NHTSA Complaint #10785259 — 2008 CHEVROLET CORVETTE

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM FAILS, SHORT CIRCUITS REQUIRING BLEED DOWN OF BATTERY BEFORE RELAYS RESET THEMSELVES NOTED AS AN EXAMPLE, WHEN USING THE ACCESSORY FUNCTION WHILE WASHING VEHICLE OR MAINTENANCE AFTER 1 TO NO MORE THAN 2 CYCLES THE ELECTRICAL SYSTEM SHORT CIRCUITS. WHEN THIS OCCURS NOTHING WORKS, TRANSMISSION IS FROZEN , HAZARDS/HEADLIGHTS EVERYTHING BECOMES INOPERATIVE, START/ACCESSORY SWITCH BECOME EXTREMELY HOT TO TOUCH. NOTHING ELECTRICAL IN THE CAR IS OPERATIONAL. EVEN HAVE TO USE THE EMERGENCY MANUAL RELEASES TO EXIT VEHICLE MULTIPLE (4) BATTERIES HAVE BEEN REPLACED STRANDED AT LEAST 6 TIMES WHERE AAA OR GM TOW SERVICE HAD TO COME OUT. WHEN TOW SERVICES ARRIVED ATTEMPTED TO BOOST START FAILED, NOTHING WOULD WORK. THE SYSTEM BLEEDS DOWN BY THE TOW SERVICE SENSORS USED. THE TOW SERVICES ALL NOTED THAT THE SYSTEM WAS BLEEDING DOWN INTERNALLY AND APPARENTLY RELAYS OR OTHER DEVICES HAD SHORTED CIRCUITED WHEN THE VOLTAGE REACHED APPROXIMATELY 5.4 VOLTS REMAINING IN BATTERY, THE ELECTRICAL SYSTEM RESET ITSELF ? AND A CABLE BOOST WAS ABLE TO START THE CAR WHEN THIS OCCURS AS NOTED EVEN THE TRANSMISSION IS LOCKED OUT SO THE TOW SERVICES COULD NOT PLACE THE VEHICLE IN NEUTRAL TO PLACE ON TOW VEHICLE GM ID'S THAT WHEN THEY MOVED ELECTRICAL AND BATTERY TO THE ENGINE COMPARTMENT THE HEAT BUILDUP MIGHT BE THE CULPRIT STRESSING ELECTRICAL COMPONENTS AND RELAYS GM ALSO STATED THE CORVETTE SYSTEM DEMANDS HEAVY ELECTRICAL LOADS. DON'T USE ACCESSORIES OR OTHER DRAINING DEVICES STANDARD IN THE CAR WAS THEIR ADVICE THIS IS AN EXTREME SAFETY HAZARD FOR WHEN IT OCCURS YOU BECOME VERY VULNERABLE, EVEN TO THE POINT WHERE HAZARD WARNING LIGHTS DON'T OPERATE. ONE TIME SYSTEM SHUTDOWN OCCURRED IN JOSHUA TREE NATIONAL FOREST DRIVE. OVER TWO HOURS IN REMOTE LOCATION, ABANDONED, NO CONTACT BEFORE THE SYSTEM WOULD SHUNT ITSELF AND A BOOST START COULD OCCUR