There are 6 owner-reported powertrain & transmission complaints for the 2009 Chevrolet Corvettein NHTSA's database. These are unverified consumer reports and may not reflect confirmed defects.
THIS IS HAPPENING INTERMITTENTLY, BUT FREQUENTLY: AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION SHIFTER STAYS LOCKED IN PARK, DESPITE ENGINE RUNNING AND FOOT FIRMLY ON THE BRAKE PEDAL. CAN'T SHIFT OUT OF PARK. THIS HAPPENS WHEN CAR IS PARKED, STARTING IT UP AND TRYING TO SHIFT INTO REVERSE OR DRIVE. THE PROBLEM HAS SOMETHING TO DO WITH THE ELECTRONIC/MECHANICAL INTERLOCK OF THE AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION. THERE IS AN ELECTRONIC SWITCH OR SOLENOID THAT IS MALFUNCTIONING, THE PREVENTS THE MECHANICAL TRANSMISSION LOCK FROM DISENGAGING. TO WORKAROUND THE PROBLEM, YOU CAN TRY TO: - TURN THE CAR OFF, AND RESTART IT. AFTER MULTIPLE TRIES, IF YOU ARE LUCKY THE TRANSMISSION INTERLOCK MAY RELEASE SUCCESSFULLY. - THERE IS AN EMERGENCY WORKAROUND PROCEDURE WHERE BY PUTTING THE CAR IN ACCESSORY MODE BEFORE STARTING IT, YOU CAN BYPASS THE INTERLOCK SYSTEM. - THE CHEVROLET DEALERS I HAVE HEARD FROM RECOMMEND REPLACING THE ENTIRE SHIFTER SYSTEM FOR $700-$1000. BUT THE NEW SHIFTERS HAVE THE VERY SAME DESIGN PROBLEM! SO NEW SHIFTERS ARE SUSCEPTIBLE TO THE SAME FAILURES IN THE FUTURE! WHEN GOOGLING THIS ISSUE ON THE INTERNET FORUMS, IT APPEARS THIS IS A WELL-KNOWN PROBLEM AFFECTING "6TH-GENERATION" CORVETTES MANUFACTURED BETWEEN 2005 AND 2013. (I HAVE A 2009 MODEL.) APPARENTLY GM HAS KNOWN ABOUT THIS PROBLEM FOR YEARS, BUT HAS NOT INVESTED IN ANY RECALL. AS A RESULT, IT APPEARS MANY OWNERS ARE CHOOSING TO DISABLE THE TRANSMISSION INTERLOCK SINCE IT IS UNRELIABLE. I WOULD LIKE TO URGE GM TO ISSUE A RECALL TO FIX THIS PROBLEM. *TR
CAR WILL NOT START WITH TRANSMISSION IN PARK. BATTERY IS NEW AND FULLY CHARGED. PREVIOUS TO THIS THE TRANSMISSION SHIFTER CABLE FAILED SUDDENLY LEAVING ME STUCK IN PARK.
VEHICLE LOCKED IN PARK CAN NOT MOVE SHIFTER TO OTHER POSITIONS.
WHEN GETTING READY TO PULL OUT OF THE GARAGE THE CLUTCH WENT TO THE FLOOR & WOULD NOT COME BACK UP. *TR
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2009 CHEVROLET CORVETTE ZR1. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 70 MPH, THE CLUTCH FAILED AND THE CLUTCH PEDAL REMAINED IN A DOWNWARD POSITION. THE CONTACT HAD TO USE FORCE TO SHIFT OUT OF FOURTH GEAR BUT, AFTERWARDS, WAS UNABLE TO SHIFT INTO ANY GEAR DUE TO THE CLUTCH FAILURE. THE DEALER STATED THAT THE CLUTCH MASTER CYLINDER FAILED AND NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 7,000. ..UPDATED 09-09-14 *BF UPDATED 12/18/2014 *JS
WHILE DRIVING ON I-275 I FIRST EXPERIENCED A MUFFLED NOISE IN THE CAR THAT SOUNDED LIKE WIND. THE CAR WAS NOT HOLDING THE ROAD AS IT USUALLY DOES AND THE REAR SWAYED A BIT. NEXT, THERE WAS A SOUND LIKE A THUMP. MY DASHBOARD LIT UP LIKE A CHRISTMAS TREE WITH A WARNING THAT TRACTION CONTROL WAS NOT WORKING AND THAT I SHOULD SEEK IMMEDIATE REPAIR. NEXT, THE VEHICLE LOST A LOT OF ITS POWER AND DECELERATED RATHER SUDDENLY FORM 70 TO APPROX 45 MPH. CAR HAD NO ENERGY OR PEP AND LIGHT SAID ENGINE POWER LOSS. FORTUNATELY NOBODY WAS BEHIND ME WHEN THE DECELERATION OCCURRED. I EXITED THE EXPRESSWAY AND WAS JUST FEW MILES FROM HOTEL AND PARKED IT. HAD IT TOWED THE NEXT DAY TO A DEALER IN TAMPA. DO NOT YET KNOW DIAGNOSIS ON THE CAR. WILL PROBABLY HEAR TOMORROW. BUT IT WAS A REAL SHOCK TO HAVE THIS HAPPEN SO SUDDENLY AND THE DECELERATION WAS SUDDEN AND IF CAR HAD BEEN BEHIND ME IT COULD HAVE BEEN A PROBLEM. *TR
Complaints are unverified consumer reports submitted to NHTSA. A high complaint count may reflect vehicle popularity, not defect severity. Data sourced from NHTSA public records.
Data synced from NHTSA on Apr 25, 2026