1998 Chevrolet Corvette Brakes Problems

I own a 1998 Chevrolet Corvette. The EBCM can have an issue. Complains of traction control, ABS braking and AH active handling. This can cause issues when driving with no ABS active. I have seen numerous complaints about this issue here and on various forums. Unfortunately the part needed to correct the issue is no longer available and for some reason cannot be repaired. Used parts are costly (2K or more) and no guarantee they work. GM should provide replacement part or work around. If not available they should offer total car buy backs for a fare price depending on condition or offer an exchange for a corvette that can be repaired.

NHTSA ID

11477534

Incident

Jul 31, 2022

The contact owns a 1998 Chevrolet Corvette. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds on slick road surfaces, the contact lost control of the vehicle with the service traction control and check engine warning lights illuminated. The contact had called several dealers in the Miami area and was informed that the parts to repair the vehicle were no longer being manufactured. The manufacturer was also notified of the failure but offered no assistance. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 110,000. Consumer stated no aftermarket replacements available or made or remanufactured.

NHTSA ID

11438330

Incident

Oct 1, 2018

Mileage

110,000 mi

ABS/TRACTION CONTROL LIGHTS ON. WENT TO DEALER AND NO PART IS AVAILABLE TO MAKE THE REPAIR. SO I HAVE NO ABS OR TRACION CONTROL ON MY CAR PART NO 9367071 & 12530740

NHTSA ID

11278334

Incident

Aug 19, 2019

Mileage

82,122 mi

PARKING BRAKES DON'T WORK.

NHTSA ID

11166746

Incident

May 7, 1999

Mileage

7,800 mi

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 1998 CHEVROLET CORVETTE. THE CONTACT STATED WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 60 MPH ATTEMPTING TO ENGAGE THE BRAKES, THE BRAKE PEDAL WOULD PULSATE. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC FOR DIAGNOSTIC TESTING. THE TECHNICIAN DIAGNOSED THAT THE FRONT BRAKES AND ROTORS NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 150,000.

NHTSA ID

10638121

Incident

May 13, 2014

Mileage

150,000 mi

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 1998 CHEVROLET CORVETTE. THE CONTACT STATED WHILE AT A COMPLETE STOP, THE VEHICLE ACCELERATED UNEXPECTEDLY WITH THE ILLUMINATION OF THE POSI TRACTION AND ABS WARNING INDICATORS. THE BRAKE PEDAL WAS DEPRESSED AND THE VEHICLE FAILED TO SLOW DOWN UNTIL THE GEAR WAS SHIFTED INTO THE PARK POSITION. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN AUTHORIZED DEALER WHERE THE STEERING HARNESS AND AN UNKNOWN PART RELATED TO THE FRONT ENGINE WAS REPLACED. THE FAILURE PERSISTED AND THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO A DIFFERENT DEALER WHERE THE MASTER COMPUTER AND ALTERNATOR WERE BOTH REPLACED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 71,722.

NHTSA ID

10584423

Incident

Dec 30, 2013

Mileage

71,722 mi

APPROXIMATELY 3 YEARS AGO MY 1998 C5 CORVETTE COUPE EXPERIENCED FAULT CODES AND WARNING LIGHTS ASSOCIATED WITH A FAILURE OR FAILURES WITHIN THE ELECTRONIC BRAKE TRACTION CONTROL MODULE (EBTCM). I TRIED TO REPLACE THE ELECTRONIC MODULE THAT MOUNTS TO THE ABS PUMP A FEW TIMES WITH USED MODULES AND THE PROBLEM WAS NEVER RESOLVED. LAST SUMMER I PUT THE CORVETTE INTO THE SERVICE CENTER AT THE LOCAL CHEVY DEALERSHIP AND TOLD THEM TO FIX THE PROBLEM AND CLEAR THE FAULT CODES. WHEN I PICKED UP THE CAR AND STARTED IT THE CODES AND WARNING LIGHT WAS STILL THERE. I ENQUIRED WHY AND WAS TOLD THAT GM NO LONGER SUPPORTS THE ABS/TRACTION CONTROL MODULE FOR THE OLDER CORVETTES. I WAS TOLD BY THE CHEVY "CERTIFIED" TECHNICIAN THAT THE CAR WAS SAFE TO DRIVE WITHOUT ABS AND TRACTION CONTROL. I ADDED THAT IT WAS SAFE AS LONG AS I DIDN'T DRIVE IN RAIN OR SNOW. *TR

NHTSA ID

10504304

Incident

Jun 30, 2009

I KNOW I AM NOT THE 1ST TO REPORT THIS SAME CONDITION. YOU SHOULD HAVE SEVERAL 100 OF US IF NOT 1000'S, WHO ARE EXPERIENCING ABS FAILURES WHICH AFFECTS THE TRACTION CONTROL MODULES (ALSO CALLED ELECTRONIC BRAKE TRACTION CONTROL MODEL)( EBTCM) ON ALL CORVETTE'S MADE FROM 97-2007 THAT I AM AWARE OF. WE CONTINUE TO EXPERIENCE THE ABS & TRACTION CONTROL MODULE FAILURES AND GM SAYS THEY CAN'T FIX IT DUE TO LACK OF PARTS. MY VEHICLE DOES NOT HAVE THE ACTIVE HANDLING SYSTEM BUT OTHERS DO AND THIS HAS TO BE A SAFETY CONCERN FOR THE NHTSA. YOU HAVE 40,000 HIGH PERFORMANCE CORVETTE'S ON THE ROAD WITH ELECTRONIC CONTROLS THAT DO NOT WORK FOR THE ANTI-LOCK BRAKE SYSTEMS, TRACTION CONTROL, AND ACTIVE HANDLING FOR STABILITY CONTROL AND NO SPARE PARTS AVAILABLE FROM GM? HOW CAN THAT BE? THERE IS A 10% CHANCE AFTERMARKET COMPANIES WHO SAY THEY CAN REPAIR THESE MODULES ACTUALLY DO. MANY PEOPLE ARE SPENDING $650 TO $1200 TO GET THEM REPAIRED AND IT'S ABOUT A 10% SUCCESS RATE THEY GET REPAIRED. GO TO ANY CORVETTE FORUMS AND YOU WILL SEE LOTS OF DATA TO SUPPORT WHAT I'M TELLING YOU. GM WILL NEVER DO ANYTHING ABOUT THIS UNLESS NHTSA MAKES THEM. YOUR BEST ADVANTAGE POINT TO DO NOTHING IS THAT MOST CORVETTE OWNERS ARE OVER THE AGE OF 40 AND WE DRIVE THESE VEHICLES WITH RESPECT TO OTHERS ON THE ROAD. I WOULD PREFER A "REPAIR" CAPABILITY NOT A 100% REENGINEERED MODULE SO THEY CAN CHARGE ME $5000 FOR IT WHEN MY VETT IS WORTH $10K. I HOPE THIS IS THE FINAL DATA POINT TO GET SOME DIALOG FROM YOU TO GM AND SEE IF THERE IS ANY VIABLE SOLUTION TO THESE ISSUES ON THE CORVETTES WITH THEIR LONG HISTORY OF ABS CONTROL AND TRACTION CONTROL FAILURES WITH NO VIABLE REPAIR ACTION FROM GM. *TR

NHTSA ID

10488907

Incident

Jun 3, 2011

Mileage

67,000 mi

SITTING IDLE, ALL WARNING LIGHTS ILLUMINATE ON DASH BOARD, IN DASH DISPLAY SHOWS"SERVICE ENGINE SOON". MADE IT HOME WHEN SMOKE BELLOWED FROM UNDER HOOD. ABS MODULE SHORTED OUT AND STARTED FIRE AT MODULE AND WIRING HARNESS. THANKFULLY, I AM A BODY MAN AND KNEW WHAT TO DO BY DISCONNECTING THE BATTERY. IF MY WIFE WAS DRIVING THERE WOULD HAVE BEEN A FULL BLOWN FIRE. MY RESEARCH SHOWS, THIS IS A VERY COMMON PROBLEM WITH THE 1997 TO 2000 CORVETTE WITH J 04 ACTIVE BRAKE CONTROL OPTION. NOT ONLY IS THERE A FIRE POSSIBILITY, THE PART MANUFACTURE HAS GONE OUT OF BUSINESS IN 2007, THE MODULE OR HARNESS AND NO LONGER AVAILABLE. DUE TO THE FIRE HISTORY OF THIS PART, NO AFTERMARKET COMPANY'S WILL REBUILD THIS UNIT. ZERO AVAILABLE NEW, VERY LIMITED USED (YARDS WILL ONLY SELL A TOTALED CORVETTE AS A ROLLING CHASIS). THIS LEAVES US CORVETTE OWNERS PURCHASED FOR $50,000 NEW WITH A UNDRIVABLE VEHICLE! LOCAL CHEVROLET DEALERS WILL NOT ACCEPT VEHICLE IN THE SERVICE DEPT. ("WE ARE SORRY, BUT WE CANNOT REPAIR THIS VEHICLE. NO PARTS ARE AVAILABLE"). *TR

NHTSA ID

10486740

Incident

Nov 26, 2012

Mileage

148,000 mi

THE ABS/TRACTION CONTROL MALFUNCTION AND WILL NOT ENABLE. *TR

NHTSA ID

10484577

Incident

Oct 26, 2011

Mileage

160,000 mi

I SLAMMED ON MY BRAKES AND MY ABS BRAKES FAILED, MY CAR COULD NOT STOP AND I NARROWLY MISSED HITTING THE CAR IN FRONT OF ME. I HAD MY CAR DIAGNOSED AT JOHN L SULLIVAN CHEVROLET AND WAS TOLD THAT MY ABS "ELECTRONIC BRAKE CONTROL MODULE" FAILED AND THERE ARE NO REPLACEMENT PARTS AVAILABLE FROM THE DEALER OR AFTERMARKET. I WENT ONLINE TO THE CORVETTEFORUM.COM AND FOUND OUT THAT THERE ARE HUNDREDS OF CORVETTE OWNERS WITH THE SAME PROBLEM. THERE ARE NO FIXES FOR THIS. I COULDN'T BELIEVE THAT GM COULD NOT ADDRESS THIS ISSUE AND HAVE PARTS AVAILABLE. THIS PROBLEM INCLUDES CORVETTES MANUFACTURED FROM 1998-2004. I WOULD LIKE TO KNOW WHAT IT TAKES TO MAKE THIS A RECALL ISSUE. THIS IS A SERIOUS ISSUE AND I'M AFRAID TO LET MY FAMILY DRIVE MY CAR. *TR

NHTSA ID

10484044

Incident

Sep 15, 2012

Mileage

105,000 mi

DRIVING DOWN A 4 LANE CITY STREET A CHILD CHASING HIS BALL RAN OUT IN FRONT OF MY CAR. I SLAMMED ON THE BRAKES NOT KNOWING THAT THE ABS SYSTEM WAS NOT WORKING, IT CAUSED ME TO LOSE CONTROL OF THE CAR AND SPIN OUT INTO ONCOMING TRAFFIC. I CALLED THE LOCAL CHEVROLET DEALER TO FIND OUT ABOUT REPAIRS AND WAS TOLD THAT THE ABC CONTROL MODULE IS NO LONGER AVAILABLE AND IT CAN NOT BE REBUILT OR REPAIRED. WHAT IM I GOING TO DO NOW WITH AN UNSAFE CAR. THERE ARE THOUSANDS OF THESE CARS WITH THE SAME PROBLEM. *JS

NHTSA ID

10462257

Incident

Jun 15, 2012

Mileage

56,432 mi

DT CALLER STATED: THE PARKING BRAKE OF MY CORVETTE IS NOT WORKING, IS NOT THE FIRST HE HEARD A LOT OF PEOPLE WITH CORVETTES HAVE THE SAME PROBLEM. CAN'T PARK THE CAR CONFIDENT AND BE SURE THAT NOTHING IS GOING TO HAPPEN. *AK

NHTSA ID

10120338

Incident

May 1, 2001

Mileage

14,000 mi

SOMETIMES. AFTER TURNING INTO AN INTERSECTION, THE ABS ENGAGE AND SLOWS THE VEHICLE TO 5 MPH AND THERE IS ONCOMING TRAFFIC. *JB

NHTSA ID

10078893

Incident

Sep 5, 2002

WHILE DRIVING ON A STRAIGHT ROAD AT APPROX. 55 MPH THE ACTIVE HANDLING CAME ON AND JERKED THE CAR HARD TO THE RIGHT. IT WENT IN THE DITCH BUT HIT NOTHING. WHEN I LOOKED AT THE COMPUTER DISPLAY IT SAID "SERVICE ACTIVE HANDLING".*AK

NHTSA ID

10052558

Incident

Dec 30, 2003

Mileage

45,000 mi

PURCHASED CAR NEW.AT ABOUT 5000MILES STARTED TO NOTICE VIBARATION IN STEERING WHEEL WHEN BRAKES WERE APPLIED . AT ABOUT 10000MILES VIBRATION WAS SEVERE UNDER HARD BRAKING.DEALER[JON HALL CHEVROLET] DETERMINED ALL 4 ROTORS WERE WARPED AND RESURFACED AT NO CHARGE.AT ABOUT 15000 MILES STARTED TO NOTICE VIBRATION AGAIN.CAR NOW HAS 22000 MILES IS OUT OF WARRANTEE AND VIBRATION IS AGAIN SEVERE UNDER HARD BRAKING. I WOULD LIKE A GENERAL MOTORS REPRESENTATIVE TO LOOK INTO THIS PROBLEM. DEALER INFORMED ME THIS WAS A COMMON PROBLEM WITH 1998 MODELS.I BELEIVE THIS IS A SERIOUS SAFETY DEFECT WHICH COULD RESULT IN AN ACCIDENT DURING HIGH SPEED [60-70MPH] BRAKING AND A RECALL SHOULD BE ISSUED TO REPLACE WHAT IS AN OBVIOUS DESIGN DEFECT.

NHTSA ID

10000632

Incident

Dec 27, 2002

Mileage

5,000 mi

PARKING BRAKE WAS FULLY ENGAGED, GOT OUT OF CAR, BRAKE LET GO, CAR ROLLED BACKWARDS INTO NEIGHBORS CHAIN LINK FENCE. I WAS INJURED AS THE CAR HIT ME, ALMOST RUNNING OVER ME.*AK

NHTSA ID

762001

Incident

May 16, 2002

THE EMERGENCY BRAKE FAILS TO ENGAGE REPEATEDLY. THE PROBLEM STARTED WITHIN A FEW MONTHS OF PURCHASING THE CAR. DEALER HAS NO RECORD OF OUR REPORTING THE ISSUE PRIOR TO WARRANTY EXPIRING. PAPERWORK INDICATING NUMEROUS OTHER ISSUES, INCLUDING ISSUES WITH OTHER BRAKES, IS AVAILABLE. CHEVROLET HAS BEEN CONTACTED REPEATEDLY, INCLUDING AN EMAIL LISTING THE 6 EXISTING COMPLAINTS ON YOUR WEBSITE WITH THE EMERGENCY BRAKE ON THIS MODEL CAR. RESPONSE HAS BEEN THAT SINCE WARRANTY EXPIRED, NO FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE WITH THE CHARGES TO REPAIR (OVER $500 PER THE DEALER) WILL BE PROVIDED. NO CONSIDERATION GIVEN TO THE LOW MILEAGE, THE FACT THAT THIS IS A MAJOR REPAIR TO PARTS THAT SHOULD ONLY WEAR OUT DUE TO USAGE, AND THE PREVALENCE OF THIS ISSUE WITH SEVERAL CARS OF THE SAME MAKE AND YEAR.*AK

NHTSA ID

755333

FILED A COMPLAINT WITH GMC THAT ROTORS KEEP WARPING BUT THEY CLAIM THERE'S NOTHING WRONG WITH THE ROTORS. *AK

NHTSA ID

754474

THE CAR WAS ON THE FREEWAY AT 70MPH WHEN THE ANTI SKID LIGHT CAME ON AND THE CAR SUDDENLY DECELERATED TO 15MPH. SEVERAL ATTEMPTS WERE MADE TO CORRECT THE PROBLEM TO NO AVAIL. *AK

NHTSA ID

748508

Incident

Jul 13, 2001

EMERGENCY PARKING BRAKE OPERATES ERRATICALLY. WHEN PARKING ON A HILL, PARKING BRAKE WILL ALLOW CAR TO ROLL FORWARD, BUT CONSISTENTLY STOPS VEHICLE FROM MOVING BACKWARDS ON A HILL. *AK ALSO THERE WAS A PROBLEM WITH RELEASING AND ENGAGING THE HANDLE OF THE EMERGENCY BRAKE. *YH

NHTSA ID

884864

Incident

Jul 22, 1998

IN EACH FAILURE OF THE ROTOR ASSEMBLY, THE VEHICLE BEGAN TO VIBRATE TERRIBLY UPON TRYING TO STOP AND THIS USUALLY IS NOTICABLE AT 15 MPH. THE DEALERSHIP IS TERRIFIC IN ATTEMPTING TO REPAIR THE PROBLEM AND THE SERVICE MANAGER AT SEWELL IS THE BEST EVER...VERY ATTENTIVE AND CONCERNED WITH THIS CONTINOUS FAILURE. I DO NOT DRIVE FAST AND AS YOU CAN SEE, THE VEHICLE IS SELDOM DRIVEN ACCUMULATING ONLY APPROXIMATELY 21,000 MILES IN 3 YEARS BUT THE ROTOR ASSEMBLY FAILS AT ALMOST 7,000 MILES EACH TIME STARTING WITH ORIGINALY EQUIPMENT AND THE REPLACEMENT PARTS ALSO FAIL EACH TIME THE PROBLEM IS ATTEMPTED TO RESOLUTION. STEERING IS DIFFICULT WHEN FAILURE OCCURS AND THE VEHICLE VIBRATES.

NHTSA ID

730577

Incident

Sep 16, 1998

SERVICE COLUMN LOCK WAS DISPLAYED ON THE DRIVERS INFORMATION CENTER, WHICH STOPED THE STEERING WHEEL FROM BEING TURNED. THE FRONT ROTORS WARPED AT 7000 MILES, I HAD THEM TURNED, BUT THEY WARPED AGAIN AND WILL HAVE TO BE RETURNED TO MAKE THEM SMOOTH REF. IN EA02-031 *CJS

NHTSA ID

724473

Incident

Jun 23, 2000

ABS SENSOR LIGHT KEPT COMING ON. VEHICLE HA DBEEN IN DEALER'S SHOP ON FIVE OCCASIONS, AND PROBLEM IS STILL OCCURRING. FEEL FREE TO PROVIDE FURTHER DETAILS. *AK

NHTSA ID

863131

Incident

Mar 27, 2000

VEHICLE SHAKES WHEN BRAKES ARE APPLIED BECAUSE ROTORS ARE WARPED. YH

NHTSA ID

550937

Incident

Oct 1, 1999