KA5IVR

Thanks Jennie... Have not had any other issues with the lights, since the simple fix.

Can I PM you to help with a 2014 for a good price? I just don't feel right about giving a Dealer full MSRP for one.

MikeERWNC

Now that Chevy is aware that DOT is involved, maybe they should do a service bulletin for the dealers and take care of any new issues which roll into the service center.
It would be great to hear owners posting up saying that their local dealer took care of this.

Sure for us DIY guys this was an easy fix.
But to charge an owner 500.00 just for a fuse block is crazy.

I figure mine is done and I will never have an issue again.
I personally don't see a need for a recall.
Just Chevy stepping up and covering this issue when it is reported would make me satisfied.
It really isn't that dangerous of an issue.
Headlights go out... Turn on the driving lights, and you still have high beams.
When mine went out I was an hour from home and an hour from the dealer where I purchased the car. It was dark but the car makes enough light.
I had a work around the next day and found this post that same day.

Bill Curlee

Mike

I live in New England (CT) near the water. My 06 coupe was driven a LOT in the winter (Sand and Salt on the roads) and in the rain so, if it were caused by humidity/poor weather, mine would have failed. Never had an issue.

My thoughts are; the die that was used to press bend the trace, made too sharp of a bend or caused the wire to wrinkle at that one point.
Anytime you narrow a spot in a wire that flows higher currents, that spot heats up. Over time the heating and cooling of that spot causes the wire to get brittle and eventually it breaks.

There has to be more than one wire trace press where the wire traces were made because if the same bad press made ALL the circuit traces, most likely all of them would eventually break. I wonder how many defective fuse boxes are in service????

Your thoughts or comments??

Bill

Chevy Cust Svc

Ka5ivr,

You can absolutely PM me, I’m always eager to see an enthusiast in a new Vette! I can connect with the dealers in your area if you’d like and quote prices. Do you want to purchase off the lot or are you thinking of putting in an order? In the message just make sure to include your zip code and the distance you are willing to travel for the car and we will go from there, sound good? Talk to you soon.

Jennie R.
Chevrolet Customer Care

MikeERWNC

I had two wires which were green with corrosion.
The headlight and the washer pump.
My car was a south FL car.
With your theory, how many of us will have reoccurring issues?
I was not gentle replacing my wire I know I nicked mine and jammed it into the slot.
However, I am sure the wire I used was better than the lowest component bidder which GM used.

Not the best picture, but you can see where the breaks are on my fuse block:
The bottom wire is severed in the middle of the picture and the washer pump is cracked right above it a little left.

Happihank

I had my headlights go out- then come back on. Took it to the dealer- on the 2005 model the placement of the fuse box in the engine bay causes the wires/fuses to fail because of the heat. I had to replace the fuse box$$. If you internet check this info - this is an issue with many 2005 Corvettes. I called GM and attempted to get recall going- Good luck.

Chevy Cust Svc

MikeErwnc,

I completely understand where you are coming from. Although I cannot guarantee the outcome, I am able to utilize my internal resources and advance your feedback in the correct direction. Thank you for keeping us in the loop, we appreciate your pointers for continuous improvement on our end!

Jennie R.
Chevrolet Customer Care

owc6

You can add me to the list of '05 owners who have had to replace the fu$e box due to heat affecting the low beams.


lisa

KA5IVR

Bill, I would concur with this. Mine broke at the same spot as shown in the earlier photos. I suspect it is from heating/cooling at that bend, which caused the stress crack. My fuse block did not show any signs of moisture problems (Texas) and I checked for that. I did notice that the wire used at that bend seemed to be flattened on the top a little more than other bends. In fact it looked good visually and tested OK with the VOM, but it came apart when I pulled on it with a probe hook.

I also checked all of the other traces the same way on the top & bottom of the board. All of the others seemed to be in good shape. I could have saved a bunch of time by just laying in the "backup" jumper on top and not pulling the whole thing apart, but I was curious what was going on.

I have had a few minor things with this vette (rear view mirror, radio, rear hatch), but the Lights are a Safety concern to me. Luckily, they went out on a well lite highway and not some dark curvy back road.

I would think if Chevy did issue a Service Bulletin on this, they could figure out which fix was faster and cheaper... Replace the whole fuse block or just install the little jumper wire on the easy side of the board. Chevy fixing it themselves would be better than the Media spouting off about some RECALL on corvettes.

lght spd

I got a call today. We are currently playing phone tag. I will follow up with them again tomorrow and will definitely send him a link to this thread if I get a email address.

Bill Curlee

While you have their EAR,,,,,, Tell them about the Steering Wheel Position Sensor connector failure issue that causes C6s to apply brakes randomly to the front left or front right Brake Rear Left or rear right and that causes the car to pull hard LEFT or RIGHT at highway speeds.

There have been NUMEROUS CRASHES due to this issue

It been a HOT issue ever since 2005.

http://forums.corvetteforum.com/c6-t...er-action.html

Bill

dobedave

According to the dealers transaction history details, on my C6 2005 on 11/11/2005 they replaced the sensor, steering wheel rotation at 4,547 miles.

Then on 08/23/2010 they inspect SWPS connector at 35,431 miles so I guess they know about this.

EBvette02

Yeah, I had this problem. did the fix by soldering the broken wire in the fuse box, and then running another wire just to be safe. I also filed a report and they called me back asking if my lights just turned off while I was driving.

so they are investing this.

rporter888

New at this forum but wanted to share that I had the same issue. repair was relatively simple but reported the issue as well. took pictures as I did the repair so if anyone needs them they are available.

sobmstr

Had low side headlamps go out this morning, happy that at least hi-beams would still work.
Found the suggested fix to fuse box so will perform this weekend. Thanks to all who have posted the failure/fix info, this forum a great resource. How did we ever survive without the internet!
I would suggest anyone that has had this issue file a complaint with NHTSA/DOT. The more complaints the more likely there will be a campaign.

doje

Ok, call me stupid (no, please don't) but why is everyone following the original wire path? It seems to me that GM used that wire path to avoid the holes that later became heat rivets. Now that we aren't trying to delaminate the boards, we could just go straight out to the edge and down to the other end while only making two bends total. Am I missing something?

I took mine apart last night, found "the break" (same spot) and will be rewiring tonight.

KA5IVR

I'm not sure if it was caused by the path, the expansion/contraction of the wire at that point with heat, or the Bending process of the original wire.

I almost think what ever bent the wire at that point stretched it out just a little at that point, more than the other bends. ???


I followed a little different path with mind, just to be safe.

Bill Curlee

How about some picture of the new path and finished product.

Bill

doje

I would disagree. I don't think its coincidence that the tightest bend on the board ended up as the primary failure point for so many people. The expansion and contraction are causing that bend to increase and decrease to much. Just like bending the tab on a Pepsi can back and forth until it finally gives way.

doje

That's my intention. I just figured it was so obvious that others must have considered it. Just wanted to see if someone else had some insight before I waste my time because of something I didn't consider.