His $140K Corvette C8 Caught Fire While Refueling, and He's Not the Only One | Carscoops

      A gas station security camera recorded the moment a Corvette Z06 caught fire due to a known design flaw.

      A video circulating online shows the Corvette Z06 bursting into flames while being refueled.

      It is believed that gasoline vapor was blown onto the hot engine of the C8 by the cooling fan.

      Last month, GM issued a stop-sale for the Z06 and ZR1 models, but the E-Ray and Stingray are not affected.

      When GM began developing the first mid-engined production Corvette, they used the naturally-aspirated Ferrari 458 as a benchmark for the new C8. However, the Corvette has also inherited one of the 458's unfortunate qualities: its tendency to ignite. New footage captures this incident involving a Z06.

      In June, Shawn Conner was refueling his 2024 Corvette Z06 3LZ at a gas station when the 670 hp sports car unexpectedly caught fire. The blaze spread so rapidly that he was unable to save the vehicle, which was completely destroyed.

      "Has anyone had experience with this or heard of anything similar before?" he asked in a Facebook post earlier this summer. "The car exploded while I was pumping gas. I have a theory, but I'd love to hear what others think."

      Conner is not alone; numerous posts on social media depict melted Corvettes, indicating that this issue is not limited to his Z06. Reports also suggest that one of GM's company vehicles was lost to the flames.

      Chevrolet Suspends Some Corvette Sales

      Last month, GM paused sales of certain new Corvette models and issued a recall for over 23,000 Corvettes from the 2023-2026 model years due to a design flaw that could make refueling dangerous. If fuel vapor or spilled fuel drifts toward a nearby cooling fan, it can be pulled into the hot engine compartment and ignite. This issue affects only the hot flat-plane crank Z06 and the even hotter turbocharged ZR1.

      According to the Wall Street Journal, Chevy has designed a shield to prevent spilled gasoline from reaching the engine, but it must finalize supplier and distribution details before releasing the part, likely within the next few weeks.

      "The safety of our customers is the top priority for the entire GM team, and we are dedicated to resolving this issue as quickly as possible," a GM representative told the WSJ.

      The standard Stingray and the all-wheel drive E-Ray hybrid, which utilize the LT2 pushrod V8 rather than the LT6 and LT7 DOHC V8s in the Z06 and ZR1, do not face the same fire risk and are not included in the recall and stop-sale order.

      GM has advised Corvette owners, per the C8 handbook, not to pull the fuel pump handle after it has clicked off and to wait five seconds after releasing the trigger before removing the nozzle from the filler neck to avoid fuel spillage. One owner reported on social media that the pump he used did not click off, leading to his car catching fire.

      Not Just a Corvette Issue

      In 2010, Ferrari had to recall over 1,000 early models of the 458 Italia after several caught fire due to overheating glue used on the wheelarch liners. However, Ferrari stated that only vehicles driven very aggressively were at risk. A few years later, both the California T and the 458's successor, the 488 GTB, faced recalls or stop-sale notices because of fire concerns.