CSR

Chevrolet · NHTSA safety record

2012 Chevrolet Corvette

Every safety complaint, recall and defect investigation the US government holds on this vehicle.

56

Complaints

2

Crashes

0

Fires

0

Injuries

0

Deaths

Owners of the 2012 Chevrolet Corvette have filed 56 safety complaints with NHTSA between March 2012 and July 2026. The most complained-about system is the fuel and propulsion system, named in 28 of them (50%). The typical failure was reported at 25,000 miles, the median across the 39 complaints that gave an odometer reading.

NHTSA has issued 1 recall covering this vehicle.

Recalls (1)

STRUCTURE:BODY:HATCHBACK/LIFTGATE:HINGE AND ATTACHMENTS

11V491000 · October 3, 2011

The defect
GENERAL MOTORS (GM) IS RECALLING CERTAIN MODEL YEAR 2011-2012 CHEVROLET CORVETTE COUPE VEHICLES, MANUFACTURED FROM JANUARY 24, 2011, THROUGH SEPTEMBER 1, 2011, FOR FAILING TO COMPLY WITH THE REQUIREMENTS OF FEDERAL MOTOR VEHICLE SAFETY STANDARD NUMBER 206, "DOOR LOCKS AND DOOR RETENTION COMPONENTS". THE REAR HATCH HINGES MAY NOT MEET THE LOAD REQUIREMENTS SPECIFIED IN THE SAFETY STANDARD.
The risk
THE REAR HATCH COULD SEPARATE IN THE EVENT OF A CRASH, INCREASING THE RISK OF INJURY.
The remedy
GM WILL NOTIFY OWNERS AND DEALERS WILL REPLACE BOTH REAR HATCH HINGES FREE OF CHARGE. THE SAFETY RECALL BEGAN ON OCTOBER 14, 2011. OWNERS MAY CONTACT CHEVROLET AT 1-800-630-2438.

GENERAL MOTORS LLC · up to 5,755 vehicles across all model years covered

What owners report

Complaints naming each system. One complaint can name several, so these add up to more than 56.

FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM 28 50%
AIR BAGS 10 18%
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 6 11%
ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL (ESC) 5 9%
SERVICE BRAKES 4 7%
EXTERIOR LIGHTING 3 5%
SEAT BELTS 3 5%
POWER TRAIN 2 4%
STEERING 2 4%
SUSPENSION 2 4%
ENGINE 1 2%
FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE 1 2%

When the complaints arrived

By the year NHTSA received them, which is not the year the failures happened. They peaked in 2020 at 8.

2012 2020 2026
2012 to 2026, the last of them a part year

In owners' own words

Quoted from NHTSA's complaint file. These are unverified accounts by the people who filed them, not findings of fault.

STRUCTURE:BODY

crash · 4,600 miles

CLUTCH MASTER CYLINDER FAILED CAUSING THE CAR TO NOT BE ABLE TO DISENGAGE CLUTCH WITH PEDAL MAKING IT EXTREMELY DANGEROUS TO STOP CAR OR REMOVE IT FROM GEAR. FUTURE ATTEMPTS TO START CAR WITH ON-STAR ON THE PHONE SO THEY COULD RUN DIAGNOSTIC CHECK REMOTELY FAILED. 3 ATTEMPTS TO START CAR AND IT WOULD NOT START. TOWED TO DEALER AND UPON ARRIVAL TOWING COMPANY HAD ASKED FOR MILEAGE OF CAR. EXACTLY LIKE ABOVE I PUSHED START BUTTON TO TURN GAUGES ON DASH, THIS TIME CAR STARTED AND OVERPOWERED EMERGENCY BRAKE BECAUSE IT WAS STILL IN GEAR AND IT RAN INTO TOW TRUCK NEARLY HITTING TOW DRIVER AND WAS INCHES FROM CUTTING HIS LEGS OFF. IN NO WAY SHOULD THIS CAR HAVE BEEN ABLE TO START IN GEAR AND I

NHTSA complaint 10548802, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

SERVICE BRAKES

crash · 52,000 miles

UPON BRAKING TO ENTER A TIGHT LEFT HAND TURN IN THE COUNTRY THE DIC DISPLAYED SEVERAL WARNING INDICATORS, ABS AND TRACTION CONTROL. THE RIGHT FRONT BRAKE LOCKED UP (CONFIRMED BY THE FLAT SPOT ON THE TIRE). I BEGAN MODULATING THE BRAKES THINKING THAT I HAD LOST ANTI-LOCK BRAKES, BUT THE RIGHT FRONT BRAKE HAD LOCKED UP. THIS REDUCED THE BRAKING ABILITY OF THE CAR CAUSING ME TO GO OFF THE OUTSIDE OF A LEFT HAND TURN AND INTO A DITCH DAMAGING SOME COMPONENTS OF THE FRONT END. I WAS ABLE TO RETURN HOME SAFELY. THE CAR WAS PARKED UNTIL A MECHANIC LOOKED AT IT. A DIALECTIC GREASE WAS APPLIED TO THE CONNECTORS BETWEEN THE SYSTEM AND THE WHEELS AT ALL 4 CORNERS. THIS SEEMED TO RESOLVE THE ISSUE AS

NHTSA complaint 10824772, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

STEERING
I am reporting a safety issue involving the Active Handling/Stability Control system on my 2012 Chevrolet Corvette. After a routine oil change at Grossman Chevrolet in [XXX] on XXX, the “Service Active Handling System” warning appeared. I called the dealership and was told to cycle the ignition several times to reset it, but the warning stayed on. In early XXX, I returned for diagnosis. The dealership determined the steering angle sensor (GM Part 25858802) had failed and needed replacement. I was told the part would be ordered and should arrive in about a week. After weeks with no update, I contacted the dealership. On XXX the customer service representative informed me the part was no

NHTSA complaint 11747872, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM
90 degree elbow on top of fuel hat on drivers side fuel tank cracked and had a bad fuel leak causing an immediate fire hazard in my garage with how combustible fuel is. There were no warning signs just walked into my garage one morning with a very strong smell of gasoline. The issue was dealt with by myself I didn’t have to take it to a mechanic to repair

NHTSA complaint 11746939. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM
Fuel leak(s) involving filler neck, fuel pump, fuel tank or associated parts in the fuel delivery system at rear of car. Gasoline smells is very strong, when the tank is filled (not overfilling the tank) gasoline puddles under the rear near the driver’s side rear tire. The fumes are so bad that the car cannot be stored in the garage (which is attached to my home). Smell is pervasive even sitting outside. I cannot drive the car for fear of gas landing on the exhaust pipe and starting a fire. I’m [XXX] and probably would not escape the vehicle. I just purchased the car and such a repair is not warranted. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

NHTSA complaint 11722682. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM
I purchased a 2012 Corvette from Coast Chevrolet on 1-24-26. This car was supposed to have been inspected for safety issues prior to being listed for sale. Being that this is a reputable General Motors dealership I assumed all safety issues and recalls would have been up to date. I drove the car home about 90 miles and immediately put it in my garage. After about 30 minutes of it being in there I noticed an overwhelming smell of gasoline. I began looking around the car both in the engine bay, underneath etc. I finally found the issue and cause for the smell. It was a leaking gas tank caused by the fuel pump. I did my research on it and found that this was a known widespread, common issue

NHTSA complaint 11714166, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM
Recently purchase used car. Very strong a gas smell/fumes in garage whenever fuel is pumped more than 1/2 tank. Concerned over fire or explosion hazard.

NHTSA complaint 11627143. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM
Smelling gas fumes when parked. There were no other indicators of an issue. I took car to dealership, turns out there is a flaw with the fuel system, causing a leak at the top of the tank. Fuel was leaking through a valve and into the inside of the car frame. This issue should be a recall. The dealer would not let me leave with the vehicle due to the severity of the leak/fumes and fear of combustion! This was addressed as TSB Special Coverage Adjustment 15682 Primary Tank Module Flange Fuel and Vapor Leaks. However, my car was out of warranty/out of the range of the TSB, and I had to pay full price for the repair ($3,000 USD). This is a well documented issue on multiple corvette forums

NHTSA complaint 11586125, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

Compare

Other years of the Chevrolet Corvette

Model year Complaints Recalls Deaths
2025 10 3
2024 20 2
2023 24 1 1
2022 20 1
2021 12 2
2020 34 4
2019 147 1
2018 51 1
2017 255 4
2016 103 2
2015 64 5
2014 61 5 1
2013 82 0
2011 85 1
2010 84 0

Other 2012 Chevrolet models

Every Chevrolet on this site — 298 vehicles, 747 recall campaigns and 5 open investigation s.

If this is your car and a dealer keeps failing to fix it, your state's lemon law may require the manufacturer to replace it or buy it back. What each state asks for , read from the statutes.

Where these numbers come from

A complaint is one owner's account and has not been verified by NHTSA or by us. A vehicle with more complaints is not necessarily worse: models that sold in larger numbers collect more of them. How this is counted.

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