1,174 of the
6,324 complaints filed about the Chevrolet Corvette
are about the fuel system —
19% of everything owners reported.
The worst model year for it is 2008.
I bought this vehicle in XXX with about 39k miles. About a year after purchase, I began smelling gasoline in my garage after I filled the tank. I have consulted Corvette forum ([XXX]) and find this is a common problem. If I fill the tank more than halfway, it seems to occur consistently. I recognize this car has no warranty, but this seems to be both common and a serious safety concern. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
NHTSA complaint #11751403 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
The contact owns a 2008 Chevrolet Corvette. The contact stated that a strong fuel vapor odor was noticed inside and outside the garage where the vehicle was stored. Based on research, the contact suspected a fuel pump failure. The vehicle was taken to a dealer, where it was diagnosed with a damaged fuel pump. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 65,000.
NHTSA complaint #11749414 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
90 degree elbow on top of fuel hat on drivers side fuel tank cracked and had a bad fuel leak causing an immediate fire hazard in my garage with how combustible fuel is. There were no warning signs just walked into my garage one morning with a very strong smell of gasoline. The issue was dealt with by myself I didn’t have to take it to a mechanic to repair
NHTSA complaint #11746939 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
I live in Las Vegas, NV where temperatures outdoors frequently exceed 100 degrees F in the summer, and in properly permitted garages without air conditioning, it gets very hot. I own a 2024 Chevrolet Corvette Z06. When it is hot out and the vehicle's tank is properly filled before parking in a properly permitted garage that meets building code, the car is unable to vent heat from the engine, which causes thermal expansion in the fuel tank and the car to vent an excessive amount of fuel vapor into the space. My vehicle has vented enough fuel vapor to cause health and fire hazards and trigger alerts of fuel vapor being over 5,000 ppm in the air in my garage. GM claims this is 'normal operation' designed to ensure the evap system can vent fuel before it causes vapor lock or a warped fuel tank. The level of fuel being vented poses a hazard to health and safety of people and a fire risk when parked indoors. A reasonable consumer should be able to park a properly filled vehicle in a legal garage in all areas of the US without fearing fuel vapor causing a fire within their home. I believe they did not adequately engineer these vehicles to prevent heat from the engine from intruding on the fuel tank when they moved the engine from the front to the rear of the Corvette platform given the tank is much closer than it was previously.
NHTSA complaint #11745116 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Fuel system leak. Strong odor of gasoline fuel both around and inside the vehicle. No noticeable fuel product on the ground or underneath the vehicle. I am greatly concerned that this is a very significant fire and vehicle operator/occupant safety hazard. I have also found many other C6 generation Corvette owners online that are experiencing the same thing to their C6 Corvette.
NHTSA complaint #11744501 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
When the gas tanks are more than 1/2 full the inside of the car fills with gas fumes the only way to prevent is to keep the Tanks less than half full…… worried the fumes will ignite under the right conditions…….. supposedly this is a well documented problem with the C-6 corvettes
NHTSA complaint #11741929 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Having a strong smell of gasoline in my garage after filling. After the garage had aired out the next morning the same strong smell. There no warning lights
NHTSA complaint #11737147 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
I am a long time Corvette owner and have purchased many through the years. I recently purchased a 2008 Corvette Coupe with only 30k miles, one owner vehicle. Unbelievable to me, I have had to spend over $4,000 the past month replacing the ECM and most notably the Fuel Pump, to relieve the constant Fuel Smell, not to mention the rack and pinion steering gear needs to be replaced, with again, only 30k miles on the vehicle, and that part is discontinued. The failure of the ECM almost cost my wife and I our life when we were coming home to [XXX] from [XXX] . The car completely lost all power on the highway and we almost got railed by traffic. Not a good situation to say the least. I almost had a heart attack. So we had to have it towed and finally made it home, only to find out the next day after a nice ride, my entire garage was overwhelmed with a gas smell that evening which permeated through the whole house. I took notice that GM covered this exact situation with GM Bulletin # xxx back in 2017, so they KNEW there was a problem! My question is, how can GM not cover this NOW. Many 2008 Corvettes are still being bought and sold. I spent over $2800 for this last week! I am asking you and GM to at least cover 50% of this charge. I don't think that is too much to ask. It's much cheaper than having been sued by our family, should me wife and I have not survived that situation on the road, a case I know they would have won. We should definitely be compensated to say the least! Thanks INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
NHTSA complaint #11736536 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
The contact owns a 2007 Chevrolet Corvette. The contact stated that while the vehicle was parked at the residence, after exiting the vehicle, the contact became aware of an abnormal fuel odor inside the vehicle. A dealer was contacted. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer or an independent mechanic to be diagnosed. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that a special coverage had expired. The failure mileage was 11,500.
NHTSA complaint #11728106 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
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 explosion occurred. I was immediately engulfed in a fireball. My clothing caught fire and was burning me. I jumped clear of the flames and extinguished the fire on my clothing. I saw that the vehicle remained fully engulfed in flames with the pump nozzle still lodged in the filler. I ran to the adjacent pump island where a station attendant was attempting but was unable to open a locked fire extinguisher cabinet. I broke the glass with both of my bare hands to remove the fire extinguisher. I sustained a severe laceration to my forehead that was approximately 3 inches long and required plastic surgery of over 50 stitches to close. I then ran to the car that was burning with approximately 10 foot flames and I used the fire extinguisher to put out the fire on the vehicle and pump. I then pulled the pump handle from the fuel filler opening and called the police. The police and fire department arrived and confirmed the fire was extinguished. The flames singed the hair on my head and legs. Component availability: Documentation including photographs, police report, and medical records are available. Safety risk: A fuel-fed explosion at an active gasoline pump created an extreme and immediate risk of death or serious injury to me the station attendants and others. Dealer/manufacturer confirmation: GM subsequently issued NHTSA Recall 25V536, acknowledging the defect — fuel spillage during refueling can contact the left-side radiator cooling fan, which remains active even with the ignition off, causing ignition. This recall directly confirms the defect that caused my incident. Insurance inspection: The police and Geico inspected the vehicle. No warnings at all.
NHTSA complaint #11726536 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Fuel leak(s) involving filler neck, fuel pump, fuel tank or associated parts in the fuel delivery system at rear of car. Gasoline smells is very strong, when the tank is filled (not overfilling the tank) gasoline puddles under the rear near the driver’s side rear tire. The fumes are so bad that the car cannot be stored in the garage (which is attached to my home). Smell is pervasive even sitting outside. I cannot drive the car for fear of gas landing on the exhaust pipe and starting a fire. I’m [XXX] and probably would not escape the vehicle. I just purchased the car and such a repair is not warranted. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
NHTSA complaint #11722682 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
The contact owns a 2010 Chevrolet Corvette. The contact stated that while the vehicle was parked in the garage, and while driving at undisclosed speeds, there was a strong fuel odor coming from the vehicle. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, where it was inspected, and the mechanic found a fuel leak on the left side of the fuel tank. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact associated the failure with GMC Special Coverage Adjustment Number: N150682 (15682 Primary Tank Module Flange Fuel and Vapor Leaks). The manufacturer was contacted and informed the contact that the VIN was not included in the Special Coverage. The contact was referred to the NHTSA Hotline to report the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 75,000.
NHTSA complaint #11719076 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
My 2011 Grand Sport Corvette fuel system was repaired on 2/14/22 at no cost to me by special policy 15682-03. Now, 4 years later, the same problem has occurred again. I notice fuel smell in my garage with the tank nearly full after fill-up, and upon inspection, I notice evidence of fuel leaking along the side of the primary tank behind the driver's seat which is the same problem encountered before. GM tells me no additional help for repair is not forthcoming due to the age of the vehicle. My originating dealer has first quoted me $4000.00 and later quoted me $3400.00 to repair the car. I am reluctant to discard my Corvette which remains in excellent condition otherwise. I am currently filling the car 2/3 full so I can continue using and enjoying it without wasting fuel or creating a dangerous vapor condition in my garage.
NHTSA complaint #11718067 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
My recently purchased 2008 was taken to the local chevy dealer for gas fumes in the garage. The technician reported "The smell is coming from the sending unit on the driver side. There was fuel dripping down the side of the tank and the tank was wet. So the sending unit needs to be replaced" The car has only 16,427 miles on it and has been garage kept. I believe that leaking fuel is a very serious safety issue and that the now expired special service bulletin 150682 should have been a mandatory recall.
NHTSA complaint #11715827 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
I purchased a 2012 Corvette from Coast Chevrolet on 1-24-26. This car was supposed to have been inspected for safety issues prior to being listed for sale. Being that this is a reputable General Motors dealership I assumed all safety issues and recalls would have been up to date. I drove the car home about 90 miles and immediately put it in my garage. After about 30 minutes of it being in there I noticed an overwhelming smell of gasoline. I began looking around the car both in the engine bay, underneath etc. I finally found the issue and cause for the smell. It was a leaking gas tank caused by the fuel pump. I did my research on it and found that this was a known widespread, common issue and that a service bulletin was put in place because of it. This is something the dealership should have made sure it was fixed prior to selling the car. I want this issue repaired by the dealership free of charge.
NHTSA complaint #11714166 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Fuel sending unit in gas tank behind the drivers side is leaking gas making it impossible to park the car in the garage. There is a great possibility of fire due to this issue. No, I have not taken it to the dealer as of today but I am going to schedule it. No. No.
NHTSA complaint #11704446 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
cracked fuel pump housing causing vapors to vent out possibly causing a fire if stored extended periods of time indoors, and if crack is big enough fuel will drip down the back of the fuel tank onto the exhaust and possibly starting a vehicle fire
NHTSA complaint #11700899 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Known Fuel Tank crack GM Memo "Special Coverage Adjustment 17469 Fuel Leaks at the Primary Fuel Pump Module Flange", whose previous warranty extension has expired and shouldn't be! GM assumes no responsibility for notifying vehicle owners who purchased used vehicles from non-dealers, which is what I did. I never received any notices about this leak from them since 2018, when I bought the vehicle used from a non-GM dealer. I just recently discovered the leak and had it repaired for $ 5,300.00. I had been driving a vehicle that could have exploded for over 7 years and did not know it. There must be others who are still driving these without knowing. Below is my request to GM to reconsider their 'not covered' response to my email. I suggest that a known Special Coverage Adjustment 17469 Fuel Leaks at the Primary Fuel Pump Module Flange of the gas tank is a life-threatening issue and should never expire! Especially, since many of us bought these vehicles used, 2018 in my case, and have NEVER received any notifications from dealers or GM about this issue. How many others are still outstanding and could blow someone up? The pictures below were taken at my Watson Chevrolet dealer in Tucson, AZ this month, which shows that the crack is exactly what was outlined in your publication 17469, that I never received. Total bill was $5,330.89 (copy attached). I am asking GM to reimburse me for this horrible adventure, not to mention the danger that I've been in for these many years. While I should have detected this issue sooner, how was I to know? I finally gave a friend a ride who said she smelled a really bad gas odor, which led me to the dealer! Now, GM says "you're too late" for us to cover our known defect? Again, this is a life-threatening issue, and your warranty should never expire!
NHTSA complaint #11699673 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.