Corvette Sales Reportedly Stopped due to Brake-by-Wire Issue

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Source: Road&Track post

DETROIT – General Motors issued a stop-sale order to dealers Sept. 24th for 2020 model-year Corvettes, per Corvetteactioncenter.com. The order and its associated recall has to do with material contamination within the car’s electronic brake boost system. The order affects a handful of other GM products as well, including the Chevy Trailblazer, Buick Encore, and a handful of Cadillacs.

A bulletin issued to GM dealers and obtained by Corvetteactioncenter.com lays out the details:

Material used in a sensor connection in the electronic brake boost system in these vehicles may have been contaminated during the material supplier’s production process. Contamination of this material may cause an interruption of communication between the sensor and the brake boost system under certain conditions.

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The C8 Corvette uses a brake-by-wire system that connects the pedal to the brake system using electronic connections rather than a physical booster. So, it’d be a big problem if the pedal couldn’t communicate with the brakes while you’re driving down the road. According to the bulletin, “extra pedal force will be required to slow and stop the vehicle, increasing the risk of a crash,” should communication from the sensor in question be interrupted.

Chevy’s fix is to replace the electronic brake booster module free of charge. This is the first recall for the C8 that actually requires the car to visit a dealership. Previously, recalls issued for the front trunk release could be completed via over-the-air software updates.

The Brake Report
The Brake Report

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