Carowinds has revealed why its signature roller coaster, Fury 325, has been closed since early July, with the park confirming that engineers discovered an issue involving the ride’s foundation during a routine inspection.
The announcement has reignited attention around North America’s tallest giga coaster, which already made international headlines in 2023 following the highly publicised crack found in one of its support columns.
Foundation Problem Found During Inspection
According to Carowinds, the issue was identified on July 7 during a scheduled maintenance inspection.
The park immediately removed Fury 325 from service, notified North Carolina state regulators and began repair work. Officials stressed that the problem did not pose a risk to guests and was discovered before it could affect the safe operation of the attraction thanks to the park’s preventative maintenance programme.
Although Carowinds has confirmed that the problem involves the coaster’s foundation, it has not released any technical details about the nature or severity of the issue.
No Reopening Date Yet
At this stage, the park has not announced when Fury 325 will reopen.
Before the coaster can welcome riders again, repairs must be completed and the attraction must undergo a full inspection by the North Carolina Department of Labor, which oversees amusement ride safety in the state. Only after regulators approve the repairs will the coaster be allowed to return to operation.
Carowinds says it is working to reopen the attraction as quickly as possible while maintaining its commitment to guest safety.
Second Major Closure in Three Years
The latest closure inevitably draws comparisons with the events of 2023, when Fury 325 was shut down after a park guest spotted a large crack in one of the ride’s steel support columns. Images of the damaged support quickly spread around the world, prompting an immediate shutdown and an extensive repair programme.
The coaster reopened several weeks later following the installation of a new support column, extensive testing and approval from state inspectors.
Unlike the 2023 incident, the current closure does not involve visible structural damage to the ride itself. Instead, the issue has been identified beneath the attraction, within one of its foundations.
One of the World’s Most Celebrated Roller Coasters
Since opening in 2015, Fury 325 has become one of Bolliger & Mabillard’s most celebrated roller coasters. Standing 325 feet (99 metres) tall, reaching speeds of 95 mph (153 km/h) and stretching more than 6,600 feet (2,012 metres), it remains one of the flagship attractions at Carowinds.
Despite the current closure, the coaster continues to hold an exceptional reputation among enthusiasts and was voted the World’s Best Steel Roller Coaster for the ninth consecutive year in 2025.
For now, however, one of the world’s most famous roller coasters will remain closed while engineers complete repairs and regulators determine when it is safe to reopen.
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