MygreenC5

My 2000 had the Oil gauge problem, and the fuel gauge again ( techron fixed it ) Also the rocking seat. But the 03 so far no problems. Only thing is in both cars I get a condensation in the speedo cluster, and it leaves stains on the plastic. I never tried to take it apart and clean it. But it can be annoying.

B-Vette

I wouldn't let some of these problems get you down too much - when you're forced to make things light to save on weight, quality can be effected. GM did fix a lot of problems later on when the C6 came out.

On the other hand, I have a new Chevy Silverado Z71 and the problems/dissatisfaction with it could consume a whole Forum.

gleds

Here is an addition: Clip holding the tension spring in the mirror down pops off. Aka saggy mirror syndrome. Had mine do it but came up with a great fix for it.

mcgilles

really surprised that no one has mentioned the EBCTM yet!

I've experienced that in addition to
rocking seat
side bolster bladders failed, all 4. the plastic elbow rots and disintegrates so the bladders don't inflate anymore.
water leaks not related to the windows, AC condenser drain clogged up floods the passenger's feet, water drains "udders" clog with dirt and leaves and soak the driver's feet.
headlight door gears strip
turn signal flasher fails
seat tracks break themselves, especially if you use the easy entry feature.
memory seats have amnesia. they don't work at all, or they go about 1/2 way, or they go to a completely random place when you hit the buttons.

other common ones that I have not experienced
bubbling paint on the rear hatch
cracked thinspokes
column lock
window related leaks

other things I would consider problems with the car that I'm sure GM doesn't:
low beams lose power when you turn the high beams on (darn it)
fog lights lose power when you turn the high beams on (darn it)
headlight doors don't close when you switch from headlights to parking lights
it has DRLs
DRLs turn off when you turn on the lights (opposite of what they should do)
Competition mode won't come on unless the car is stopped (at least they fixed that in later years)
one press of the TC button turns off everything, hold for 5 second to turn active handling back on...who on earth thought that up? should be one press for comp mode, hold for 2 seconds for all off. I think that's a thing fixed on the C6.
memory seat buttons stop working when anyone opens the door. I like to open the door then press the button to move into "get out" position, even if i don't the passenger will lots of times beat me to it. if the door opens, you have to close all the doors, then put the key in the ignition to allow the memory buttons to work again. why? why can't they just work all the time! or at least allow them to work for say 120 seconds after the ignition is turned off.
there is an ajar warning for the door and the hatch, but neither of them fly off the car or up in your face if you accidentally leave them open. why isn't there a hood ajar on this car? why isn't there a targa top ajar on this car? hood ajar on export models...why not here?

still, best car ever made, I wouldn't trade it for anything. especially since I've been working for the last 2 years to fix as many of GMs mistakes as possible.

JMc

Thank you! I'm still not quite sure what I'm looking that in that pic, or of anything has to be dismantled to get to that bearing, but I'll take a peek and see if I can locate the problem spot and hit it with the white lithium, which I already have on hand.

Tech

Rocking seat, passenger window motor, EBCM, hazard switch, crappy leather, corroded/loose connectors between door electronics and chassis, dim HVAC, oil pressure sending unit, map lights, clutch pedal and bald tires.

glass73

Yep me to! 98 Lingenfelter......... No Problems!

Tom/99

I had to have a passenger side window motor replaced in my 99 coupe. Both left and right side window motors were replaced in my 04 coupe.

Jistari

Just for the data collection people:

2001 Coupe, second owner, had 43k miles, has 73k miles, problems:

Water incursion. If I leave it out in a heavy rain I get water on the top rear corner of both side windows. Havent done much about this as it's only seen rain two or three times as long as Ive owned it.

Traction Control not working. Eventually replaced (rebuilt ECBM, ABSFixer). Worked like a charm.

Thats it, no other problems.

jedblanks

The wobbling balancer affects MANY GM vehicles, not just the vette. It just happens to be a major PITA to fix on the vette, where it is not a big deal on most cars.

Rear windows falling out of verts? Seriously? This happens on every convertible ever made eventually. Especially if left in harsh climates.

philadd

Problems I've had with my C5Z:
- Driver's side window regulator. Cable frayed and jammed. Replaced with used unit. ~$40
- Water leaks. Typical spots that are talked about here on CF. $3 and 15 minutes to fix.
- Erratic fuel gauge/faulty sensor. Always use Chevron. Bottles of Techron and Seafoam do not help. Need to change the sensor.
- Trunk lid would not pop up high enough. Bent the small spring near the latch, works great now.


Problems I had with my Honda Accord (for comparison):
- 3 of 4 door locks quit working, at different times. Common problem. $80 for each actuator, about 30 min to replace per actuator.
- Passenger side window motor. Replaced with used regulator. ~$100
- Slipping auto tranny. Very common problem. Rebuilt tranny. ~$2000 at a reputable shop
- Cracked radiator. Common problem. Honda needs to stop using plastic radiators. ~$120 for an all-metal radiator.
- Radiator fan motor dead. Don't remember how much the part cost, but it wasn't cheap.
- Dead alternator. Common problem. The Denso-made alternators didn't last for anything. Replaced with used, non-Denso alternator. ~$100
- Wobbling crank pulley. Crank pulley bolt broke. Bolt had never been touched before. Was told it must have been some kind of manufacturing defect. Damaged the area inside the crank where the bolt goes. Needed to replace crank. Ghetto rigged/fixed instead. (Long explanation...)
- Previous "fix" lasted 40,000 miles. Decided not to ghetto rig/fix again. Because of the labor involved, it was cheaper to replace the motor with a used one, rather than tear the engine apart to replace just the crank. ~$1300 at a local shop.


My C5Z seems problem-free in comparison.

Tim01Coupe

[QUOTE=C5 LS7;1568773784]Do you guys know how many of these issues GM solved in the C5 or C6. I have experianced the following in 2 C5's and about 150k mi.

1) Rocking seat (twice)
2) Stuck clutch pedal
3) Fuel sender malfunction (twice)
4) Oil pressure sender (twice in 1 year)
5) Wobbling harmonic balancer
6) Loose axel nut
7) Column lock

150k and this is all? Is this a great car or what?

FiberglassFan

My I offer just some of the issues I have had to deal with, along with a LOT of the aforementioned ones I have had....
* both wand switches failed, wiper control twice!
* wiper control module [ on the wiper motor]
* engine computer quit! That was expensive, new dyno needed too because old tune would not load into new computer!
* wheel speed sensor wires, connector failure, 7 times
* ABS-TC computer failed
* broken plastic anti-roll bar links
* switch cluster in drivers door, lock button

All told, $ thousands in electrical parts...
only big mechanical failure at about 130K miles, loose harmonic balancer ring.

Not a failure, but bad engineering, Radiator about half the capacity it needs to be. Installed a Ron Davis and solved all heat issues.

jol

There's another issue that no one seems to have or bothers to mention: on a quiet night, if you lower your windows and listen.....you can hear a Porsche rust!!!!! GM doesn't seem to care to fix that

Independent1

Link to list of common C5 problems

http://forums.corvetteforum.com/c5-g...ngths-etc.html

Most of the problems I have had with the vettes I have owned have been owner-related. However, I have had the water intrusion and column lock issues

Had a clutch slave go also on one of them.

Carl M. Stapp Jr.

You are all amateurs. Partial failure list for 02 Coupe:ECM, BCM, ABS,Traction control , Steering position indicator, alternators (3), AC compressors (2), left door ground, power window motor failure,main fuse box fire,headlights shorted out, outside thermostat probe (2 times), DRL bulb failures (7) times,rear wheel bearing, cooling fan motors (3), AC dash panel is dark, assorted fuses, tail light fell out, oil pressure senders (3), fuel gage went crazy, AC and heater controls are a pure mystery. Every electrical component except the radio has failed at one time or another. Steering column locked. Engine thermostat stuck. Overheats in the Texas summer. Memory seat has no memory. Outside mirrors will not stay in place. I bought it new; it's never been underwater. I try to budget $250 per month for repairs and parts and right now I am 19 months into the future.

PONI ETR

1. Column lock (this, after the GM recall)
2. Dim climate control display (fixed myself with help here)
3. Persnickety FOB (fixed myself with help here)
4. Oil sending unit
5. Sticky fuel gauge (numerous tanks of Chevron with Techron haven't cured it)
6. Transmission starting to whine (I don't think this is typical)
Before I bought the car and fixed under warranty
1. Fuel pumps
2. Active Handling problems

But it's the best car I've ever owned, and at 60 something, I've had a few.

PONI ETR

I think you got a bad one. It happens.

jakestyr

There is a small plastic vacum valve on the passenger side under the battery box that may be broken -- Mine got brittle with some battery acid leakage and age -- Just replaced and fixed the problem -- Kind of a PITA to get to

ericmeist

OK OK, so I've had the bad leather seats and the bad steering wheel position sensor and the creaky plastic headlight door gears, but the biggest headaches were the random no-starts created by either the ignition switch or the starter motor premature failures. For methose have been massive headaches.