2008 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Complaints

I BEGAN TO NOTICE A STRONG GASOLINE SMELL NEXT TO MY REAR DRIVER'S SIDE OF MY 2008 CHEVY CORVETTE COUPE. I JUST DID A SEARCH ONLINE AND FOUND NUMEROUS OTHERS WITH THE SAME COMPLAINT FOR THE SAME MODEL. SEEMS THE FUEL TANK LEAKS AFTER CRACKS DEVELOP. *TR

I WAS CONCERNED ABOUT EXCESSIVE VALVE TRAIN NOISE AND AFTER READING SEVERAL CORVETTE FORUM THREADS ABOUT IMPROPERLY MACHINED HEADS BY GM'S SUPPLIER LINAMAR, AND THAT NUMEROUS VEHICLES HAVE HAD VALVES DROP AND RUIN THE ENGINES, LOOSING A VALVE WHILE DRIVING WILL RESULT IN LOSS OF POWER ASSIST FOR STEERING AND BREAKING WHILE ON THE ROAD . I TOOK MY CAR WITH 13500 MILES ON IT TO A CORVETTE SPECIALTY SHOP TO HAVE MY VALVE GUIDE CLEARANCE TESTED. I HAD (8) EXHAUST VALVE GUIDE AND (3) INTAKE VALVE GUIDES OUTSIDE OF SERVICE SPECIFICATIONS, AND A COMBINATION OF (5) OTHER INTAKE VALVE GUIDES AT OR NEAR THE MAXIMUM OUTSIDE OF SERVICE SPECIFICATIONS. THE CAR IS BEING REPAIRED WITH PROPER RE-MACHINING OF THE HEADS TO MAKE THE VALVE GUIDES CONCENTRIC, NEW INTAKE AND EXHAUST VALVE GUIDES INSTALLED, AS WELL AS NEW SEALS, VALVES, SPRINGS, ETC. I CAN PROVIDE DATA ON THE FAILED GUIDES FOR DOCUMENTATION 88% OF THE CORVETTE FORUM MEMBERS WHO HAVE HAD THEIR CYLINDER HEADS TESTED FOR EXCESSIVE VALVE GUIDE WEAR, WERE OUT OF SERVICE SPECIFICATIONS. SOURCE: HTTP://WWW.CORVETTEFORUM.COM/FORUMS/...-REGISTRY.HTML GM NEEDS TO ISSUE A RECALL ON THIS ISSUE, THERE HAVE BEEN NUMEROUS ENGINE FAILURES AS A RESULT OF A DROPPED VALVE INTO A CYLINDER WHICH CAN CAUSE ACCIDENTS AND FIRES. GM IS VERY AWARE OF THIS ISSUE, BUT REFUSES TO DO ANYTHING ABOUT THIS HUGE SAFETY RISK TO DRIVERS, PASSENGERS, AND NEARBY VEHICLES IF THE ENGINE FAILS GOING DOWN THE ROAD. *TR

WHILE PARKED IN THE GARAGE AFTER DRIVING THERE IS A STRONG GAS ODOR EMANATING FROM THE VEHICLE. *TR

DRIVER SIDE FUEL TANK IS LEAKING FUEL. LIFTED DRIVER SIDE AND CAN VISUALLY SEE THE TANK IS WET FROM FUEL LEAK. *TR

I HAVE WRITTEN BEFORE ON THIS PROBLEM. DO YOU FOLKS EVER ACKNOWLEDGE RECEIPT OF A COMPLAINT. THE CAR HAS A STRONG SMELL OF GASOLINE UNTIL THE TANK IS HALF EMPTY. THIS IS A LARGE PROBLEM AFFECTING MANY CORVETTE OWNERS AND THE FUMES ARE VERY BAD INSIDE AND OUTSIDE THE CAR. THERE WAS NO DATE OF INCIDENT AND IT DID NOT ARISE FROM ANY ACCIDENT. *TR

DUE TO A CRACKED FITTING ON TOP OF THE DRIVERS SIDE FUEL PUMP, FUEL IS SPRAYED OUT AND SOME POOLS ON TOP OF THE TANK. IN THE MORNING THERE IS A STRONG SMELL OF FUEL INSIDE AND OUTSIDE OF THE CAR. THIS WOULD NOT NORMALLY BE AN ISSUE ON MOST CARS, BUT BECAUSE THE FUEL TANKS ARE SO HARD TO REMOVE AND EXPENSIVE TO REPAIR THE FUEL PUMP IS A $2,000 OR MORE REPAIR BECAUSE TRANSMISSION MUST BE REMOVED FROM THE CAR TO GET TO THE FUEL PUMP. ON A RELATED NOTE GM HAS A REALLY BAD PROBLEM WITH THE FUEL LEVEL SENSORS GOING BAD AT LOW MILEAGE. THIS SENDS AN ERROR CODE AND A OWNER CANNOT PASS A BI ANNUAL SMOG CHECK UNTIL THEY PAY THE LARGE SUM OF MONEY TO GET THE FUEL LEVEL SENSORS REPLACED, ONCE AGAIN HAVING TO DROP THE TRANSMISSION TO DROP THE FUEL TANK TO REPLACE A FIFTY DOLLAR PART COST AROUND TWO THOUSAND DOLLARS. SO MY COMPLAINT IS THAT THE EPA OR FEDERAL AND STATE SMOG LAWS AND THE ERROR CODE, MAKE THE OWNER DO THE REPAIR, TO THE FUEL LEVEL SENSOR ALTHOUGH IT REALLY DOES NOT AFFECT THE EMISSIONS OF THE ENGINE, WHILE IT IS PERFECTLY FINE TO DRIVE AROUND WITH GAS SPILLING OUT WHILE DRIVING. THIS IS A SERIOUS ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUE ON TOP OF THE OBVIOUS SAFETY ISSUE THAT GM DOES NOT WANT TO BE ACCOUNTABLE FOR... THIS NEEDS TO BE FIXED FOR ALL CORVETTE WITH THE LOW MILEAGE LEAKING FUEL PUMP AND THE OWNERS SHOULD NOT BE THE ONES AT FAULT... *TR

STARTED NOTICING A STRONG SMELL OF GAS A FEW WEEKS AGO IN MY GARAGE WHERE I PARK MY CAR. I THOUGHT MAYBE IT WAS LAWN EQUIPMENT, OR MY MOTOR BIKE. I TOOK ALL THOSE OUT ONE AT A TIME OVER NIGHT, AND STILL NOTICED THE SMELL. LEFT MY CAR OUT OVER NIGHT, NO SMELL, PUT BACK IN THE GARAGE, AND THE SMELL CAME BACK! FILLS THE WHOLE GARAGE AND HOUSE AFTER ABOUT 12 HOURS!!! IN SEARCHING THE CORVETTE FORUMS, IT APPEARS THAT MANY OTHERS ARE HAVING THIS PROBLEM. IT APPEARS TO BE THE FUEL PUMP WHERE THE FUEL LINE HOOKS UP, GETS SMALL HAIR LINE CRACKS. THIS IS OBVIOUSLY A HUGE FIRE HAZARD! *TR

WHEN I FILL UP MY CORVETTE AT TIMES IS SMELLS LIKE GAS IN THE CAR. ALSO, MY FUEL GAUGE WILL AT TIME GO TO ZERO EVEN THOUGH FUEL IS IN THE TANK. THIS CORRECTS AT TIMES, BUT IS GETTING WORSE. *TR

STRONG GASOLINE FUEL SMELL WHEN VEHICLE WAS PARKED INSIDE ENCLOSED GARAGE. SMELL GREATEST AFTER A RECENT FILL-UP. DEALER DID A SMOKE TEST AND CURSORY VISUAL CHECK OF FUEL TANKS WITHOUT FINDING CLEAR EVIDENCE OF A VAPOR OR LIQUID LEAK. FINALLY ON THE THIRD VISIT TO THE DEALERSHIP, DEALER WAS INSTRUCTED TO REMOVE BOTH FUEL TANKS FROM THE CAR FOR A DETAILED INSPECTION. DRIVER SIDE TANK FUEL PUMP WAS FOUND TO HAVE A CRACKED LIQUID FUEL LINE FITTING REQUIRING REPLACEMENT OF THE FUEL PUMP. *TR

THE CROSSOVER PIPE BETWEEN THE TWO FUEL TANKS STARTED LEAKING FUEL. THIS CAUSED A STRONG ODOR OF FUEL TO HAPPEN INSIDE THE GARAGE AND INSIDE THE CAR ITSELF. FUEL ALSO SPLASHED ON VARIOUS PARTS UNDER THE CAR. THIS RESULTED IN A POSSIBLE UNSAFE CONDITION. *JS