~~~Recall issues: Problems in C5's ~~~
Thread Starter
Safety Car
Joined: Jan 2005
Posts: 3,675
Likes: 58
From: Hayward (Bay Area) CA
~~~Recall issues: Problems in C5's ~~~
Guys, just wanted to know if we ALL seem to have similar problems in C5's, then shouldn't it be a Recall issue...
For instance -
Rear diff LEAK........... Very common
Seats rocking (especially Driver's seat)
Fuel gauge misreadings (http://forums.corvetteforum.com/show....php?t=1801998)
Steering Column problems (10 second wait)...
These are just a few to start with. My question is, if these problems only happend in a couple of cars, I'd understand. But we see these problems as a COMMON thing in most cars, happening one time or another. Some ppl have replaced the rear diff seal more than 2-3 times, it nevers gets fixed. Same thing with the fuel guage. Always acting up. I mean how much Techron does this thing need to work!
I've tired everything. Sometimes it works, sometime it doesnt. Cars even less than half the price of a Vette have NONE of these problems
Bottom line - if certain problems seem to occur frequently, and on a LOT of cars, why is GM not doing a recall...? That is the question. (Not to mention, its GM's Flagship car and and American icon of pride)
... Just wondering...
For instance -
Rear diff LEAK........... Very common
Seats rocking (especially Driver's seat)
Fuel gauge misreadings (http://forums.corvetteforum.com/show....php?t=1801998)
Steering Column problems (10 second wait)...
These are just a few to start with. My question is, if these problems only happend in a couple of cars, I'd understand. But we see these problems as a COMMON thing in most cars, happening one time or another. Some ppl have replaced the rear diff seal more than 2-3 times, it nevers gets fixed. Same thing with the fuel guage. Always acting up. I mean how much Techron does this thing need to work!
I've tired everything. Sometimes it works, sometime it doesnt. Cars even less than half the price of a Vette have NONE of these problems Bottom line - if certain problems seem to occur frequently, and on a LOT of cars, why is GM not doing a recall...? That is the question. (Not to mention, its GM's Flagship car and and American icon of pride)
... Just wondering...
Last edited by Vette_Fan; Sep 2, 2007 at 04:42 AM.
Tech Contributor
Joined: Dec 2003
Posts: 19,384
Likes: 87
From: Horncastle Lincolnshire, England
2023 C5 of the Year Finalist - Unmodified
I think most recalls are only initiated if its a safety issue
The power of a class action law suit
Thank goodness for the Forum to fix most of the others at a reasonable cost. We can than use decent parts which is probably the real reason for the problem in the first place.
The power of a class action law suit
Thank goodness for the Forum to fix most of the others at a reasonable cost. We can than use decent parts which is probably the real reason for the problem in the first place.
Burning Brakes
Joined: Jul 2006
Posts: 875
Likes: 1
Cars even less than half the price of a Vette have NONE of these problems
Bottom line - if certain problems seem to occur frequently, and on a LOT of cars, why is GM not doing a recall...? That is the question. (Not to mention, its GM's Flagship car and and American icon of pride)
Bottom line - if certain problems seem to occur frequently, and on a LOT of cars, why is GM not doing a recall...? That is the question. (Not to mention, its GM's Flagship car and and American icon of pride)
problems.
Then no recalls to fix the problems..that's so wrong...
This is why GM has been in such trouble for last 30 years..
Burning Brakes
Joined: Dec 2006
Posts: 1,092
Likes: 0
From: Deerfield VA
St. Jude Donor '07
This is been my beef with GM, and why I don't buy any of their other products. They seem to be blind/not care about fixing problems in production, and ending them in one model year. My buddy and I bought new F-150 pickups, I had an 2000, he had an 2003. We counted at least 70 improvements on his truck, over mine. They were both the same body which ran from '97 to '03. That's why Ford sells 0ne million F-Series every year.
The last GM car I bought new was the Pontiac Transport in '92. Nice heavy vehicle to haul my kids in, nice engine, 3800 V6, good mileage, 28 Hwy. We wanted FWD for the snow so the Ford was out, and the Chrysler minivans were JUNK. I knew the Trannies in their FWD vehicles of that era were weak, so to reassure me, the salesman took me to the Service manager and he described over 100 improvements to the transmission, and told me I was good to go. I bought the vehicle and lost the tranny 2000 miles out of warranty. I fought with GM, and they paid half the bill, I paid $900. The vehicle literally fell apart while using it as well, door handles, leaking shocks, ashtray broke and snapped out of the dash with a soft drink in the holder, battery died at 3 years old and stranded my wife, Sliding door would come off the track, etc. I traded the car in at 38K miles on a used '90 crown Vic with a 5.0, we literally drove that car into the ground, (204K miles) just replacing fluids tires and brakes, no issues. I haven't gone back to GM till now, and my Corvette got off to a rocky start with many of the above mentioned problems, and some not mentioned. I think GM has some great engineering, but terrible quality parts! BTW, lifetime GM owners, how long did it take the General to make a gas gauge that didn't swing all over the place while driving? My Dad's 79 Cadillac still did it, as well as my '92, yet my '59 T-Bird's gauge was perfect, and every other Ford I've owned. How many years did Chevy have bad case hardening on their cams? I can't even count how many I replaced at the Buick dealer I worked for on used cars. My estimation is the cam problem existed at least 10 -15 years!!!
The fact that my '04 Corvette has the the same column lock problem as an 97, is criminal. In the case of Corvette, you have no alternate choice to buy in the same price range, that is the root of our problem!
John
The last GM car I bought new was the Pontiac Transport in '92. Nice heavy vehicle to haul my kids in, nice engine, 3800 V6, good mileage, 28 Hwy. We wanted FWD for the snow so the Ford was out, and the Chrysler minivans were JUNK. I knew the Trannies in their FWD vehicles of that era were weak, so to reassure me, the salesman took me to the Service manager and he described over 100 improvements to the transmission, and told me I was good to go. I bought the vehicle and lost the tranny 2000 miles out of warranty. I fought with GM, and they paid half the bill, I paid $900. The vehicle literally fell apart while using it as well, door handles, leaking shocks, ashtray broke and snapped out of the dash with a soft drink in the holder, battery died at 3 years old and stranded my wife, Sliding door would come off the track, etc. I traded the car in at 38K miles on a used '90 crown Vic with a 5.0, we literally drove that car into the ground, (204K miles) just replacing fluids tires and brakes, no issues. I haven't gone back to GM till now, and my Corvette got off to a rocky start with many of the above mentioned problems, and some not mentioned. I think GM has some great engineering, but terrible quality parts! BTW, lifetime GM owners, how long did it take the General to make a gas gauge that didn't swing all over the place while driving? My Dad's 79 Cadillac still did it, as well as my '92, yet my '59 T-Bird's gauge was perfect, and every other Ford I've owned. How many years did Chevy have bad case hardening on their cams? I can't even count how many I replaced at the Buick dealer I worked for on used cars. My estimation is the cam problem existed at least 10 -15 years!!!
The fact that my '04 Corvette has the the same column lock problem as an 97, is criminal. In the case of Corvette, you have no alternate choice to buy in the same price range, that is the root of our problem!
John
Melting Slicks
Joined: May 2006
Posts: 2,936
Likes: 260
From: Westchester County New York
The truth of the matter is they are making great strides with Buick for example scoring as high or higher than Toyota in customer satisfaction and initial quality...BUT..they dont realize the ill will caused by such issues on a "halo" car affect the Chevy brand and GM as a whole negatively...some companies never learn or they learn too late...I like GM..hope its not too late...
Race Director
Joined: Jul 2004
Posts: 16,795
Likes: 62
From: Lake Havasu City, AZ
DeeGee is correct.
Recalls happen after complaints or investigation by the NTSB (National Transportation Safety board).
Technical Service Bulletins and hidden warranties might occur for those problems that plague the vehicle but are not related to safety.
Recalls happen after complaints or investigation by the NTSB (National Transportation Safety board).
Technical Service Bulletins and hidden warranties might occur for those problems that plague the vehicle but are not related to safety.
Thread Starter
Safety Car
Joined: Jan 2005
Posts: 3,675
Likes: 58
From: Hayward (Bay Area) CA
. NOW, this COULD be a safety issue, don't you think... I mean, even an Airbag issue. I'm not sure if its in correct working order or not.
... So, will GM take a look at it and fix it???? I'm not sure, but I doubt it..
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Racer
Joined: Jul 2007
Posts: 419
Likes: 1
From: La Crosse Wisconsin
Yeah, my 04 hates reverse. It takes me 3-5 trys to get it in reverse. All the other gears work perfectly flawless. And I've seen this problem on this forum at least a dozen times! My 2 Mustangs i've owned (02 V6 04 Gt) have never had one problem. Ever! But then again the Stang feels like its gonna fall apart over every bump as the plastic vibrates. I'll still take the Vette over any Ford or Toyota thank you. But it is annoying that Chevy could not fix these problems over the lifespan of the c5. The 04 c5 should be a FLAWLESS example of that era of Corvettes. I agree it IS criminal! Shame on you Chevy.
Safety Car
Joined: Jan 2007
Posts: 4,735
Likes: 14
From: Visalia CA
That's why, other than mileage, it really doesn't seem to matter WHAT year of C5 you get. Unless you've just got to have certain options that the earlier years didn't have.
Le Mans Master
Joined: Mar 2007
Posts: 6,007
Likes: 2
From: Manteo NC
Can we all start a petition and sign it and forward it to GM then tell them we are going to forward a copy to our local States Attorney Generals Office and see where that would get us. How many C5 owners are on this web page? We should be able to get a lot of signatures.
Thread Starter
Safety Car
Joined: Jan 2005
Posts: 3,675
Likes: 58
From: Hayward (Bay Area) CA
Whatta improvement... I think I read in a lot of places that C5 was built NEW from the ground up, taking nothing from the C4. So, I guess, GM engineers didn't have enough Coffee when the designed C5..
Burning Brakes
Joined: Nov 2006
Posts: 810
Likes: 0
From: Coulmbia New Jersey
My therory on the axle seals is this. Alot of these cars have low miles and sit with the axle weight resting in one place for long periods of time. That warps the seal causing the leak. I don't recall any of the prior owners replacing them on my C5. I wonder the ratio of daily drivers with seal leaks versus cars with low miles from sitting.
As for the other issues it's a shame.
Dave
As for the other issues it's a shame.
Dave
Race Director
Joined: Mar 2007
Posts: 18,308
Likes: 21
From: Marlton. Increasing performance one speeding ticket at a time! NJ
This is been my beef with GM, and why I don't buy any of their other products. They seem to be blind/not care about fixing problems in production, and ending them in one model year. My buddy and I bought new F-150 pickups, I had an 2000, he had an 2003. We counted at least 70 improvements on his truck, over mine. They were both the same body which ran from '97 to '03. That's why Ford sells 0ne million F-Series every year.
The last GM car I bought new was the Pontiac Transport in '92. Nice heavy vehicle to haul my kids in, nice engine, 3800 V6, good mileage, 28 Hwy. We wanted FWD for the snow so the Ford was out, and the Chrysler minivans were JUNK. I knew the Trannies in their FWD vehicles of that era were weak, so to reassure me, the salesman took me to the Service manager and he described over 100 improvements to the transmission, and told me I was good to go. I bought the vehicle and lost the tranny 2000 miles out of warranty. I fought with GM, and they paid half the bill, I paid $900. The vehicle literally fell apart while using it as well, door handles, leaking shocks, ashtray broke and snapped out of the dash with a soft drink in the holder, battery died at 3 years old and stranded my wife, Sliding door would come off the track, etc. I traded the car in at 38K miles on a used '90 crown Vic with a 5.0, we literally drove that car into the ground, (204K miles) just replacing fluids tires and brakes, no issues. I haven't gone back to GM till now, and my Corvette got off to a rocky start with many of the above mentioned problems, and some not mentioned. I think GM has some great engineering, but terrible quality parts! BTW, lifetime GM owners, how long did it take the General to make a gas gauge that didn't swing all over the place while driving? My Dad's 79 Cadillac still did it, as well as my '92, yet my '59 T-Bird's gauge was perfect, and every other Ford I've owned. How many years did Chevy have bad case hardening on their cams? I can't even count how many I replaced at the Buick dealer I worked for on used cars. My estimation is the cam problem existed at least 10 -15 years!!!
The fact that my '04 Corvette has the the same column lock problem as an 97, is criminal. In the case of Corvette, you have no alternate choice to buy in the same price range, that is the root of our problem!
John
The last GM car I bought new was the Pontiac Transport in '92. Nice heavy vehicle to haul my kids in, nice engine, 3800 V6, good mileage, 28 Hwy. We wanted FWD for the snow so the Ford was out, and the Chrysler minivans were JUNK. I knew the Trannies in their FWD vehicles of that era were weak, so to reassure me, the salesman took me to the Service manager and he described over 100 improvements to the transmission, and told me I was good to go. I bought the vehicle and lost the tranny 2000 miles out of warranty. I fought with GM, and they paid half the bill, I paid $900. The vehicle literally fell apart while using it as well, door handles, leaking shocks, ashtray broke and snapped out of the dash with a soft drink in the holder, battery died at 3 years old and stranded my wife, Sliding door would come off the track, etc. I traded the car in at 38K miles on a used '90 crown Vic with a 5.0, we literally drove that car into the ground, (204K miles) just replacing fluids tires and brakes, no issues. I haven't gone back to GM till now, and my Corvette got off to a rocky start with many of the above mentioned problems, and some not mentioned. I think GM has some great engineering, but terrible quality parts! BTW, lifetime GM owners, how long did it take the General to make a gas gauge that didn't swing all over the place while driving? My Dad's 79 Cadillac still did it, as well as my '92, yet my '59 T-Bird's gauge was perfect, and every other Ford I've owned. How many years did Chevy have bad case hardening on their cams? I can't even count how many I replaced at the Buick dealer I worked for on used cars. My estimation is the cam problem existed at least 10 -15 years!!!
The fact that my '04 Corvette has the the same column lock problem as an 97, is criminal. In the case of Corvette, you have no alternate choice to buy in the same price range, that is the root of our problem!
John
Claiming you know a brands repair record by your own personal experience is ridiculous. My father owned a Mustang where the engine fell out, so all fords must suck, right? (and yes that really happened).
Look at the facts. GM scores at the very top for inital quality, behind toyota and ahead of brands like honda, etc. I agree that early 80's and even early 90's cars plain stunk, but new models are relatively trouble free. Guess which brand scored the absolute worst...........Mercedes. Should be say they suck??? Long term reliability has the C/K1500 series way ahead of the F-150 series. I'm not trying to sway anyone to the GM brand, buy what you like that fits in your budget/lifestyle. However, the GM bashing, that was warranted in the 80's, doesn't apply anymore.
GM's biggest problem (and Ford/Chrysler as well, because in case anyone didn't notice it.........GM is the only one doing OK right now), is it HUGE labor/pension overhead. This cuts into bottom line, so they have to cheap out on parts/fixes. I do have an issue with that, but every other manufacturer is in the same boat.
How many transmissions does chrysler go through? Or, the explorer is too likely to roll over, so lets reduce pressure in the tires to lower Cg. Low tire pressure, more tire flex, tires loose tread, crash. Oops, should have figured that one out before selling millions of those things. 90's Civics rust strait through. I could go on, but it's late.
Melting Slicks
Joined: Jan 2007
Posts: 3,021
Likes: 133
From: Conejo Valley CA
First off, I really want to commend Vette_Fan for initiating this thread.
Without question, there is a pattern of common problems on the C5 and we're all not hitting them by accident. Some of these have been mentioned such as the fuel tank sending units. I'd also like to add the defective door control modules with the door lock relays that go out.
I think there is more than enough "evidence" to support a Class action Lawsuit. While I am not an attorney, from the little I know about about class action suits, assuming there is a judgement for plantiffs (that would be us), the lawyers would end up getting a large percentage of the settlement to cover their time and costs and the members of the class would not typically recover their actual losses and only get a small fraction of what they are out. Its sad, but that's what I have seen with every single stock of mine that tanked and class actions were brought against the offending company. If anyone on this board who reads this feels I am in error, feel free to chime in and correct me... like I said I am not an an attorney.
Without question, there is a pattern of common problems on the C5 and we're all not hitting them by accident. Some of these have been mentioned such as the fuel tank sending units. I'd also like to add the defective door control modules with the door lock relays that go out.
I think there is more than enough "evidence" to support a Class action Lawsuit. While I am not an attorney, from the little I know about about class action suits, assuming there is a judgement for plantiffs (that would be us), the lawyers would end up getting a large percentage of the settlement to cover their time and costs and the members of the class would not typically recover their actual losses and only get a small fraction of what they are out. Its sad, but that's what I have seen with every single stock of mine that tanked and class actions were brought against the offending company. If anyone on this board who reads this feels I am in error, feel free to chime in and correct me... like I said I am not an an attorney.
Instructor
Joined: Jan 2006
Posts: 229
Likes: 1
From: Doylestown Pa.
common problems!
My 2002 coupe is a great car but it suffers from the GM accountant cost cutters..... here is a list and I think many of us have the same issues.....
1. Headlight gears wear out
2. Seats rock (not in a good way)
3. Auto Air display dims and goes blank
4. Fuel gauge issues
5. Rear dif leaks
6. Column lock
7. Battery leaks
8. ECB failures... traction control failures
I think these are the most common.... I have had most of them!
Can someone post a poll to see how many of us have had these isuues.... I suspect that they are VERY common, GM has know for years and still did nothing like take the suppliers to task for sub par parts.... it's a cost issue but how can it go on for YEARS....RANT!!!!!
1. Headlight gears wear out
2. Seats rock (not in a good way)
3. Auto Air display dims and goes blank
4. Fuel gauge issues
5. Rear dif leaks
6. Column lock
7. Battery leaks
8. ECB failures... traction control failures
I think these are the most common.... I have had most of them!
Can someone post a poll to see how many of us have had these isuues.... I suspect that they are VERY common, GM has know for years and still did nothing like take the suppliers to task for sub par parts.... it's a cost issue but how can it go on for YEARS....RANT!!!!!
Drifting
Joined: Feb 2005
Posts: 1,592
Likes: 3
From: St Louis MO
Because every GM car should have the exact same issues as you've had with your 92
Claiming you know a brands repair record by your own personal experience is ridiculous. My father owned a Mustang where the engine fell out, so all fords must suck, right? (and yes that really happened).
Look at the facts. GM scores at the very top for inital quality, behind toyota and ahead of brands like honda, etc. I agree that early 80's and even early 90's cars plain stunk, but new models are relatively trouble free. Guess which brand scored the absolute worst...........Mercedes. Should be say they suck??? Long term reliability has the C/K1500 series way ahead of the F-150 series. I'm not trying to sway anyone to the GM brand, buy what you like that fits in your budget/lifestyle. However, the GM bashing, that was warranted in the 80's, doesn't apply anymore.
GM's biggest problem (and Ford/Chrysler as well, because in case anyone didn't notice it.........GM is the only one doing OK right now), is it HUGE labor/pension overhead. This cuts into bottom line, so they have to cheap out on parts/fixes. I do have an issue with that, but every other manufacturer is in the same boat.
How many transmissions does chrysler go through? Or, the explorer is too likely to roll over, so lets reduce pressure in the tires to lower Cg. Low tire pressure, more tire flex, tires loose tread, crash. Oops, should have figured that one out before selling millions of those things. 90's Civics rust strait through. I could go on, but it's late.
Claiming you know a brands repair record by your own personal experience is ridiculous. My father owned a Mustang where the engine fell out, so all fords must suck, right? (and yes that really happened).
Look at the facts. GM scores at the very top for inital quality, behind toyota and ahead of brands like honda, etc. I agree that early 80's and even early 90's cars plain stunk, but new models are relatively trouble free. Guess which brand scored the absolute worst...........Mercedes. Should be say they suck??? Long term reliability has the C/K1500 series way ahead of the F-150 series. I'm not trying to sway anyone to the GM brand, buy what you like that fits in your budget/lifestyle. However, the GM bashing, that was warranted in the 80's, doesn't apply anymore.
GM's biggest problem (and Ford/Chrysler as well, because in case anyone didn't notice it.........GM is the only one doing OK right now), is it HUGE labor/pension overhead. This cuts into bottom line, so they have to cheap out on parts/fixes. I do have an issue with that, but every other manufacturer is in the same boat.
How many transmissions does chrysler go through? Or, the explorer is too likely to roll over, so lets reduce pressure in the tires to lower Cg. Low tire pressure, more tire flex, tires loose tread, crash. Oops, should have figured that one out before selling millions of those things. 90's Civics rust strait through. I could go on, but it's late.
Cheers
Last edited by PierEagle; Sep 3, 2007 at 01:30 AM.
Tech Contributor
Joined: Oct 1999
Posts: 41,013
Likes: 9,775
From: Charlotte, NC (formerly Endicott, NY)
Get over it. Most cars including the famous T brand have similar issues. You just lucked out if you didn't experience a problem with another make. As for running changes there were many over the 8 years the C5 was in production. Most of them fixed problems that couldn't be seen. As for most of the issues listed on the forum most C5s produced didn't have any of them. Hell, most C5s produced ran out of the 3 year warranty coverage before they reached 8K miles so how was GM supposed to find out about any problems if the cars were not driven?
Bill
Bill
Drifting
Joined: Feb 2005
Posts: 1,592
Likes: 3
From: St Louis MO
Get over it. Most cars including the famous T brand have similar issues. You just lucked out if you didn't experience a problem with another make. As for running changes there were many over the 8 years the C5 was in production. Most of them fixed problems that couldn't be seen. As for most of the issues listed on the forum most C5s produced didn't have any of them. Hell, most C5s produced ran out of the 3 year warranty coverage before they reached 8K miles so how was GM supposed to find out about any problems if the cars were not driven?
Bill
Bill