Seat complaints by model year
| Year | Complaints | Share of year's complaints | Typical mileage |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 2 | 18% | 0 miles |
| 2014 | 1 | 2% | 0 miles |
| 2010 | 1 | 1% | 18,000 miles |
| 2007 | 1 | 0% | — |
| 2006 | 3 | 1% | 130,000 miles |
| 2005 | 3 | 1% | 89,000 miles |
| 2004 | 1 | 0% | 1,000 miles |
| 2003 | 2 | 2% | 58,000 miles |
| 2002 | 2 | 1% | — |
| 2001 | 4 | 2% | 70,000 miles |
| 2000 | 5 | 2% | 180,000 miles |
| 1999 | 12 | 4% | 49,000 miles |
| 1998 | 28 | 7% | 40,000 miles |
| 1997 | 10 | 7% | 50,000 miles |
| 1996 | 2 | 5% | — |
Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (seat frames, recliners, heated seats and seat tracks).
Mileage when the problem started
What owners report
This is a 2006 Corvette with roughly 82,000 miles. The driver's seat will intermittently collapse on the recline function, resulting in a seat that is reclined all the way back. When this occurs, I need to pull myself up by the steering wheel while the vehicle is going down the road.
The driver's side metal seat frame was shattered into 3 places. The seat would not recline properly, and as I was told by the dealer when I took it in to be fixed: the seat was floating loosely in the car when it arrived at his shop. The Corvette had only 29,900 miles on it, was not a daily driver, and had only seen recreational weekend use. The Corvette was never in an accident, always garaged, and well taken care of. As an aerospace engineer, I strongly believe there was a manufacturing defect in the seat frame that LED to this failure. The seat had only seen 29,900 miles or less of regular, every day use before the failure occurred. That leads me to believe there were hairline fractures in the metal seat frame before it was installed in my Corvette at the assembly plant. …
The active handling applies itself with normal non aggressive driving. When activated the brakes apply and lock up, this has happened in low speed turns at intersections and even when driving straight. I have had the vehicle to the dealership to resolve as this is a major safety concern leaving the car locked up in the middle of an intersection. They stated it was the sensor behind the steering wheel and they fixed it but the problem still persists. Secondly the driver seat has begun moving on its own and inching me closer to the steering wheel with no interference with the button while driving. I have since disconnected the seat fuse to prevent collision from improper driver positioning.
Power steering hose leak, had dealer remove, replace. I was covered under warranty purchase, also tail lights and headlights inoperable, had dealer perform safety inspection. Items corrected. Recent purchase jan. 2016 used.
Tl* the contact owns a 2001 Chevrolet Corvette. The contact stated that while reversing at low speeds moving, the steering wheel seized and the engine stalled causing the contact to crash into a trailer. The front passenger suffered injuries to the right arm. The driver's seat moved out of position and caused the contact to hit the steering wheel. The vehicle was towed to a specialized mechanic, who performed a diagnostic and located the failure at the ignition switch. Additionally, the driver's seat rail mounting was fractured to due to defective metal. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 70,000.
Dt*: the contact stated the driver's seat rocked back and forth while being driving in normal conditions. The vehicle was taken to the dealer for inspection. The dealer determined the bolts to the seat were not bolted correctly to the vehicle. The dealer offered to make repairs to the vehicle, but the contact declined.
While getting in my vehicle, the seats have an auto adjust memory function. However, while driving down the road, after pulling out of my driveway, on at least 5 occasions, my seats began to move backwards away from the pedals and steering wheel and I'm a rather short lady. This scared me to death!
Seat frame breakage - separation of seat from frame. The seat frame in my 2000 Corvette broke, causing the seat to separate from the frame and seat track. The seat dropped approximately one inch when it broke. The incident could result in loss of control of the vehicle. In a search of corvetteforum.com, I found that several other owners have experienced the same failure. GM is aware of the problem but has taken no action to correct the problem. If you investigate the seat design, you will find that the seat frame and attachment mechanism to the seat sliders are very thin and do not appear up to their designed task.
Frequently asked questions
Which Chevrolet Corvette years have seat problems?
By NHTSA complaints, the 1998 (28), 1999 (12), 1997 (10) and 2000 (5) model years. Seat complaints make up 7% of all complaints for the 1998.
Is there a recall for Chevrolet Corvette seat problems?
No. NHTSA lists no seats recall for any Chevrolet Corvette model year. A widespread problem may still be covered by an extended warranty or a manufacturer service bulletin, so ask a dealer.
At what mileage do Chevrolet Corvette seat problems start?
Across all years, half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 55,000 miles; 65% happened before 50,000 miles.
What part fails most often?
Owners most often name the front assembly › power adjust (11 mentions), followed by the front assembly › recliner (7).
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.