Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (engine, cooling system, oil leaks, timing chain, exhaust).
Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2007 Chevrolet Corvette owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
The contact owns a 2007 Chevrolet Corvette. The contact stated that while the vehicle was parked in his garage with the engine off, the contact turned on the accessory switch which caused the engine to start. Once the engine started, the vehicle began to roll backward with the driver-side door open which caused the contact to be knocked over. The contact was dragged with the vehicle out of his garage as the driver's side door was caught by a part of the house garage door jamb which folded the door. The driver door detached the vehicle as the driver-side window burst and damaged the interior door panel. The contact was able to roll free from the vehicle once it left the garage; the vehicle rolled into his neighbor's landscaping which caused the vehicle to stop. The contact suffered cuts and scrapes to the right side of his back, buttocks, arm, ankle, as well as, his left and right legs. …
The contact owns a 2007 Chevrolet Corvette. The contact stated the engine of the vehicle was replaced because he wanted to update the engine. The contact stated that once the engine was replaced the vehicle would not start. The dealer diagnosed the vehicle and stated that 5 cylinder fractured causing the engine to lock up. The manufacturer was contacted and provided no further assistance. The failure mileage was 0.
After starting the vehicle I am unable to shift out of park. This endangers both myself and a passenger if I need to move the car quickly in case of fire or another vehicle or object coming toward me. It also endangers other passengers in vehicles I may be blocking because they are unable to move. There are many other C6 Corvettes with this same problem documented per the Corvette Forum and YouTube.
On 2/24/18 while driving the vehicle in first gear taking off from a stoplight averaging a speed no higher than 30mph and not yet entering 2nd gear the vehicle made a loud screeching noise from the motor area and then abruptly stopped and shut off the engine. A dashboard warning of reduced motor speed appeared and the vehicle stayed in accessory mode only allowing the interior electrical systems to operate. The roadway that I was on being 3 lanes wide and at time of engine failure I was in the middle lane, I was forced to attempt to take vehicle off main roadway onto a side street. Being that the engine abruptly stopped, speed was lost rather quickly putting me in a dangerous situation where the vehicles behind me and next to me could potentially hit me endangering my safety. …
I was participating in a high performance driving education (hpde) event and was driving my car going approximately 50 MPH on the virginia international raceway (vir) on Tuesday afternoon, June 27, 2017, when it seemed to loose acceleration. I drove further on the track and still did not have normal acceleration and I saw blue smoke coming out the exhaust so I exited the track and when I got in the engine stopped. Several mechanic type people familiar with corvettes looked at my car engine and instructed me to try to start it, which I was able to do and again blue exhaust smoke came out. I turned off the engine and had it towed to my car dealer, holiday Chevrolet in williamsburg, va. Their mechanics determined that the exhaust valve in cylinder #1 dropped from the head into the cylinder and eventually exited the engine through the exhaust port and into the catalytic converter. …
Car goes into deferred engine power. Replaced throttle body 3 times. The car starts to vibrate and then shuts down. This is dangerous for the driver and could get killed. We have checked engine leaks, sensors, etc. The car will drive okey for a little while and then engine light goes on and then starts to vibrate and shuts down and stops. I have to wait a little while, sometimes it will start up and sometimes will not. I cannot drive long distances or at night for fear the car will just stop. This is dangerous. I do not know what to do. Brought to the dealer and they just say, get a new vette, they do not take this problem seriously. Nor do their technicians know how to work on a vette. They have had the directions on how to take care of the problem in a notebook. One tech left his notes in my car. If a doctor had to take out his notes to see how to do a surgery, I wouldn't go to him. …
I have a 2007 Corvette z06 with 43 k miles on it. I decided to have someone check my car because of the article I had read about the ls7 engines having valve guide issues. I was sure that they would be OK because the Corvette sites say it is only a minor amount of heads that were machined in correctly. I was having other work done to my Corvette so looked for a place that does mostly Corvette service, I told the mechanic to check my valve guides while he was doing the other work I was sure they would of been OK. Upon my surprise he sent me videos showing me that they were not OK and needed to be repaired. It cost me $1,950.00 to have my heads cnc and new valve guides and springs installed the old ones were very bad I have videos showing this, the car was running with little valve noise at the time but were still bad mechanic would not even dyno the car after seeing how bad they were.
Tl* the contact owns a 2007 Chevrolet Corvette. The contact initially smelled an abnormal fuel odor emitting from the vehicle while driving at various speeds. The contact also noticed spots around his left rear tire in his driveway. The contact took the vehicle to an independent mechanic where they diagnosed the vehicle with a defective fuel pump, and the fuel pump was replaced. Since the repair, the contact stated that his fuel gauge had become defective and would give false readings. The contact spoke with burns Chevrolet of gaffney (101 peachoid rd, gaffney, sc 29341) where he attempted to purchase a fuel pump but was unsuccessful. The manufacturer had yet to be notified of the failure. The fuel gauge had not been repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 60,100.
Needle bearings were found in oil pan. This is very common problems in GM vehicles as defective uncaged rocker arm design which causes rocker arms to easily break off bearings. GM even issues a bulletin, but owners have to bear the cost of defective factory-parts. Broken needle bearings could end up in engine and destroy engine. Even owners replace broken rocker arms, they will fail because they're uncaged. To repair permanently, owners have to install caged rocker arms from non-factory part, which will nullify warranty. Owners are trapped in keep replacing rocker arms, or install non-defective non-factory caged rocker arms and lose warranty. GM should recall this problem.
While passing a large truck on a rural highway (fm 2004) the engine dropped a valve which as I have been informed is a known issue on these cars with the z06 ls7 engine having premature valve guide wear. The motor locked up after the piston hit the valve resulting in catastrophic engine damage causing the rear tires to lock up as a result of the engine locking. I was able to apply the clutch and regain control of the car and there was no accident other than a close call with the 18 wheeler I was trying to pass. There are numerous instances of the same issues I have seen while researching with this car from 2007 to 2013 7.0 liter engine from GM.
Engine complaints in other Corvette years
Frequently asked questions
How common are engine problems on the 2007 Chevrolet Corvette?
NHTSA has 28 complaints about the engine & cooling of the 2007 Chevrolet Corvette, 8% of the model year's 341 complaints. The component named most often is engine (1 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2007 Chevrolet Corvette engine problems?
No. NHTSA lists no engine & cooling recall for the 2007 Chevrolet Corvette, though it has 2 recalls for other components. If the problem is widespread, a repair may still be covered by an extended warranty or a manufacturer service bulletin — ask a dealer.
At what mileage do 2007 Chevrolet Corvette engine problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 33,000 miles, and 42% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 2 crashes, 1 fire and 1 injury to engine & cooling problems on this model year. If you notice symptoms, have the car checked before driving further.
Source: U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) — owner complaints through October 20, 2026, recalls and defect investigations; fuel economy from the EPA. Complaints are unverified reports and are not proof of a defect. How we rate model years.