2023 Chevrolet Corvette Powertrain (other) Problems

While operating my 2023 Chevrolet Corvette at approximately 75 mph on [XXX], the vehicle suddenly and unexpectedly lost propulsion. Moments later, the vehicle completely shut down. The instrument display went dark and the vehicle's lights went out. This occurred in active highway traffic. I struggled to maintain control of the vehicle while avoiding surrounding vehicles and narrowly avoided a potentially catastrophic collision. I managed to bring the Corvette to rest on the shoulder. The vehicle was subsequently transported approximately 20 miles to an authorized Chevrolet dealership at my expense. The dealership retained the vehicle for approximately five months. During that period, I was not provided a courtesy or replacement vehicle. The dealership replaced the transmission under the manufacturer's warranty. The replacement transmission part number may differ from the original, but this requires confirmation from repair records. Although the transmission was replaced, I do not know whether the dealership separately diagnosed and corrected the cause of the complete electrical blackout. I am concerned that the loss of propulsion followed by a complete electrical blackout represents a serious safety defect that could result in a collision, serious injury, or death. I request that NHTSA investigate the failure, including the relationship between the transmission malfunction, loss of propulsion, and electrical shutdown. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

NHTSA ID

11773013

Incident

Jun 10, 2024

While driving normally, I was in the middle of a busy highway/intersection when the vehicle suddenly lost power and came to a complete stop. The vehicle shut itself off without warning, leaving the Corvette disabled in the roadway and causing a complete blockage of the road/intersection. Traffic was actively traveling around me, creating a serious safety hazard and putting both myself and other motorists at risk of a collision. After the vehicle stopped, it would not restart. The instrument cluster displayed a theft-deterrent/immobilizer warning and a lock/security symbol, along with a message stating that there could be a problem with the theft-deterrent system and referring to Immobilizer Operation. The vehicle has full electrical power, but when attempting to start it, it only clicks and the engine does not crank or start. I placed the key fob in the designated backup location as instructed in the owner’s manual, but the vehicle still would not start. The exact failed component has not yet been diagnosed or confirmed. The vehicle is available for inspection. The sudden and unexpected loss of power while I was in the middle of a busy highway/intersection caused an immediate and serious safety concern because the vehicle became completely disabled and blocked the roadway.

NHTSA ID

11755590

Incident

Aug 7, 2026

While driving the vehicle in a NYC highway at approximately 45 mph the transmission shifted into neutral causing the vehicle to decelerate gradually resulting in near rear end collision. The vehicle transmission will not engaged into gear while moving nor after stopping.

NHTSA ID

11738528

Incident

May 11, 2026

On 10/13 after refuling my 2023 Chevy Corvette. I was cruising on a freeway when the car started showing signs of staying in 5th gear. The rev limiter was going from 500 to 2500 rpm rhythmically at a cruising speed of 65mph. At this time, I noticed the loss of response from the gas pedal. The car was then placed in manual shifting mode so that i can attempt to regain population control and maintain the flow of traffic as this was a high crash area. Unfortunately, this attempt did not work and the dash cluster illuminated with the following alerts "rear axil system offline" "idle creep disabled," "service transmission" at this time. The gear indicator on the dash that shows the mode and gear, for example: D3 (drive 3rd gear), completely disappeared and the gas pedal completely went unresponsive. At this point i used the momentum of the car in motion to exit off of the freeway into a parking center. The vehicle proceeded to not respond in regards to going into park, reverse, or drive. The only thing that worked was the electronic parking brake. This was a very scary situation that, without my federal law enforcement driving training I may not have coasted safely out of traffic.

NHTSA ID

11693052

Incident

Oct 12, 2025

On 8/3/2025 I was at a stop light. It turned green. I went to go and my car would not go past first gear. Had to pull over. Waited turned the car off. Turned it back on and started driving, then I got an alert 545. Then my entire screen went blank only showing the alert. I called my dealership to explain. They said there were recalls on the 2023 and 2024 transmissions. That’s why I got the alert 545. But they said there was nothing they could do. I could bring it in for a test drive with a technician and if it pops up alert 545 then they would submit a ticket to GM. But the earliest to fix my corvette would be October. But also saying I would have to pay full price for everything. I bought my 2023 Corvette 1LT C8 stingray in 2022 and have only put 19,000 miles on it. I do not miss maintenance or anything. I’m not sure how to get GM to pay for my transmission and labor. It also would not let me acknowledge and click the button on the steering wheel. My display went off and I could not get it back on even turning the knob. This is incredibly dangerous for my safety. Transmission failure. Can’t see the speed I’m going.

NHTSA ID

11679444

Incident

Aug 3, 2025

On [XXX] I was driving my corvette in Atlantic City, New Jersey, which at that time I noticed smoke coming from the rear of the vehicle. I looked at my dash to see if any warning lights or check engine lights were on and nothing Indicate there was a problem. So I did continue to drive to get to a safe place where I can pull over and look at the engine. When I came up to the red light, the car next to me told me that my vehicle was on the fire. I was able to pull over on the side of road next to the hospital in Atlantic City. And then I got out of my car to nattempt to put out the fire myself as I noticed Melting Plastic that was on fire, was dripping all my tires to avoid the tires Catching on fire. I Remove the plastic that was on fire, causing burns to my hand. Then I called the fire to department to help me put out the fire. Once the fire was put out. I had it towed to the dealership they Told me to call my insurance company. Doing insurance process one of their technicians looked at the vehicle and determined that the rear Transmission case cracked from a Defective part in the transmission breaking, Which Cause the transmission fluid to pour out onto the exhaust system, Then the hot Transmission fluid ignite and set the rear of the car on fire. The insurance company liberty Mutual Refuse to fix the car due to mechanical malfunction. I then Contact General Motors and file a claim Which has been open for several months with zero repairs done to the vehicle. GM motors also sent a technician to look at the vehicle and came to the same conclusion but still has not attempted to fix the vehicle. This vehicle with a Defect like this is very unsafe. I could’ve been driving on the parkway and the vehicle locked up because the transmission broke and caused an shi accident or the fire could’ve been a lot worse could’ve been burnt to death. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

NHTSA ID

11622394

Incident

Oct 29, 2024

Put vehicle in reverse. Vehicle would not move. Vehicle placed back in park. Put vehicle in reverse again; and after advanced acceleration heard a loud clunk sound and jarring movement. Car continued in reverse normally. Vehicle was put into drive and driven approximately 500 feet at which time vehicle shut down. Service transmission and “rear axle not engaged” messages showing, as well as an overheating message. Dealership unresponsive.

NHTSA ID

11600639

Incident

Jun 24, 2024

The contact owns a 2023 Chevrolet Corvette. The contact stated that while the vehicle was in reverse(R), the transmission failed to engage as the gear indicator light began to flash and the service transmission message was displayed on the instrument panel. After multiple attempts, the contact was able to engage the transmission and drove the vehicle to dealer where they were unable to diagnose or service the failure. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and a complaint was filed. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 812.

NHTSA ID

11490966

Incident

Oct 21, 2022

Mileage

812 mi