2009 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Complaints

A STRONG FUEL ODOR IS COMING OUT FROM THE DRIVERS SIDE REAR. WHENEVER I FILL UP THE ODOR IS PRESENT. WHEN I'M UNDER 1/2 TANK ODOR IS GONE. IT'S ONLY WHEN I HAVE A FULL TANK. GM HAS ISSUED A "SPECIAL COVERAGE ADJUSTMENT" FOR 2007-2013 CORVETTES.THE # IS N150682. GM SAID MINE IS CURRENTLY NOT COVERED EVEN THOUGH I HAVE ALL THE SAME SYMPTOMS. MY CAR IS A 2009 WITH ONLY 37,000 MILES.

DRIVERS DOOR LATCH FAILED. UNABLE TO ENTER CAR ALSO UNABLE TO EXIT WITHOUT USING EMERGENCY RELEASE LATCH BELOW DRIVERS SIDE DOOR ON INTERIOR. 09 VETTE PARKED.

UNABLE TO OPEN DRIVERS DOOR FROM INSIDE OR OUTSIDE. HAD TO TAKE TO DEALER FOR REPAIR WHICH COST $486. MANUAL RELEASE ONLY WAY TO EXIT CAR. IS THIS A SAFETY ISSUE THAT SHOULD BE FIXED FOR FREE? HAVE SEEN THIS BEING AN ISSUE FOR MANY CORVETTE OWNERS. DEALER REPLACED LOCK MECHANISM IN BODY DOOR JAM. WORKS FINE NOW BUT VERY EXPENSIVE!!!

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, I TOOK MY CAR WITH 37,000 MILES ON IT TO COURTESY CHEVROLET / CADILLAC TO HAVE MY VALVE GUIDE CLEARANCE TESTED. I HAD (3) INTAKE VALVE GUIDES OUTSIDE OF SERVICE SPECIFICATIONS, (7) EXHAUST VALVE GUIDES OUTSIDE OF SERVICE SPECIFICATIONS, AND A COMBINATION OF (11) OTHER INTAKE AND EXHAUST VALVE GUIDES AT OR NEAR THE MAXIMUM OUTSIDE OF SERVICE SPECIFICATIONS. THE COST OF 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. IS SOMETHING I SIMPLY CANNOT AFFORD AT THE MOMENT WITH THE DOWNTURN OF THE OILFIELD INDUSTRY. PLEASE BEAR IN MIND, MY CAR HAD A REPLACEMENT LS7 ENGINE FROM A DROPPED EXHAUST VALVE BEFORE I OWNED IT, SO THIS HAS ALREADY HAPPENED TO MY CAR ONCE. IT OCCURRED AT 22XXX MILES, AND CAN HAVE THE GM DEALER PRINT A COPY OF THE RO LINE TO PROVE IT. THIS IS OCCURRING AT AN ALARMING RATE, BUT AFTER OUR WARRANTY PERIOD, WE THE CONSUMER ARE LEFT OUT TO DRY. 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. PLEASE ASSIST US IN HAVING GM MAKE THIS RIGHT.

GM DENIES ANY SORT OF WIDE SPREAD ISSUE WITH RESPECT TO THE MANUFACTURING/ASSEMBLY OF THE CYLINDER HEADS FOR THE LS7 ENGINE. THERE HAVE BEEN NUMEROUS CATASTROPHIC ENGINE FAILURES AS A RESULT OF A BROKEN VALVE HEAD DROPPING INTO THE CYLINDER AND SUBSEQUENTLY BLOWING A HOLE THROUGH THE MOTOR, CAUSING FLUIDS TO LEAK ALL OVER THE ROAD, AND COMPLETE LOSS OF CONTROL OF THE VEHICLE. THE SYMPTOMS ARE PREMATURE VALVE GUIDE WEAR, WHICH EVENTUALLY BECOME SO WORN THAT THE VALVE CLOSES ON THE WRONG ANGLE TO THE SEAT, AND OFF BREAKS THE VALVE HEAD. THE ISSUE APPEARS TO BE POOR VALVE GUIDE TO VALVE SEAT CONCENTRICITY, WHICH LEADS TO PREMATURE VALVE GUIDE WEAR. MY 2009 Z06 CORVETTE AT ONLY 15,000 STREET DRIVEN MILES WAS INSPECTED BY A REPUTABLE THIRD PARTY REPAIR FACILITY, AND DISCOVERED THAT 14/16 VALVE GUIDES WERE BEYOND GM'S SERVICE LIMIT, AND THE REMAINING 2/16 WERE RIGHT AT THE LIMIT. THIS IS SOMETHING THAT SHOULDN'T OCCUR UNTIL 150,000 MILES AT LEAST...NOT 15,000. THERE NEEDS TO BE AN INVESTIGATION BEFORE MORE CATASTROPHIC FAILURES OCCUR. THERE ARE HUNDREDS IF NOT THOUSANDS OF DOCUMENTED OCCURRENCES.

DEALER INDICATES A LEAK IN THE DRIVER SIDE FUEL TANK. STRONG SMELL OF GAS EVERY TIME VEHICLE IS REFUELED. VEHICLE HAS APPROX. 39000 MILES AND HAS NEVER BEEN IN AN ACCIDENT.

FUEL SMELL COMMING FROM GAS TANK WENT TO DEALER WHERE I PURCHASED THE CAR FROM IT WS A USED CAR DEALER TOLD ME IT WOULD IT WOULD ABOUT 4,000 DOLLER TO FIX IT WAS A CRACKED FILLER LINE AND CROSSOVER TUBE AFTER A LOT OF COMPLANING ABOUT IT ENDED UP COSTING ME 1200 DOLLERS.

STRONG GASOLINE SMELL WHEN TANK IS MORE THAN 1/2 FULL. CAN'T LEAVE VEHICLE PARKED IN ENCLOSED PLACES, OR DRIVE WITH THE WINDOWS UP. GAS SMELL IS STRONGEST AROUND THE DRIVERS SIDE REAR TIRE.

PURCHASED USED 2009 CORVETTE Z06. IMMEDIATELY NOTICED GAS SMELL IN GARAGE. DISSIPATES AFTER SITTING FOR SEVERAL DAYS. IMMEDIATELY RETURNS UPON DRIVING A FEW MILES. THIS IMPLIES IT IS AT LEAST FROM A PRESSURIZED LINE (PROBABLY THE FUEL PUMP FITTING.) RESEARCHED CORVETTE FORUMS AND FOUND THIS IS COMMON PROBLEM ON C6 CORVETTES USUALLY WITH FUEL PUMP FITTING. CONTACTED GM CUSTOMER ASSISTANCE. THEY AUTHORIZED DEALER TO CONFIRM LEAK. DEALER DID SO. REQUESTED GM TO PROVIDE REPAIR OR AT LEAST PROVIDE REPLACEMENT PARTS. GM REFUSED. THESE GAS TANKS AND FUEL PUMPS SIT IMMEDIATELY BEHIND THE SEATS IN A CORVETTE AND VERY CLOSE TO THE EXHAUSTS. COME ON NHTSA. DO A RECALL ON THESE FUEL PUMPS BEFORE PEOPLE DIE FROM FIRES OR EXPLOSIONS.

MY 09 CORVETTE BASE MODEL LT1'S TAIL LIGHTS WENT OUT AFTER I REMOVED AND REINSTALLED THE FUSE BLOCK. I CHECKED ALL FUSES AND RELAYS AND THEY SHOW TO BE GOOD. BRAKE LIGHTS WORK AS SHOULD AS WELL AS TURN SIGNALS BUT ALL FIVE TAIL LIGHTS WILL NOT ILLUMINATE WHEN TURN ON. UPON FURTHER RESEARCH THIS SHOWS TO BECOMING A MORE COMMON PROBLEM AMONG EARLY C6 MODEL CORVETTES. TAILIGHTS WILL RANDOMLY GO OUT AND PROCESS TO BE A TAIL LIGHT HARNESS ISSUE. I HAVE TALKED TO A LOCAL DEALERSHIP AND THEY SHOW TO NOT HAVE ANY PROBLEMS OF SAFETY RECALLS ON FILE FOR THE ISSUE. I FEEL THIS IS A SAFETY ISSUE FOR THE DRIVERS AND FELLOW DRIVERS ON THE ROAD. THE DEALERSHIP ALSO DOES NOT KNOW THE ISSUE OR SOLUTION TO THE ISSUE. I WANT TO AT LEAST NOTE THAT THIS IS AN ISSUE THAT NEEDS TO ADDRESSED FOR SAFETY CONCERNS AND LOOKED INTO FOR POSSIBLE SOLUTIONS TO THE ISSUE.