According to Au7o's research across NHTSA recalls, manufacturer TSBs, and owner forum reports, the 2006 Chevrolet Corvette has 4 documented known issues, with 1 rated critical. The most serious is LS7 Valve Guide and Valve Spring Failure - C6 Z06 ($2,500-$5,000 repair). Across all issues with published estimates, repair costs range from $200 to $5,000. DIY maintenance guides at au7o.io.
On the 2006-2013 Chevrolet Corvette, the C6 Z06 (2006-2013) uses the LS7 7.0L V8 with titanium intake valves and aggressive valve springs. The exhaust valve guides wear prematurely, allowing valves to cock sideways, break valve springs, and drop valves into cylinders. This is catastrophic engine failure. The issue is most common on 2006-2008 models but can affect all LS7s. GM extended the powertrain warranty but many cars are now beyond coverage. The titanium intake valves and sodium-filled exhaust valves are unique to the LS7.
Preventive valve spring and guide replacement is recommended for any LS7 that has not had this service. This requires head removal. Upgraded valve springs from Comp Cams or Manley and bronze valve guides from GM or aftermarket replace the failure-prone components. The LS7 is otherwise an outstanding engine when this issue is addressed.
On the 2006-2013 Chevrolet Corvette, the C6 Z06 (LS7) and ZR1 (LS9) use a dry sump oil system with an external oil tank and scavenge pump. The oil tank can develop internal baffle failure, and the scavenge pump lines can leak at fittings. The dry sump system is more complex than the wet sump in base C6 models. Oil level must be checked differently (engine must be running to get accurate level). Overfilling or underfilling can cause issues. Some owners report oil starvation during sustained high-G cornering despite the dry sump design.
Common Symptoms
Low oil pressure warning during hard cornering
Oil leak from dry sump lines or fittings
Oil level difficult to read accurately
Oil foaming (overfilled or air ingestion)
Scavenge pump noise
How to Fix
Inspect dry sump lines and fittings for leaks. Check oil level with engine running at operating temperature. Use the correct GM Mobil 1 5W-30 oil and do not overfill. For track use, an oil cooler upgrade and LG Motorsports or similar dry sump upgrade improve oil control under sustained G-loads.
On the 2005-2013 Chevrolet Corvette, the C6 Corvette does not use a single fuel tank. Because the rear transaxle and torque tube run down the centerline of the car, the fuel is carried in two connected saddle tanks straddling the driveline, and each tank carries its own level sender. The passenger-side tank holds the fuel pump module and the primary sender (Sensor 'A'); the driver-side tank holds the secondary sender (Sensor 'B'), which is the one P2067 reports on. The secondary sender is a wiper arm riding on a printed resistive card, and it is the resistive card and its contact surface that fail. Two mechanisms are documented by C5/C6 owners. The first is contamination: sulfur and ethanol residue in pump gasoline plate a film onto the contact track, and once the wiper starts skipping across a corroded or scored section of the card the ECM sees the signal collapse toward ground. The second is plain mechanical wear — the wiper cuts a groove into the card at the fuel levels the car spends most of its life at, and once it wears through the circuit reads as a short. Either way the signal voltage on the Sensor 'B' circuit drops below roughly 0.2 V and holds there, and the PCM sets P2067. Owners describe the gauge dropping to empty immediately after a fill-up, a 'Low Fuel' and 'Service Fuel System' message on the DIC, the range-to-empty readout going blank or nonsensical, and a check engine light that returns within a drive cycle or two of being cleared. Because the fault is contact-related rather than a hard open, it is often intermittent at first, appearing at one particular fuel level and then clearing as the float moves past the bad spot on the card, before eventually becoming permanent. Note that the wrong-year replacement sender is a genuine trap here: the resistance range specified for the sender changed during the C6 run, so a brand-new but incorrectly catalogued sender can leave the gauge reading wrong and the code still set. Owners also correlate which tank is at fault with when the gauge misbehaves, since fuel is drawn from the passenger tank first — a fault that appears only in the lower half of the tank points at the driver-side sender.
Fuel gauge drops to empty right after filling the tank
"Low Fuel" warning displayed with a full tank
"Service Fuel System" message on the driver information center
Range-to-empty / distance-to-empty readout blank or wildly wrong
Fuel gauge reading jumps or sticks at one level
Check engine light returns shortly after being cleared
How to Fix
Start by confirming that this really is Sensor 'B' and not a wiring fault, because the labor on this repair is what makes it expensive. With the key on, back-probe the driver-side sender signal circuit and watch the live fuel level Sensor 2 voltage on a scan tool; below roughly 0.2 V with fuel in the tank is the failure, and a healthy sender should read within roughly 0.5–3.5 V and vary with level. Unplug the sender at its connector — if the code flips from P2067 (low) to P2068 (high), the harness between the connector and the PCM is intact and the sender itself is the fault. If the code stays low with the sender unplugged, you have a short to ground in the harness and replacing the sender will accomplish nothing. Before condemning the part on a car with an intermittent, level-dependent symptom, it is worth running one or two tanks with a concentrated fuel system cleaner such as Techron and then sticking to Top Tier fuel; this occasionally polishes a lightly sulfated contact track back into range and has cured the complaint for some owners, though forum reports are mixed and it does nothing for a mechanically worn card or visibly corroded contacts. If the sender is genuinely dead, replacement means dropping the rear of the car apart: the exhaust system, the rear driveline components and the rear cradle have to come out to lower the tanks, which is why the shop estimate for this single small part runs into four figures — RepairPal puts the Corvette fuel level sending unit job well into the $2,000+ range, most of it access labor. Because the access labor is the entire cost, do not replace only the failed side — replace both the driver-side and passenger-side senders while the tanks are down, and order the sender specified for your exact model year so the resistance curve matches what the PCM expects. A capable DIYer with a lift can do the job for parts only, in the $350 to $600 range, but it is a full weekend and the fuel tanks must be drained first.
On the 2005-2013 Chevrolet Corvette, the C6 Corvette carries its fuel in two saddle-shaped tanks that straddle the driveline tunnel, each with its own level sender. The left tank holds the fuel pump module and its sender is Fuel Level Sensor 'A'; the right tank has a passive sender, Fuel Level Sensor 'B', and its fuel is siphoned across to the pump side. Because the right tank is drawn down first, the 'B' float and its resistor card spend much of the car's life sitting in vapor rather than submerged in gasoline, and owners report the code appearing most often when the car is driven hard on less than half a tank. That dry-wiping is what kills them: the wiper arm scrubs a dead spot or a high-resistance band into the resistive card, so the sender's output stops tracking fuel actually being burned. The PCM compares the two senders and the fuel actually consumed, and when the 'B' signal is present but not credible it sets P2066 rather than a hard open/short code such as P2067 or P2068. Owners typically describe a gauge that reads correctly on a fresh fill, then hangs at a fixed value for many miles before dropping abruptly, a Driver Information Center range-to-empty figure that goes nonsensical, and in some cases a gauge the cluster disables outright. The condition is not mechanically dangerous, but it strands owners who trust the gauge, and a stored MIL will block emissions readiness. Note that P2066 on this platform can also be provoked by a weak siphon jet pump that leaves the right tank unequally full, so the fuel level of both sides should be compared before condemning the sender.
Fuel gauge sticks at one reading then drops suddenly
Inaccurate or erratic fuel gauge
Distance-to-empty in the DIC reads implausibly
Code sets after hard driving on less than half a tank
Code returns days or weeks after being cleared
How to Fix
Start with data, not parts. With a scan tool, watch the Fuel Level Sensor A and Fuel Level Sensor B values while the car burns down a tank: a healthy sender sweeps smoothly, while a worn card either freezes at one value or jumps in steps. Back-probe the right sender connector and check the sender's resistance through its float travel; that also separates a bad sender from a corroded connector or a chafed harness where it passes over the tank saddle, both of which mimic the same fault. If the 'B' side reads full while 'A' drains fast, suspect the siphon jet pump rather than the sender. The accepted repair for a worn card is replacement of the right-hand fuel level sensor kit; the right and left senders are physically different and are not interchangeable, and the passenger-side kit is GM/ACDelco 19420830 (supersedes 19207711/19149683). Access requires lowering the rear of the exhaust and dropping or lowering the right tank, which is why labor dominates the bill. Replace the sender's seal at the same time, keep the tank as empty as practical before the drop, and clear codes and drive at least two full fuel-burn cycles before declaring the repair good, since the rationality monitor needs substantial fuel consumption to re-run. Owners also report that refilling at the half-tank mark keeps the right-side sender bathed in fuel and slows the wear.
STRUCTURE:BODY:HATCHBACK/LIFTGATE:HINGE AND ATTACHMENTS
GENERAL MOTORS (GM) IS RECALLING CERTAIN MODEL YEAR 2011-2012 CHEVROLET CORVETTE COUPE VEHICLES, MANUFACTURED FROM JANUARY 24, 2011, THROUGH SEPTEMBER 1, 2011, FOR FAILING TO COMPLY WITH THE REQUIREMENTS OF FEDERAL MOTOR VEHICLE SAFETY STANDARD NUMBER 206, "DOOR LOCKS AND DOOR RETENTION COMPONENTS". THE REAR HATCH HINGES MAY NOT MEET THE LOAD REQUIREMENTS SPECIFIED IN THE SAFETY STANDARD.
Campaign #11V49100003/10/2011
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What are the most common Chevrolet Corvette problems?
According to Au7o's research across NHTSA recalls, manufacturer TSBs, and owner forum reports, the 2006 Chevrolet Corvette has 4 documented issues. The most frequently reported are: LS7 Valve Guide and Valve Spring Failure - C6 Z06, Driver-Side Secondary Fuel Level Sender Fails in the Twin Saddle Tank, Dry Sump Oil System Issues - C6 Z06/ZR1. Of these, 1 is rated critical and should be addressed promptly.
Is the Chevrolet Corvette reliable?
The 2006 Chevrolet Corvette has 4 known issues compiled from NHTSA recalls, manufacturer TSBs, and owner forum reports. 1 issue is rated critical: LS7 Valve Guide and Valve Spring Failure - C6 Z06. Prospective buyers should inspect for these issues and factor potential repair costs into their purchase decision. Regular maintenance following the manufacturer's schedule helps prevent many common problems.
How much does it cost to fix common Chevrolet Corvette problems?
Repair costs for known Chevrolet Corvette issues range from $200 to $5,000, depending on the specific problem and whether you choose DIY or professional repair. The most critical issue, LS7 Valve Guide and Valve Spring Failure - C6 Z06, typically costs $2,500-$5,000 to repair. Au7o provides step-by-step DIY maintenance guides that can help reduce repair costs.
What is the 2006-2013 Chevrolet Corvette LS7 Valve Guide and Valve Spring Failure - C6 Z06?
The C6 Z06 (2006-2013) uses the LS7 7.0L V8 with titanium intake valves and aggressive valve springs. The exhaust valve guides wear prematurely, allowing valves to cock sideways, break valve springs, and drop valves into cylinders. This is catastrophic engine failure. The issue i… Repairs typically run $2,500-$5,000. Severity: high.
What is the 2005-2013 Chevrolet Corvette Driver-Side Secondary Fuel Level Sender Fails in the Twin Saddle Tank?
The C6 Corvette does not use a single fuel tank. Because the rear transaxle and torque tube run down the centerline of the car, the fuel is carried in two connected saddle tanks straddling the driveline, and each tank carries its own level sender. The passenger-side tank holds th… Repairs typically run $350-$2,900. Severity: medium.
What is the 2006-2013 Chevrolet Corvette Dry Sump Oil System Issues - C6 Z06/ZR1?
The C6 Z06 (LS7) and ZR1 (LS9) use a dry sump oil system with an external oil tank and scavenge pump. The oil tank can develop internal baffle failure, and the scavenge pump lines can leak at fittings. The dry sump system is more complex than the wet sump in base C6 models. Oil l… Repairs typically run $200-$1,500. Severity: medium.
What is the 2005-2013 Chevrolet Corvette Passenger-Side Fuel Level Sender Wears Out in the Right Saddle Tank?
The C6 Corvette carries its fuel in two saddle-shaped tanks that straddle the driveline tunnel, each with its own level sender. The left tank holds the fuel pump module and its sender is Fuel Level Sensor 'A'; the right tank has a passive sender, Fuel Level Sensor 'B', and its fu… Repairs typically run $350-$900. Severity: low.
Content on this page was compiled with AI assistance using NHTSA complaints, TSBs, owner reports, and public automotive data. While we strive for accuracy, this information may contain errors. Always verify repair procedures and specifications with your vehicle's service manual or a qualified mechanic.
