NHTSA Complaint #10676466 — 2009 CHEVROLET CORVETTE

I BECAME AWARE OF A POTENTIAL VALVE GUIDE WEAR ISSUE WITH THE LS7 AND LS9 ENGINES THROUGH THE CORVETTE FORUM, THE CORVETTE ACTION CENTER, AND OTHER SOURCES. I BEGAN RESEARCHING THE ISSUE AND DECIDED THAT I SHOULD HAVE MY CAR CHECKED OUT AT A GM DEALERSHIP. IT WAS DETERMINED THAT THE VALVE TRAIN NOISE APPEARED TO BE NORMAL AND THE ENGINE WAS NOT BURNING OR USING ANY EXCESSIVE OIL. THE MORE I FOLLOWED THE VALVE GUIDE WEAR ISSUE, THE MORE CONCERNED I BECAME. THAT BEING SAID AND THE FACT THAT THE DEALER HAD NEVER HEARD OF OR HAD ANY CUSTOMER COME IN FOR THE ISSUE I DECIDED TO HAVE A LOCAL PERFORMANCE ENGINE SHOP (BECAUSE OF THEIR EXTENSIVE LS7 EXPERIENCE) INSTALL A REWORKED SET OF HEADS WITH BRONZE VALVE GUIDES WITH ADDITIONAL PARTS RECOMMEND BY THE SHOP, TO FIX THE PROBLEM PERMANENTLY, BASED ON THEIR KNOWLEDGE WITH THE ISSUE. MY ORIGINAL HEADS WERE EVALUATED FOR VALVE GUIDE WEAR AND 'EVERY INTAKE AND EXHAUST VALVE GUIDE WAS OUTSIDE OF THE GM SERVICE BULLETIN SERVICE LIMIT OF .0037 WITH THE #8 INTAKE VALVE BEING SO FAR OUT THAT IT WAS DEEMED N/R (SO LOOSE IT WAS TOO BIG FOR THE GAUGE READOUT). THE VEHICLE ONLY HAD 7500 MILES ON IT. 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 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 GOING DOWN THE ROAD. *TR