2003 Chevrolet Corvette Fuel system Problems

A VERY STRONG SMELL OF GASOLINE IN THE CABIN AREA AND IN THE TRUNK AFTER FILLING THE CORVETTE WITH GASOLINE. THE STRONG SMELL OF GASOLINE WAS AT IT'S STRONGEST SCENT WHEN THE DECK LID WAS OPEN. I STOOD ON THE REAR RIGHT OF THE CORVETTE WITH MY HEAD BARELY INSIDE THE TRUNK. SO BASICALLY REAR RIGHT SECTOR OF THE CORVETTE, JUST PASSED THE REAR RIGHT WHEEL WELL. THE CORVETTE WAS PARKED ON A LEVEL CONCRETE PAD AT THE GAS STATION. I DID NOT OVERFILL. PUMP NOZZLE STOPPED. APPROXIMATELY 14.6 GALLONS OF FUEL WAS PUMPED INTO THE CORVETTE.

NHTSA ID

11270918

Incident

Oct 24, 2019

MY CAR HAS 45,000 MILES. THERE IS A FUEL SMELL COMING FROM THE CAR. I ALWAYS FILL THE TANK FULL WHEN I PLAN ON NOT DRIVING IT FOR A WHILE. IF I LEAVE IT PARKED FOR SEVERAL MONTHS AND DON'T DRIVE IT, THE FUEL TANK WILL BE EMPTY WHEN I START IT UP. THE FUEL SMELL APPEARS TO BE COMING FROM THE MIDDLE OF THE CAR. THIS HAS BEEN HAPPENING FOR THE LAST FOUR OR FIVE YEARS. I WILL ONLY PARK THE VEHICLE IN OPEN AREAS AND WON'T PARK IT IN A GARAGE DUE TO FEAR OF BUILD UP OF GAS FUMES.

NHTSA ID

11253274

Incident

Sep 3, 2019

Mileage

45,000 mi

THE CAR HAS DEVELOPED A CONDITION WHERE THE STEERING COLUMN LOCK FAILS TO UNLOCK THE STEERING COLUMN WHEN THE VEHICLE IS STARTED. A MESSAGE APPEARS IN THE DIC DISPLAY TELLING YOU TO PULL THE KEY AND WAIT 10 SECONDS. IT SHUTS OFF THE FUEL SUPPLY IF YOU ATTEMPT TO DRIVE IT. CHEVROLET ACKNOWLEDGED THIS CONDITION EXISTED IN 2006 VIA A LETTER. THE CAR ONLY HAD A LITTLE OVER 5K MILES ON IT AT THE TIME AND NOW HAS ONLY 43K ON THE ODOMETER. PER MY PHONE CALL WITH THEM TODAY THEY FEEL THEY ARE NO LONGER RESPONSIBLE. THE FIRST TIME THIS HAPPENED I HAD BACKED INTO THE ROAD AND THE CAR DIED LEAVING ME IN DIRE JEAPORDY. CAN ANYTHING BE DONE TO MAKE THEM HONOR THIS DEFECT IN THIS VERY EXPENSIVE AUTOMOBILE? NOTE....THIS HAS BEEN HAPPENING SINCE THE SUMMER OF 2018 INTERMITTENTLY.

NHTSA ID

11182604

Incident

Jan 29, 2019

Mileage

42,000 mi

I WAS BACKING OUT MY DRIVEWAY AND MY STEERING COLUMN LOCKED AND I COULD NOT CONTROL THE CAR. I PULLED UP THE EMERGENCY BRAKE AND STOPPED THE CAR BECAUSE I COULD NOT CONTROL THE CAR. MYSELF AND A NEIGHBOR WAS ABLE TO PUSH THE CAR BACK IN THE DRIVEWAY. THE COMPUTER GAVE THE MESSAGE ..STEERING COLUMN LOCK MESSAGE AND THEN THE CAR WOULD NOT START ANYMORE...MEANING IT WOULD CRANK BUT JUST IMMEDIATELY SHUT OFF. THIS IS A RECALL SAFETY PROBLEM WITH THIS CAR AND CHEVORLET IS AWARE RECALL NUMBER 4006 A, B, C AND SPECIAL PROVISION POLICY 05081.

NHTSA ID

11006070

Incident

Jun 30, 2017

Mileage

153,000 mi

I INHERITED MY FATHERS 2003 CORVETTE CONVERTIBLE IN JANUARY OF 2017, I HAVE NOT DRIVEN IT MUCH AND IT ONLY HAS 14000 MILES ON IT. I RECENTLY FILLED IT UP AFTER ABOUT AN HOUR LONG DRIVE. THE DAY AND WEEKS FOLLOWING MY GARAGE HAS SMELLED HEAVILY OF GAS FUMES. I RECENTLY BEGAN DOING SOME RESEARCH ON THIS TOPIC AND FOUND THAT APPARENTLY THIS IS A COMMON PROBLEM WITH THIS YEAR MODEL CORVETTE. THE ONLINE FORUMS I HAVE READ POINT OUT THIS COULD CAUSE A FIRE WHILE DRIVING AS WELL AS CREATE A EXPLOSION HAZARD IN YOUR GARAGE. ONE EVEN SUGGESTED THERE MIGHT HAVE BEEN A RECALL ON THIS PROBLEM, BUT AFTER RESEARCHING I FOUND NO SUCH RECALL. I AM FEARFUL THAT IF THIS PROBLEM IS A COMMON PROBLEM SOMEONE WILL OR MAY HAVE ALREADY DIED DUE TO THIS ISSUE.

NHTSA ID

10995024

Incident

May 14, 2017

Mileage

14,500 mi

STRONG SMELL OF GASOLINE AFTER FILLING THE FUEL TANK. I DO NOT SEE ANY DRIPS OR PUDDLES, BUT THE ODOR IS VERY STRONG. I DO NOT NOTICE THE ODOR WHILE DRIVING. I CAN ONLY DETECT IT IF THE VEHICLE IS PARKED IN THE GARAGE. I HAD THE CAR PARKED IN THE GARAGE THE DAY BEFORE WITH A NEARLY EMPTY TANK, AND THERE WAS NO ODOR. THIS APPEARS TO BE A KNOWN ISSUE WITH LATER VIN 2003 CORVETTE AND ALL 2004 CORVETTES. *TR

NHTSA ID

10947029

Incident

Jan 22, 2017

Mileage

38,600 mi

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 CHEVROLET CORVETTE. WHILE THE VEHICLE WAS PARKED, THERE WAS A STRONG FUEL ODOR PRESENT. THE FAILURE RECURRED NUMEROUS TIMES. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 106,996.

NHTSA ID

10786135

Incident

Oct 22, 2015

Mileage

106,996 mi

AFTER FILLING MY GAS TANK I PARKED THE CAR IN THE GARAGE AND UPON WAKING IN THE MORNING THERE WERE GAS FUMES IN THE GARAGE. I STOPPED AFTER THE FIRST CLICK SO THERE WAS NO OVERFILL SITUATION. THIS IS ALSO NOT THE FIRST TIME THIS HAS HAPPENED BUT THE FIRST TIME I KNEW OF THIS FORUM. *TR

NHTSA ID

10554064

Incident

Nov 28, 2013

Mileage

50,100 mi

I FILLED MY CAR UP WITH GAS YESTERDAY. WHEN I GOT HOME AND PARKED THE CAR, I STILL NOTICED A DISTINCT ODOR OF GASOLINE. *TR

NHTSA ID

10307783

Incident

Feb 8, 2010

Mileage

31,718 mi

STARTED WITH GASOLINE SMELL COMING FROM 03 CORVETTE. TOOK TO DEALER AND FOUND OUT THAT THE PROBLEM WAS ONE OF THE 2 GAS TANKS. UNABLE TO KNOW FOR SURE WITHOUT DROPPING THE WHOLE DRIVE TRAIN. THIS WAS DONE AND THE PLASTIC GAS TANK HAD DEVELOPED A LEAK. WAS INFORMED THAT THIS WAS A FLAW WITH SOME PRODUCTION CORVETTES. A VERY EXPENSIVE REPAIR BUT ONE THAT MUST BE DONE. CANNOT HAVE GAS VAPORS ESCAPING INTO THE AIR OR CONFINED IN A GARAGE. I HAVE ALREADY HAD 1 HOUSE FIRE, DON'T NEED ANOTHER ONE. IF GM KNEW ABOUT THIS PROBLEM, THEY SHOULD HAVE FIXED IT. BUYERS SHOULD NOT BE PUT IN HARMS WAY. *TR

NHTSA ID

10299964

Incident

Jan 3, 2010

Mileage

24,000 mi

THE CAR WAS FILLED WITH CHEVRON SUPREME GASOLINE ON THURSDAY, JUNE 16, 2005 ON MY WAY TO PICK UP MY WIFE AT THE PHOENIX INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT. WHEN I COMPLETED THE TASK AND STARTED THE AUTOMOBILE THE FUEL GAUGE AND THE HUD DID NOT AGREE. THE FUEL GAUGE WAS ON EMPTY AND THE HUD AT ONE-HALF FULL. I DROVE TO THE AIRPORT AND PICKED UP MY WIFE. I RETURNED HOME AND PULLED INTO THE GARAGE FOR THE NIGHT AND THE FUEL GAUGE AND HUD DID NOT CHANGE. ONCE INSIDE MY HOME, I WROTE AN EMAIL TO MITCH CONGDON, WHO IS THE SERVICE DIRECTOR AT VAN CHEVROLET IN SCOTTSDALE, ARIZONA, DESCRIBING MY DILEMA. IN ADDITION, I LET MR. CONGDON KNOW THAT MY WIFE WOULD BE BRINGING MY CAR IN ON FRIDAY SO THAT THE PROBLEM COULD BE INVESTIGATED. I ALSO TOOK DIGITAL PICTURES OF THE FUEL GAUGE AND HUD AFTER PULLING THE CAR INTO THE GARAGE FOR THE NIGHT. WHEN MY WIFE STARTED THE CAR IN THE MORNING THE FUEL GAUGE AND HUD READINGS MATCHED AT FULL. VAN CHEVROLET REPLACED THE LEFT FUEL TANK SENDING UNIT. PERHPAS IT WAS AN ERROR, BUT THE MILEAGE ON MY INVOICE #600182 WAS ~3,000 MILES MORE THAN THE ACTUAL READING. THE RIGHT ONE HAD BEEN REPLACED IN AUGUST 2004 AFTER THE IDENTICAL SYMPTOMS OCCURRED. IN ADDITION, I USED ONLY CHEVRON SUPREME GASOLINE AND ADDED A BOTTLE OF TECHRON TO THE TANK EVERY 3,000 MILES. ON SATURDAY, JUNE 18, 2005 I TOOK PICTURES OF THE FUEL GAUGE AND HUD TO FURTHER RECORD THE READINGS. THE PICTURES ARE TIME AND DATE STAMPED. IT IS DISCONCERTING TO ME THAT I OWN A WORLD CLASS SPORTS CAR THAT I HAVE TO USE THE TRIP ODOMETER TO GAUGE THE AMOUNT OF FUEL IN MY GAS TANKS. IT IS MY UNDERSTANDING THAT GM HAS BEEN AWARE OF THIS PROBLEM FOR QUITE SOME TIME, AND THAT THERE HAS BEEN A RECENT FIX INVOLVING NEW COMPUTER BOARS THAT ARE IN SHORT SUPPLY. THIS EVENING I AM GOING TO SEND AN EMAIL TO MITCH CONGDON OF VAN CHEVROLET TO INFORM HIM OF MY CONTINUING PROBLEM.

NHTSA ID

10125753

Incident

Jun 16, 2005

Mileage

16,117 mi