There are 5 owner-reported steering complaints for the 2009 Chevrolet Corvettein NHTSA's database. These are unverified consumer reports and may not reflect confirmed defects.
I HAD A VALVE DROP AND THREW A ROD THRU MY ENGINE TRAVELING AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS ON A BUSY HIGHWAY. I LOST ENGINE POWER, POWER STEERING, AND SPILLED OIL AND OTHER CHEMICALS ONTO THE ROADWAY. A THICK CLOUD OF SMOKE BILLOWED FROM UNDERNEATH AND OUT THE BACK OF THE CAR MAKING IT UNSAFE FOR CARS TRAVELING BEHIND ME. THE DEALER WHO HAS SINCE INSPECTED MY CAR HAS STATED IT IS A KNOWN ISSUE THAT THE "LIFTERS ARE WEAK". AFTER QUITE A BIT OF READING, IT APPEARS MANY OTHER OWNERS OF THE SAME CAR HAVE EXPERIENCED A MULTITUDE OF ISSUES WITH VALVES, LIFTERS, HEADS, ETC. GM IS AWARE OF FAULTY PARTS BUT I CANNOT FIND ANY NOTICE OF RECALLS. MAKE/MODEL: 2009 CORVETTE Z06; ENGINE: LS7. *TR
VALVE GUIDE ISSUE CAUSING FAILURE TO BRAKES, AND POWER STEERING, AS WELL AS ENGINE BLOWING
ENGINE HAD EXCESSIVE NOISE. AFTER READING SEVERAL CORVETTE COMPLAINTS ABOUT IMPROPERLY MACHINED HEADS BY GENERAL MOTOR'S SUPPLIER LINAMAR, AND THAT NUMEROUS VEHICLES HAVE HAD VALVES DROP AND CATASTROPHIC ENGINE FAILURE, I HAD MY CAR WITH CHECKED AT A SPECIALTY SHOP. I HAD SEVERAL VALVE GUIDES OUTSIDE OF SERVICE SPECIFICATIONS. THE CAR IS BEING 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. THIS STOPS THE ENGINE, POWER STEERING, AND POWER BRAKES 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. REGARDS. *TR
THE ENGINE HAD AN EXHAUST VALVE FAILURE CAUSING THE MOTOR TO LOCK UP AND REQUIRING OVER $5000 IN REPAIRS. WHEN THIS HAPPENED THE CAR WAS FORCED TO BE STOPPED ON THE HIGHWAY WITHOUT POWER BRAKES OR STEERING. *TR
I AM AN OWNER OF A 2009 CORVETTE Z06 WHICH REPEATEDLY DISPLAYS THE FOLLOWING MESSAGES: "SERVICE TRACTION CONTROL" AND "SERVICE ACTIVE HANDLING." MY VIN IS: [XXX] WHILE I HAVE NOT DETECTED ANY OPERATIONAL INTERVENTIONS MYSELF, OTHER OWNERS HAVE REPORTED SUDDEN ERRATIC BRAKING CAUSING THE VEHICLE TO CHANGE DIRECTION. OBVIOUSLY, THIS IS A VERY SERIOUS SAFETY ISSUE. I APPRECIATE YOUR EFFORTS TO ENSURE THAT GM RECTIFIES THIS DEFECT BEFORE FURTHER DAMAGE OCCURS. MY UNDERSTANDING IS THAT THE RECALL INVOLVING THIS ISSUE (NHTSA NO: 10V172000) IS LIMITED TO MY 2005 AND 2006. AT A MINIMUM, AND IMMEDIATELY, THIS RECALL SHOULD BE EXTENDED THROUGH MY 2009 TO INCLUDE DEFECTIVE VEHICLES LIKE MINE. *TR
Complaints are unverified consumer reports submitted to NHTSA. A high complaint count may reflect vehicle popularity, not defect severity. Data sourced from NHTSA public records.
Data synced from NHTSA on Apr 26, 2026