NHTSA Complaint #10549788 — 2005 CHEVROLET CORVETTE

ON FOUR SEPARATE OCCASIONS OVER THE LAST TWO WEEKS THE VEHICLE HAS FAILED TO START AFTER BEING TURNED OFF FOR A BRIEF PERIOD OF TIME (WHILE REFUELING THE VEHICLE, ETC.). ON 2 OF THOSE 4 OCCASIONS THE VEHICLE HAS REQUIRED TOWING TO A DEALERSHIP'S REPAIR FACILITY. ON THE FIRST OCCASION, THE VEHICLE WOULD TURN OVER BUT FAILED TO START. IT THEN MYSTERIOUSLY STARTED AGAIN AFTER SITTING AT THE GAS PUMPS OF THE GAS STATION FOR APPROXIMATELY 45 MINUTES WHILE WAITING FOR A TOW TRUCK. ON THE SECOND OCCASION, THE VEHICLE FAILED TO START BUT WAS ABLE TO BE RESTARTED AFTER PULLING AND REINSERTING THE FUEL PUMP RELAY LOCATED IN THE UNDER HOOD UBEC. ON THE THIRD OCCASION, PULLING AND REINSERTING THE FUEL PUMP RELAY HAD NO AFFECT, THE VEHICLE WOULD NOT START AND THE VEHICLE REQUIRED TOWING TO THE DEALERSHIP. THE DEALERSHIP NOTED LOOSE CONNECTIONS ON THE UBEC AND ALSO REPLACED THE FUEL PUMP RELAY. ONE DAY LATER, THE VEHICLE AGAIN FAILED TO START AND REQUIRED TOWING TO THE DEALERSHIP, WHERE THE VEHICLE IS CURRENTLY. UPON WRITING-UP THE SERVICE TICKET, THE DEALER STATED THAT THE CIRCUITS WITHIN THE UBEC ON THIS VINTAGE CORVETTE HAVE BEEN PROBLEMATIC AND THAT THE UBEC WOULD MOST LIKELY REQUIRE REPLACEMENT. ON VISUAL INSPECTION, THE UBEC APPEARS TO BE LOCATED VERY CLOSE TO THE EXHAUST MANIFOLD ON THE VEHICLE WHICH WOULD MAKE IT VERY SUSCEPTIBLE TO INTERMITTENT FAILURES OF VARIOUS UBEC COMPONENTS CAUSED BY HEAT (HEADLIGHTS, FUEL PUMP, ETC.). GM SHOULD ISSUE A VOLUNTARY RECALL TO INCLUDE A HEAT SHIELD OR SOME IMPROVEMENT IN COMPONENT DESIGN OF THE UBEC ON THIS VEHICLE. *TR