1990 Chevrolet Corvette Owner Complaints

The Seatbelt Retractors failed per both of the safety belt recalls. The belts no longer function and GM refuses to provide a remedy to clear the safety recall.

NHTSA ID

11512759

Incident

Mar 15, 2023

GM ORDERED THE INCORRECT SEAT BELTS WHICH WOULD SATISFY THE RECALL. THEY'VE IGNORED MY PHONE CALLS AND EMAILS. ACCORDING TO MY FINDINGS GM MUST EITHER SATISFY THE RECALL OR PROVIDE ME WITH A SUITABLE VEHICLE WHICH IS SAFE TO DRIVE.

NHTSA ID

11190245

Incident

Dec 16, 2016

Mileage

56,000 mi

I HAVE CALLED SEVERAL DIFFERENT DEALERS AND THEY SAY THEY CANNOT GET THE PARTS NEEDED TO REPLACE MY SEAT BELTS.

NHTSA ID

10914319

Incident

Oct 6, 2016

Mileage

50,000 mi

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 1990 CHEVROLET CORVETTE. WHILE DRIVING VARIOUS SPEEDS, THE AIR BAG AND SEAT BELT WARNING INDICATORS ILLUMINATED ON THE INSTRUMENT PANEL. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED NOR REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 100,000.

NHTSA ID

10905075

Incident

Sep 7, 2012

Mileage

100,000 mi

MY WIFE AND I WERE DRIVING DOWN 1-20 AT 70 MPH WHEN THE DRIVER SIDE AIRBAG DEPLOYED FOR NO REASON KNOWN TO US. I WAS DRIVING AND WAS ABLE TO KEEP THE CAR UNDER CONTROL AND GET IT STOPPED. THE AIRBAG INJURED MY LEFT ARM AND MY CHEST. IT FILLED THE INTERIOR WITH SMOKE, WHICH AFFECTED OUR BREATHING (MY WIFE HAS ASTHMA) AND VISION.

NHTSA ID

10723870

Incident

Jun 7, 2015

Mileage

23,767 mi

I PURCHASED THE VEHICLE LISTED ABOVE IN DEC. 2012. I RECENTLY TOOK IT TO A CHEVROLET DEALER FOR SERVICE WHO AT THAT TIME RAN IT THROUGH THEIR DATABASE TO SEE IF THERE WERE ANY OUTSTANDING RECALLS. IN 1990 A RECALL WAS ISSUED FOR THE DRIVER'S SIDE SEAT BELT NOT WORKING AS EXPECTED. WHEN THEY CHECKED WITH THE MANUFACTURER THEY WERE INFORMED THAT THE REPLACEMENT PART WAS NO LONGER IN PRODUCTION SO THEREFORE COULD NOT BE REPLACED. MY QUESTION IS SHOULD THE MANUFACTURER STILL BE RESPONSIBLE FOR FIXING THE DEFECTIVE PART OR HAS THE RECALL EXPIRED ON THIS ISSUE? THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME CONCERNING THIS MATTER. *TR

NHTSA ID

10619482

Incident

Aug 7, 2014

WHEN ATTEMPTING TO SEAT BELT MY SELF INTO MY CORVETTE THE DRIVER SIDE SEAT BELT UPPER HARNESS WOULD NOT RELEASE AND ATTACH TO THE BOTTOM OF THE BELT CLASP. *TR

NHTSA ID

10593833

Incident

Apr 16, 2014

Mileage

88,000 mi

WINDSHIELD DELAMINATION. *TR

NHTSA ID

10357292

Incident

Jan 1, 1990

PROBLEM: I HAVE A 1990 CHEVY CORVETTE AND THE SAFETY BELT ON THE DRIVES SIDE OF CAR HAS "LOCKUP OR JAMMED" IN THE SAFETY BELT RETRACTOR. CONSEQUENCE SUMMARY: IF LOCKUP OCCURS, IT IS IMPOSSIBLE TO PULL BELT OUT OF THE RETRACTOR. THE OCCUPANT OF A SEAT WITH AN UNUSABLE SAFETY BELT IS SUBJECT TO INCREASED RISK OF INJURY OR DEATH IN THE EVENT OF A SUDDEN STOP OR ACCIDENT. CORRECTIVE SUMMARY: REPLACE THE SAFETY BELTS IF THE LOCKUP OCCURS. CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 91V143000 DATE: 1991-SEP-04 COMPONENT: SEAT BELTS: FRONT: ANCHORAGE CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 91V143000 DATE: 1991-SEP-04 COMPONENT: SEAT BELTS: FRONT: ANCHORAGE. I WHEN TO CHEVORLET IN WILKES BARRE, PA AND THEY TOLD ME MY CAR WAS NOT PART OF THE RECALL AND WOULD NOT FIX THE DEFECTIVE SAFETY BELT RETRACTOR FREE OF CHARGE. I UNDERSTAND, (CORRECT ME IF I AM WRONG) THAN THE MANUFACTURER MUST REPLACE IT FREE OF CHARGE AS IT IS A DEFECTIVE SAFETY DEVICE ON THE VEHICLE. I FIND IT ODD THAT THERE WAS A RECALL OF THIS PART, BUT MY CAR WAS NOT PART OF THE RECALL. THAT WAS $154 PLUS LABOR TO REPLACE THE SAFETY BELT RETRACTOR. *JB

NHTSA ID

10187050

Incident

Apr 2, 2006

Mileage

59,998 mi

THE DIAGNOSTIC ENERGY RESERVE MODULE MALFUNCTIONED. CONSUMER REQUESTED ASSISTANCE IN REIMBURSEMENT. *TT *JB *TS

NHTSA ID

10007313

CONSUMER COMMENTS THAT SHORTLY AFTER PURCHASE OF VEHICLE, THE DIAGNOSTIC ENERGY RESERVE MODULE (DERM) MALFUNCTIONED, WHICH IS PART OF THE AIR BAG RESTRAINT SYSTEM, CONSUMER WOULD LIKE TO BE REIMBURSED FOR HIS OUT OF POCKET EXPENSES. *JG

NHTSA ID

785626

CANNOT GET A REPLACEMENT PART FROM GMC . THEREFORE I AM FORCED TO DRIVE WITHOUT THE BENEFIT OF MY AIR BAG.*AK

NHTSA ID

753902

Incident

Sep 10, 2001

WITH ORIGINAL TYPE GOODYEAR TIRES, THE CAR SEEMS TO GO INTO AN OVERSTEER CONDITION WHEN FOOT TAKEN OFF OF ACCELERATOR AND STEERING TURNED SLIGHTLY. CAR SPINS OUT. FIRST TIME ACCIDENTAL. I CAN BE ON A FREEWAY GOING STRAIGHT, TURN THE STEERING SLIGHTLY TO THE RIGHT, THEN TO THE LEFT A LITTLE AND LET UP ON THE GAS AND THE CAR GOES INTO A SPIN DOWN THE FREEWAY. A FELLOW I WORKED WITH IN CALIFORNIA SAYS THIS IS NORMAL, NOT FOR THE YEAR, BUT FOR ALL CORVETTES OF THIS BODY STYLE. HAS HAPPENED 3 TIMES. CONTACTED CHEVROLET DEALERSHIP, THEY SAID THERE IS NOT A PROBLEM WITH THE CAR.*AK

NHTSA ID

752044

COMPUTER THAT CONTROLS THE AIR BAG RESTRAIN SYSTEM HAS MALFUNCTION. A LIGHT HAS COME ON THE DASH. I CAN'T SEEM TO GET A REPLACEMENT PART. I HAVE CONTACT GM . APPEARS GM. DOES NOT HAVE A VENDOR TO SUPPLY THE PART. GM CUSTOMER SERVICE 800-222-1020 EXT 57379 SERVICE NUMBER C04306084. MY CONCERN IS THE AIR BAG ACCORDING TO GM COULD DEPLOY AT ANY TIME. HOW MANY ADDITONAL CARS THAT GM MAKES HAS THE SAME COMPUTER MODULE THAT TODAY IS NOT AVAILABLE. I CAN'T SEEM TO GET THEM CONCERN.THEIR COMMENT TO ME IS IT WILL ONLY INFLATE FOR 20 SECONDS. 20 SECONDS IS A LONG TIME DRIVING ON THE INTERSTATE. THIS IS A MAJOR SAFETY CONCERN.*AK

NHTSA ID

747175

Incident

May 1, 2001

I'VE READ THAT THERE IS A GROUNDING ISSUE IN THE AIR BAG WITH THIS TYPE/YEAR VEHICLE CAUSING WARNING LIGHT TO COME ON AND POSSIBLE SHUT DOWN OR THE SYSTEM. IS THIS A KNOWN SAFETY ISSUE? *AK

NHTSA ID

737633

Incident

Jan 20, 2000

DURING THE LIFETIME OF THE VEHICLE I HAVE HAD TO REPLACE THE AIRBAG SENSORS AT LEAST 5 TIMES. OTHERS HAVE COMPLAINED ABOUT THIS SAME PROBLEM YET GM DOES NOT ACKNOWLEDGE THE DEFECT.*AK

NHTSA ID

732539

Incident

Sep 26, 2000

NO SUMMARY LISTED FOR ABOVE VEHICLE. *AK

NHTSA ID

725870

A PROBLEM INHERENT TO ALL 1990 CORVETTES IS CORROSION OF THE AREA WHERE THE AIRBAG SENSORS ARE ATTACHED TO THE FRAME UNDER THE HOOD. THIS CAUSES A GROUNDING PROBLEM AND THE CONSTANT DISPLAY OF THE "INFL REST" WARNING LIGHT. IT ALSO DEACTIVATES THE AIRBAG. EVERYTHING I READ SAYS IT'S DUE TO A DESIGN FLAW. WHY WOULD SUCH AN IMPORTANT PROBLEM LIKE THIS NOT RESULT IN A RECALL?

NHTSA ID

712574

SUDDEN ACCELERATION/VEHICLE COMING TO A STOP WHEN ACCELERATED INTO A BRICK HOUSE /STALLING PROBLEMS

NHTSA ID

709905

Incident

Aug 9, 1999

EXPERIENCING FRONT WINDSHIELD WIPER FAILURE DURING MODERATE / HEAVY RAINSTORMS, RESULTING IN POOR VISIBILITY AND POSSIBLE COLLISION. *YC

NHTSA ID

546082

AIR BAG WARNING LIGHT KEEP FLASHING. THE CONSUMER WAS TOLD BY A MECHANIC THAT THERE WERE BAD CONNECTOR ON THE AIR BAG. DEALER HAS BEEN CONTACTED. *AK

NHTSA ID

833866

Incident

Jan 1, 1996

SUDDEN ACCELERATION WHILE STOPPED. SYS WARNING LIGHT FLASHED AT THE TIME AND CHECK ENGINE SOON LIGHT FLASHES QUICKLY.

NHTSA ID

780582

Incident

Jun 1, 1998

AIR BAG HAS NEVER WORKED SINCE PURCHASE (UNSPECIFIED).

NHTSA ID

534653

Incident

May 4, 1997

VEHICLE PULLS TO LEFT WHEN BRAKES APPLIED. (ATTORNEY FOR CLIENT) *DH

NHTSA ID

506078

Incident

Jul 3, 1996

OTHER: AIR BAG DOESN'T WORK DUE TO FAILED DIAGNOSTIC ENERGY RESERVE MODULE. *DSH

NHTSA ID

504127

Incident

Feb 1, 1996