Owners have filed 4,800 complaints on the Chevrolet Corvette, covering 1981–2025. The system named most often is Fuel/propulsion System (827 reports). Worst years by volume: 2008, 2005, 2006; cleanest: 1992, 2021, 2025. 135 reports describe a crash, 41 a fire, 4 a death. On average the car was 6.8 years old when the problem happened.
What breaks on Chevrolet Corvette
Grouped by the system owners named — percentages are shares of all 4,800 Corvette complaints. Open any row for the full reports in owners' own words.
Fuel/propulsion System 827 Read
Strong gas smell after filling up gas tank. Can be smelled in car and overwhelms garage if tank is over half full
My vehicle is covered by GM Special Warranty 17469 which relates to cracks and fuel leaks at the primary fuel pump module flange. It caught fire while driving at a high performance driver’s education event at Barber Motorsports Park and was denied coverage due to it having modifications. GM case number 9-15085163081.…
I have a fuel leak coming from right behind the fuel filter towards the top of the passenger fuel tank. This is creating a fuel vapor smell and a safety hazard
Steering 647 Read
2001 chevrolet corvette convertible, parked at golf course, started car to leave and realized the steering wheel was locked. The dash display read "service steering column." the car sat at the golf course a couple days while I checked with mechanics, friends, internet and NHTSA (my son works for you). I discovered…
My son was driving on the interstate and the steering wheel locked and he crossed the median and was hit by another car and was killed, his passenger was injured critically and remembers that an instant before the crash and the crossing of the median that the car steering was locked
C6 corvettes have electrically operated doors so it is impossible to open a door when the battery is dead. Having a dead battery, I placed the car in my driveway to jump start it. As I went to my truck to start it and connect the jumper cables the corvette began to slowly roll backwards - apparently the hand brake was…
Wheels 506 Read
I was driving my 2008 corvette z06 that has 12500 miles on it. I was merging onto I-94 at little mack when my right rear wheel broke off at the lug nuts. When the wheel broke off the car violently turned to the right and slammed into the concrete retaining wall. There is absolutely no damage to the right rear quarter…
On 3-23-11 while merging onto the expressway, the right rear wheel of my 2008 corvette z-06 broke off at the lug nuts. Because I was accelerating at the time, all the power went to the left rear causing my car to turn violently to the right and smash into the concrete retaining wall. The cause of the accident was a…
Problem with 2001 chevrolet corvette. *mr the rear left wheel with no impact had experienced a hair line fracture. The crack was so deep that the computer indicated the tire pressure to be 10 PSI. The consumer also owned a 98 chevrolet corvette where a piece of metal had fallen of the wheel along with the coating. An…
Power Train 299 Read
On [XXX] I was driving my corvette in Atlantic City, New Jersey, which at that time I noticed smoke coming from the rear of the vehicle. I looked at my dash to see if any warning lights or check engine lights were on and nothing Indicate there was a problem. So I did continue to drive to get to a safe place where I…
My left rear axel/rear differential/ control arm snapped with normal driving and breaking. It is available for inspection. This mechanical failure made me loose control of my vehicle on the busy freeway and threw me across a lane into the freeway center divider. Nearly caused a pile up accident and killed me.. The…
Clutch master cylinder failed causing the car to not be able to disengage clutch with pedal making it extremely dangerous to stop car or remove it from gear. Future attempts to start car with on-star on the phone so they could run diagnostic check remotely failed. 3 attempts to start car and it would not start. Towed…
Electrical System 281 Read
Component/System: Fuel System – Fuel Filler / Left-Side Radiator and Cooling Fan Assembly (subject to NHTSA Recall 25V536). What happened: On June 15, 2024, I was refueling my 2023 Chevrolet Corvette Z06 at a BP gas station in Phillipsburg, New Jersey. As I removed the fuel pump nozzle from the vehicle, a violent…
In dash fire and smoke coming from factory installed navigation which was not even turned on. Able to put fire out . Now I'm to scared to drive it. Taking it to the dealer today. This should not happen on my new 2008 chevy corvette z 06 costing more than $ 73,000.00
Bottom of rear hatch strut / defogger, drivers side, shorted out causing a fire which totally destroyed the car
Exterior Lighting 180 Read
The contact owns a 2008 chevrolet corvette. The contact stated that burning fumes were emitted into the vehicle and all of a sudden the headlights failed. Also, the contact mentioned that the high beams were defective. The vehicle had not been repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the problem. The approximate…
I was driving to work at around 8:45 pm and while driving through windy roads my head lights simultaneously turned off which caused me to drive straight into a k-rail, being that there were no street lights so it was pitch black out
The contact owns a 2005 chevrolet corvette. The contact was driving approximately 60 mph and as he attempted to engage the left turn signal prior to changing lanes, the turn signal failed to operate. The vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer where they informed him that the turn signal bulb had overheated and…
Fuel System 180 Read
Following a high performance driver education event, my 2007 corvette caught fire while traveling at low speed (approximately 10 mph) on a 2-lane county road, with the fire originating in the area surrounding the passenger rear (right rear) wheel well. As soon as I was aware of the fire, I stopped the car, shut down…
The contact owns a 2025 Chevrolet Corvette. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V536000 (Fuel System, Gasoline); however, the part for the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The contact…
The contact owns a 2023 Chevrolet Corvette. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V536000 (Fuel System, Gasoline); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The dealer…
Structure 160 Read
The contact owns a 2006 chevrolet corvette. While driving 30 mph the removable roof disengaged and crashed into another vehicle. There was no police report filed. The current mileage was 15,442 and the failure mileage was unavailable
The contact owns a 2005 chevrolet corvette z06. While driving 30 mph, the hard top cover detached from the vehicle. The contact stated that the active handling control for the brakes automatically engaged, which caused the vehicle to crash into a guardrail. The air bags failed to deploy. The contact did not sustain…
The contact stated the roof on the vehicle has flown off four times. There was a recall # 06V181000; pertaining to the structure: body: roof and pillars. The contact was unsure if a recall letter was received. The first three times the roof flew off, the dealership replaced the roof. During one incident, there was an…
Corvette years to avoid — and the clean ones
Complaints per model year. More reports usually means more cars on the road as well as more trouble, so read the crash and fire columns alongside the count.
| Model year | Complaints | Top system | Crashes | Fires |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Forward Collision Avoidance | — | 1 | |
| 2024 | Air Bags | 1 | 1 | |
| 2023 | Electrical System | 1 | 3 | |
| 2022 | Electrical System | — | — | |
| 2021 | Air Bags,wheels | 1 | — | |
| 2020 | Electrical System | 1 | — | |
| 2019 | Electrical System | — | — | |
| 2018 | Electrical System,wheels | 1 | — | |
| 2017 | Air Bags | 3 | — | |
| 2016 | Air Bags | 1 | 1 | |
| 2015 | Air Bags | 3 | — | |
| 2014 | Air Bags | 5 | 1 | |
| 2013 | Air Bags | — | — | |
| 2012 | Air Bags | 2 | — | |
| 2011 | Air Bags | 2 | 1 | |
| 2010 | Air Bags | — | — | |
| 2009 | Air Bags | 1 | 1 | |
| 2008 | Air Bags | 11 | 3 | |
| 2007 | Air Bags | 5 | 4 | |
| 2006 | Air Bags | 11 | 4 | |
| 2005 | Air Bags | 11 | 5 | |
| 2004 | Air Bags,equipment | 4 | — | |
| 2003 | Electrical System | 8 | — | |
| 2002 | Electrical System | 3 | — | |
| 2001 | Electrical System | 6 | 3 | |
| 2000 | Air Bags | 14 | — | |
| 1999 | Electrical System | 11 | 2 | |
| 1998 | Air Bags | 11 | 1 | |
| 1997 | Electrical System | 2 | — | |
| 1996 | Electrical System | 2 | 3 |
The same model year, different builds
Every complaint carries the first 11 characters of the VIN — plant, year, body and engine. That is a production series, and complaints are spread across them very unevenly.
| Measure | Value |
|---|---|
| Distinct production series | 1,403 |
| Average complaints per series | 3.4 |
| Worst single series | 48 complaints |
| Average age at failure | 6.8 years |
A model average of 3.4 hides a worst series at 48. Enter a VIN above to see the numbers for that exact build instead of the model as a whole.
Owners reported these. Find out if yours is one of them.
- Complaints matched to the exact production run, not just the model
- What the car is worth given what tends to fail on it
- The original window sticker and factory options
- Full research report as a PDF for the pre-purchase inspection
- No ads, on every page
- No ads, no tracking — and much more
How we count
Every figure here comes from complaints owners filed with NHTSA — 1,100,006 of them, covering 1,982 models built between 1981 and 2026.
A complaint is an unverified report: someone wrote down what happened to their car. It is not a confirmed defect and not a recall. What makes the volume useful is the pattern — when thousands of owners of the same build describe the same failure, that is a signal no marketing brochure will give you.
Two things we do that the source does not. First, we compute the age of the car at the moment of failure from the incident date and the model year. Second, we group complaints by the first 11 characters of the VIN — the production series — so a bad plant run does not disappear into a model-wide average.
Frequently asked questions
What are the worst years for the Corvette?
By complaint volume, 2008, 2005, 2006 drew the most owner reports. Bear in mind that popular years put more cars on the road, so check the crash and fire columns too.
Which Corvette years are the cleanest?
2021, 2025, 2022 have the fewest complaints on file. For recent years that can simply mean the cars are young.
How many complaints does the Chevrolet Corvette have?
4,800 owner complaints filed with NHTSA, covering 1981–2025. Of those, 135 describe a crash and 41 a fire.
Are these complaints verified?
No. They are unverified reports from owners. NHTSA publishes them as filed and investigates only a fraction. The value is in the pattern, not in any single report.
Can I check complaints for one specific car?
Yes — enter its VIN above. We match the first 11 characters, which identify the plant, year, body and engine, so you get complaints on that exact production series rather than the whole model.