NHTSA Complaint #10649456 — 2007 CHEVROLET CORVETTE

2007 CHEVROLET CORVETTE BEGAN SMELLING OF FUEL UPON FILL-UP ON 8/15/2014. CHEVROLET DEALER IN CARY, NC CLAIMED TO HAVE DIAGNOSED THE ISSUE AND CHARGED FOR DIAGNOSTIC FEE, SAID END RESULT WAS FAULTY FUEL CAP SO IT WAS REPLACED. TOTAL FOR THIS WAS $42.08. UPON NEXT FILL-UP, THE SMELL PERSISTED WITHOUT ANY CHANGE FROM BEFORE DIAGNOSIS AT CHEVROLET DEALER. APPROXIMATELY 7 WEEKS LATER, FUEL SMELL HAD WORSENED SLIGHTLY AND ALSO THE ENGINE WAS MAKING A "CHATTERING" SOUND. SINCE CHEVROLET DEALER COULD NOT DETERMINE THE FUEL SMELL ISSUE CORRECTLY, I CHOSE A HIGHLY REPUTABLE INDEPENDENT SHOP AND THEY IMMEDIATELY FOUND THE PROBLEMS. THE "CHATTERING" SOUND WAS A FAULTY HARMONIC BALANCER, A KNOWN ISSUE WITH THE CHEVROLET CORVETTE ENGINES AND COST ~$1,100 TO REPAIR USING CHEVROLET PARTS. THE FUEL SMELL WAS DUE TO A CRACKED DRIVER SIDE FUEL TANK (CORVETTES USE TWO FUEL TANKS) WHICH WAS EASILY FOUND BY THIS INDEPENDENT SHOP ONCE THE CAR WAS LIFTED. THE FACTORY-INSTALLED DRIVER SIDE FUEL TANK HAD SHRUNK AND CRACKED, TRAPPING THE FUEL PUMP INSIDE, THUS FORCING THE TANK AND PUMP TO BE REPLACED, ALONG WITH ALL RELATED SEALS AND PARTS. TOTAL TO REPAIR THESE FUEL RELATED ISSUES WAS ~2,700, FOR A GRAND TOTAL OF $3,803.27. UPON PERFORMING FURTHER RESEARCH, MANY CORVETTE OWNERS HAVE HAD THE EXACT SAME PROBLEM--DRIVER SIDE FUEL TANK CRACKS OVER TIME AND EVERY ONLINE REFERENCE FOUND INDICATES THAT GM COVERS THE ISSUE. I CONTACTED CHEVROLET AND WAS TOLD THAT I ONLY HAD A 2-YEAR/24-MONTH WARRANTY ON THESE ISSUES. I FIND THAT TO BE RIDICULOUS, ESPECIALLY SINCE THE SAME ISSUE IS OCCURRING ON CARS OF THIS TYPE ACROSS THE COUNTRY. IT SEEMS AS IF CHEVROLET AND CHEVROLET DEALERS PICK AND CHOOSE WHO THEY COVER THESE ITEMS FOR, WHICH IS EVEN MORE RIDICULOUS BECAUSE I DON'T THINK IT SHOULD BE NECESSARY THAT I HAVE TO KEEP FIGHTING JUST TO BE TAKEN CARE OF THE WAY I SHOULD HAVE BEEN IN THE FIRST PLACE. *TR