NHTSA Complaint #10672332 — 2006 CHEVROLET CORVETTE

I WAS CONCERNED ABOUT EXCESSIVE VALVE TRAIN NOISE AND AFTER READING SEVERAL ACCOUNTS OF IMPROPERLY MACHINED HEADS BY GM'S SUPPLIER LINAMAR, AND THAT NUMEROUS VEHICLES HAVE HAD VALVES DROP, RESULTING IN ENGINE FAILURE. AS A RESULT, AFTER HAVING BEEN REBUFFED BY CHEVROLET, I TOOK MY CAR WITH 36,000 MILES ON IT TO A CORVETTE SPECIALTY SHOP TO HAVE MY VALVE GUIDE CLEARANCE TESTED. I HAD SEVERAL EXHAUST VALVE GUIDES OUTSIDE THE MAXIMUM SERVICE SPECIFICATIONS, INDICATING THAT A CATASTROPHIC ENGINE FAILURE WAS IMMINENT. THE CAR WAS REPAIRED WITH PROPER RE-MACHINING OF THE HEADS TO MAKE THE VALVE GUIDES CONCENTRIC, NEW INTAKE AND EXHAUST VALVE GUIDES INSTALLED, AS WELL AS NEW SEALS, VALVES, SPRINGS, ETC. 88% OF THE CORVETTE FORUM MEMBERS WHO HAVE HAD THEIR CYLINDER HEADS TESTED FOR EXCESSIVE VALVE GUIDE WEAR, WERE OUT OF SERVICE SPECIFICATIONS. SOURCE: HTTP://WWW.CORVETTEFORUM.COM/FORUMS/...-REGISTRY.HTML 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 LOSS OF STEERING, BRAKING CAPABILITY, AND WHICH CAN RESULT 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 WHILE THE VEHICLE IS UNDERWAY ON PUBLIC ROADWAYS. *TR