A Strange Gas-Pumping Defect Is Making $100,000 Corvettes Go Up in Flames
The Center for Auto Safety is the nation’s premier independent, member driven, non-profit consumer advocacy organization dedicated to improving vehicle safety, quality, and fuel economy on behalf of all drivers, passengers, and pedestrians.
Michael Brooks, executive director of the Center for Auto Safety, said one potential issue is that a driver might encounter a faulty gas pump that doesn’t automatically shut off but not realize it.
“How do you know when it’s safe to drive off from a fuel pump if you’ve had one of these overpump incidents?” he said. “There’s not a whole lot of guidance on how to approach what you should do.”
By Ryan Felton
September 14, 2025
Shawn Conner was refueling his high-end 2024 Corvette at a gas station in early June when the car spontaneously caught on fire, torching it in a matter of minutes.
Conner turned to a Facebook group of Corvette enthusiasts. A video he posted showed the supercar exploding out of the blue, sending a person at a nearby gas pump scattering away.
“Anybody have any experience, or ever heard of anything like this before?” Conner asked. “Car exploded while pumping gas. I have an idea, but would love to hear what everyone else thinks.”
Conner declined to comment. GM said it couldn’t comment on the specific situation.
Similar incidents caught the attention of an employee at General Motors, which makes the Chevrolet Corvette. Another social-media post identified multiple cars that had burst into flames while pumping gas during a 30-day period. Later that week, a GM-owned Corvette test vehicle also caught fire, a company report said.
Click here to view the full story from The Wall Street Journal via MSN.com.