Chevrolet Corvette Years to Avoid — and the Years to Buy
Every Chevrolet Corvette model year from 1990 to 2025, benchmarked against each other with 6,170 federal complaints, 40 recall campaigns, and the odometer readings owners put in their reports.
Avoid: 1998–2000, 2005–2008. These years top the Corvette's complaint rankings by volume and severity.
Safer bets: 1990, 1994–1996, 2010–2016, 2018–2020 — the quietest years with at least four years on the road.
The method in one line: every NHTSA complaint for this model is counted, weighted for crashes, fires, injuries, and deaths, and each year is measured against the Corvette's own worst year — full methodology.
Under investigation. Federal regulators currently have an open defect investigation on the Chevrolet Corvette.
Component: AIR BAGS:FRONTAL:DRIVER SIDE:INFLATOR MODULE
From 2000 through 2017, Takata produced millions of air bag inflators using two types of phase-stabilized ammonium nitrate ("PSAN") propellant -- propellant 2004 and propellant 2004L. After prolonged exposure to high temperature cycles and humidity, inflators using propellant 2004 can degrade,…
Model years named: 2014
An investigation is not a recall; it may close with no action. All open investigations →
The trouble strip
One cell per model year. The whole answer in one glance — click any year for the full report.
The defining problem
Steering tops the Chevrolet Corvette file with 1,130 complaints, concentrated in the 1998–2000 model years, most often reported around 36,200 miles. The year pages break down what fails and when.
Every year, ranked
| Year | Verdict | Complaints | Recalls | Top problem | Trouble index |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Few reports | 12 | 3 | — | 2 |
| 2024 | Too early to call | 32 | 2 | — | 6 |
| 2023 | Typical | 36 | 1 | — | 9 |
| 2022 | Few reports | 23 | 1 | — | 3 |
| 2021 | Few reports | 15 | 2 | — | 3 |
| 2020 | Better year | 43 | 4 | Body & structure | 7 |
| 2019 | Better year | 151 | 1 | Wheels & tires | 19 |
| 2018 | Better year | 53 | 1 | Wheels & tires | 7 |
| 2017 | Below average | 272 | 4 | Wheels & tires | 36 |
| 2016 | Better year | 114 | 2 | Wheels & tires | 15 |
| 2015 | Better year | 72 | 5 | Transmission & drivetrain | 13 |
| 2014 | Better year | 79 | 5 | Other | 13 |
| 2013 | Better year | 94 | 0 | Fuel system | 12 |
| 2012 | Better year | 71 | 1 | Fuel system | 10 |
| 2011 | Better year | 99 | 1 | Fuel system | 13 |
| 2010 | Better year | 90 | 0 | Fuel system | 13 |
| 2009 | Typical | 178 | 0 | Fuel system | 22 |
| 2008 | Avoid | 625 | 0 | Fuel system | 83 |
| 2007 | Avoid | 434 | 2 | Fuel system | 59 |
| 2006 | Avoid | 441 | 5 | Electrical | 62 |
| 2005 | Avoid | 718 | 6 | Electrical | 100 |
| 2004 | Below average | 257 | 4 | Fuel system | 35 |
| 2003 | Typical | 127 | 3 | Steering | 23 |
| 2002 | Typical | 191 | 3 | Steering | 24 |
| 2001 | Below average | 281 | 3 | Steering | 39 |
| 2000 | Avoid | 359 | 4 | Steering | 56 |
| 1999 | Avoid | 389 | 4 | Steering | 60 |
| 1998 | Avoid | 466 | 4 | Steering | 63 |
| 1997 | Typical | 196 | 7 | Steering | 26 |
| 1996 | Better year | 63 | 1 | Electrical | 11 |
| 1995 | Better year | 48 | 1 | — | 12 |
| 1994 | Better year | 38 | 1 | — | 6 |
| 1993 | Few reports | 26 | 2 | — | 5 |
| 1992 | Few reports | 8 | 2 | — | 2 |
| 1991 | Few reports | 28 | 3 | — | 7 |
| 1990 | Better year | 41 | 4 | Airbags | 7 |
Technical service bulletins
Beyond complaints and recalls, 24,751 manufacturer communications — service bulletins, service campaigns, warranty extensions — are on file for the Chevrolet Corvette. A TSB is factory repair guidance, not a recall — the repair is not automatically free.
Browse the Chevrolet Corvette TSB list by year →
Questions buyers ask
What Chevrolet Corvette years should I avoid?
Federal complaint records point to 1998–2000, 2005–2008 as the Chevrolet Corvette years to avoid — they drew the highest volume of serious complaints relative to the model's other years.
What is the most common Chevrolet Corvette problem?
Steering tops the Chevrolet Corvette file with 1,130 complaints, concentrated in the 1998–2000 model years, most often reported around 36,200 miles.
What are the best Chevrolet Corvette years to buy used?
The quietest Chevrolet Corvette years in federal records are 1990, 1994–1996, 2010–2016, 2018–2020 — each with at least four years on the road and well-below-average complaint volume for this model.
Every number on this page is a count of records in the federal complaint, recall, and investigation files published by NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation. Counts cover the Chevrolet Corvette only, scored against this model's own worst year — not against other models. Check any specific vehicle's open recalls by VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.