2009 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Complaints

DETECT A STRONG GAS ODOR AFTER HAVING BEEN PARKED IN A CLOSED GARAGE OVERNIGHT. I HAVE NOTICED THIS PROBLEM EACH MORNING FOR ONE WEEK NOW THE VEHICLE HAS 41,600 MILES ON IT.

I HAVE A 2009 CORVETTE WITH ABOUT 68,000 MILES. FOR MY LAST THREE TANKS OF GAS, I HAVE NOTICED THE SMELL OF GAS COMING FROM WITHIN THE DRIVER SIDE REAR WHEEL AREA WHEN THE FUEL TANK IS MORE THAN HALF FULL. THE SMELL FILLS MY ENTIRE GARAGE AT NIGHT, AND THE SMELL IS VERY STRONG. EVEN WHEN PARKED OUTSIDE, THE SMELL OF GAS IS RECOGNIZABLE FROM ABOUT TEN FEET AWAY. THE SMELL IS ALSO PRESENT WHILE DRIVING WITH THE WINDOWS DOWN. THE DEALERSHIP DID A PRESSURE TEST, SMOKE TEST, AND VISUAL CHECKS. THEY WERE UNABLE TO FIND ANY ISSUES, EVEN THOUGH EVERYONE AGREED THAT THEY COULD SMELL GAS FROM THE REAR DRIVER SIDE WHEEL AREA. AFTER THOROUGHLY RESEARCHING THIS ISSUE ON THE CORVETTE FORUM, IT SEEMS THAT THE PROBLEM IS MOST LIKELY RELATED TO THE FUEL PUMP, WHICH IS MOST LIKELY CRACKED. A RATHER LARGE NUMBER OF PEOPLE HAVE REPORTED IDENTICAL SYMPTOMS. THE PROBLEM IS DIFFICULT TO DIAGNOSE, BECAUSE THERE ARE NO VISUAL SIGNS OF A LEAK, AND THE DEALERSHIP SEEMED AT A LOSS AS TO WHAT MIGHT BE CAUSING THIS PROBLEM. MOREOVER, THIS IS A DANGEROUS ISSUE, BECAUSE GAS IS HIGHLY FLAMMABLE AND VERY HOT EXHAUST PIPES RUN DIRECTLY IN BETWEEN THE TWO GAS TANKS.

AFTER INTERMITTENTLY SMELLING FUEL IN OUR GARAGE I CRAWLED UNDER THE VEHICLE AND NOTICED A WET SPOT ON THE FUEL TANK. THE DEALER FOUND A CRACKED FUEL TANK. IT SEPARATED ALONG A SEAM. IT WAS LEAKING FUEL WHEN IT WAS OVER 1/2 FULL. THE VEHICLE HAS LESS THAN 40,000 MILES AND I FEEL IT SHOULD HAVE BEEN COVERED AS A RECALL AS I HAVE SEEN MANY OWNERS HAVE REPORTED A FUEL SMELL. THIS IS AN EXTREMELY DANGEROUS MANUFACTURING DEFECT.

SIGNIFICANT GASOLINE FUMES IN GARAGE AFTER FILLING THE GAS TANK AND STORING THE CAR OVERNIGHT. GASOLINE SMELL OBVIOUS WHEN DRIVING WITH THE TARGA TOP IS ON. WORSE SMELL WHEN THE TOP IS OFF. FUMES ARE MOSTLY GONE AFTER THE GAS TANK LEVEL DROPS BELOW HALF.

2ND OCCURANCE IN 6 MONTHS I WENT TO FILL MY CAR WITH GAS. FILLED IT UP AND GAS GAUGE WENT TO 0. ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON, FUEL SYSTEM WARNING CAME ON AND THEN LOW FUEL WARNING. DROVE A FEW MILES AND GAS GAUGE WENT UP AND DOWN OVER AND OVER AGAIN. JUST CALLED DEALER AND HE WANTS $2000 TO REPLACE FUEL SENDING UNIT. I HAVE READ A HALF DOZEN CORVETTE FORUMS AND THIS IS A POPULAR PROBLEM FOR C-5 AND C6 CORVETTES. YOU WOULD THINK CHEVY WOULD HAVE FIGURED OUT THE FSU IS DEFECTIVE AND NEEDS TO BE RECALLED

WHEN I PARK MY VEHICLE IN MY GARAGE I HAVE A STRONG GASOLINE SMELL FROM CAR. ESPECIALLY WHEN I FILL MY GAS TANK. AFRAID ONE OF TANKS IS LEAKING MAY DRIP ON HOT EXHAUST AND EXPLODE

THE LS7 ENGINE IS KNOWN TO HAVE BAD 2 PIECE EXHAUST VALVES THAT COME APART AND FALL INTO THE CYLINDER RESULTING IN A CATASTROPHIC ENGINE FAILURE THAT REQUIRES AN ENTIRE NEW ENGINE. THIS HAPPENED TO ME THIS PAST MARCH 2015. 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.

AIRBAG WARNING LIGHT INTERMITTENT. SEAT BELT PRETENSIONER NOT LOCKING. AIRBAG LIGHT WILL APPEAR AFTER MOVING SEAT OR DURING SPIRITED DRIVING.

EVERY TIME YOU FILL UP YOUR GAS TANK TO FULL THERE IS SOME GAS LEAKAGE AND CAR SMELLS OF GAS. I STOP AT 3/4 AND DO NOT SEEM TO HAVE A PROBLEM. I HAVE 3 GM CARS AND THIS IS THE ONLY ONE THAT HAS THIS PROBLEM.

AFTER FILLING MY CAR UP WITH GAS AND PARKED IT OVERNIGHT IN THE GARAGE, THE NEXT MORNING MY ENTIRE GARAGE SMELLED LIKE GAS. I DIDN'T THINK ANYTHING OF IT BUT THE SMELL WAS INSIDE AND OUTSIDE OF MY CAR AS I DROVE AND/OR PARKED IT ANYWHERE. I LEFT IT OUTSIDE OF MY GARAGE UNTIL I DIDNT NOTICE THE SMELL ANYMORE AT WHICH POINT I PARKED IT INSIDE THE GARAGE. I NOTICED THAT THE ISSUE ONLY STARTS WHEN THERE IS MORE THAN HALF A TANK OF GAS. ONCE THE FUEL GAUGE DROPS TO UNDER HALF A TANK, THE SMELL GOES AWAY. I TOOK IT TO TWO SEPARATE DEALERSHIPS THAT DID SMOKE TESTS AND VISUAL CHECKS AND THEY DO NOT SEE ANY ISSUES, EVEN THOUGH THE SMELL IS THERE WITH MORE THAN HALF A TANK (IN BOTH OCCASIONS THE TANKS WERE MORE THAN HALF AND THE DEALER NOTICED THE SMELL BUT DID NOT SEE ANY ISSUES AND ATTRIBUTED IT TO MY VEHICLE RUNNING RICH, EVEN AFTER I TOLD THEM THE SMELL WENT AWAY WHEN THE FUEL GAUGE WAS UNDER HALF A TANK). IT IS APPARENT TO ME THAT THERE IS AN ISSUE, A DANGEROUS ONE AT THAT SINCE GAS FUMES ARE HIGHLY FLAMMABLE AND THE HOT EXHAUST PIPES RUN IN BETWEEN THE TANKS THEMSELVES. AFTER FURTHER RESEARCH, IT APPEARS THAT THERE IS A PLASTIC PIECE ON THE TOP OF THE FUEL PUMP THAT SEEMS TO BE THE ISSUE AND ENDS UP HAVING SMALL CRACKS. THERE ARE MULTIPLE CORVETTE OWNERS THAT HAVE REPORTED THE SAME ISSUE AND HAVE HAD TO REPLACE THE PART AT THEIR EXPENSE (AN EXPENSIVE PROPOSITION AT THAT). PLEASE INVESTIGATE THIS ISSUE AS SOON AS YOU CAN. I AM CONCERNED THERE MAY BE A MAJOR FAULT WHICH WILL/CAN CAUSE AN INJURY DUE TO THE NATURE OF THE PROBLEM (IE: GAS FUMES AND HOT EXHAUST PIPES).