HAVE BEEN HAVING PROBLEMS WITH IT MAKING A NOISE. I AM A WOMAN SO I THOUGHT IT WAS COMING FROM THE REAREND OF THE CAR. I KEPT TAKING IT IN ANDHAVING IT CHECKED AND THE DEALERS SAID IT WASN'T THE REAR END OF THE CAR. FINALLY THEY FOUND WHAT WAS MAKING THE NOISE, THE TIRES HAVE BUMPS AND LUMPS ON THEM, THE TIRES AREN'T EVEN ROUND.I HAVE TRIED SINCE NOVEMBER TO GET GM TO HONOR THE WARRENTY ON THE CAR AND REPLACE THE TIRES AND HAVE RECIEVED NOTHING BUT A RUN AROUND. THEY WERE SUPPOSE TO LET ME KNOW SOMETHING DEC. 21ST BUT I HAVE NOT HEARD ANYTHING FROM THEM. THE TIRES ARE NOT SAFE AND WERE NOT ANY GOOD TO BEGIN WITH. YOU CANNOT ROTATE THE TIRES AND THEY ARE SUPPOSE TO BE RATED FOR TOP SPEEDS AND GO FOR A 100 THOUSAND MILES. I AM SACRED TO DRIVE ANYWHERE ON THE TIRES AND I DON'T BELIEVE I SHOULD HAVE TO SPEND 2 THOUSAND DOLLARS TO REPLACE THE TIRES WHEN THEY WEREN'T ANY GOOD TO BEGIN WITH. I HAVE ALREADY PAID FOR TIRES WHEN I BOUGHT THE CAR AND THEY SHOULD HAVE BEEN GOOD.I HAVE BEEN TRYNG TO FIND OUT WHAT THE PROBLEM WAS FOR A YEAR BUT THEY DIDN'T FIND IT UNTIL THIS PAST NOV. THIS IS WHEN I CONTACTED GM. I DON'T WANT TO HAVE A WRECK BECAUSE OF THESE TIRES AND I CAN'T AFFORD ANOTHER CAR AT THIS TIME. I LOVE THE CAR BUT I WANT SOME DEPENDABLE TIRES ON IT. I REMEMBER THE PROBLEMS WITH THE FIRESTONE TIRES CAUSING WRECKS.THESE TIRES ARE GOODYEAR RUN FLAT TIRES 18 INCH IN THE REAR AND 17 IN THE FRONT. THE CAR IS UNDER WARRENTY, CAN YOU HELP ME GET THE CHEVY DIVISON TO HONOR IT?

FLAT TIRE, CRACKED RIM CAUSED TIRE TO LOSE ALL AIR WHILE PARKED, NO ABUSE RIM CRACKED DUE TO FAULTY CASTING,IF FAILURE WERE TO OCCUR COULD CAUSE SERIOUS INJURY OR DEATH. REPLACED RIM AT MY EXPENSE BECAUSE WARRANTY EXPIRED AND GM WOULD NOT OFFER REPLACEMENT. *TR