2001 Chevrolet Corvette

GOT OFF WORK AND TRY TO TURN THE CAR TO GO HOME BUT THE STEERING WHEEL WOULDN'T UNLOCK AND A MESSAGE POPPED SAYING "SERVICE STEERING COLUMN LOCK", THE CAR HAS BEEN SITTING AT WORK EVER SINCE. CONTACT THE CHEVY DEALERSHIP CLOSES AND THEY SAID THAT THE VIN NUMBER WAS NOT ASSOCIATED WITH ANY RECALL, ALTHOUGH MY CAR APPEAR TO FALL UNDER RECALL # 04V06000

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2001 CHEVROLET CORVETTE. WHILE DRIVING AT ANY SPEED, THE STEERING COLUMN LOCKED, EVEN WHILE THE KEY WAS IN THE IGNITION. THE CONTACT PLACED THE VEHICLE INTO DRIVE AND BEGAN TO ACCELERATE, BUT THE STEERING COLUMN REMAINED LOCKED. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED. SHE CALLED THE DEALER AND MANUFACTURER AND WAS INFORMED THAT THE RECALL INVOLVING HER VEHICLE EXPIRED ON FEBRUARY 29, 2008. THE RECALL NUMBER WAS UNKNOWN. THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 60,000 AND FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 59,990.

AS WITH MANY OTHER C-5 CORVETTE OWNERS I HAVE HAD AN EXPERIENCE CONCERNING MY STEERING COLUMN TO LOCK UP AND THUS MAKE IT IMPOSSIBLE TO DRIVE THE CAR. I HAD RECEIVED A BULLETIN ABOUT THIS ISSUE A COUPLE OF YEARS AGO AND EVEN THOUGH I HAD NOT YET HAD THE ISSUE I TOOK THE CAR IN AND HAD THE SUPPOSED REQUIRED FIX. HOWEVER A FEW DAYS AGO WHILE BACKING OUT OF MY DRIVE WAY THE COLUMN LOCKED UP AND NO MATTER WHAT I DID I COULD NOT GET IT TO UNLOCK. I CALLED THE DEALER ABOUT THE ISSUE AND HAD TO HAVE THE CAR TOWED IN UPON THEIR RECOMMENDATION, DUE TO THE FACT THAT EVEN IF I GOT IT UNLOCKED IT COULD POTENTIALLY LOCK UP AGAIN EVEN WHILE I WAS DRIVING DOWN THE ROAD. IT HAS BECOME EVIDENT TO ME AT THIS POINT AFTER RESEARCHING THIS ISSUE ONLINE AS WELL AS REFERRING BACK TO MY ORIGINAL BULLETIN THAT THIS IS WITHOUT A DOUBT A CHEVROLET'S MANUFACTURING DEFECT. HOWEVER WHEN I CALLED CHEVROLET THEY BASICALLY SAID TOUGH COOKIES AND REALLY DID NOT GIVE A YOU KNOW WHAT. THE DEALERS FIX AS THEY INFORMED ME COMES STRAIGHT FROM GENERAL MOTORS IS TO JUST DELETE THE LOCKING MECHANISMS THUS RENDERING PART OF THE ANTI-THEFT SYSTEM MUTE. I HAVE TALKED WITH MANY CORVETTE SPECIALISTS ABOUT THIS SITUATION AND IT DEFINITELY IS A PROBLEM, NO MATTER WHAT CHEVROLET TRIES TO SAY. AND THE FACT THAT THEIR FIX IS TO BYPASS THE SYSTEM INSTEAD OF FIXING THE PARTS INVOLVED PRETTY MUCH TELLS YOU THAT THEY HAVE A PROBLEM. EVEN WITH ALL THIS THEY ARE GOING TO MAKE ME PAY FOR THIS ISSUE. I HAVE CONTACTED AN ATTORNEY AND AM LOOKING AT ALL MY OPTIONS, HOWEVER AT THIS POINT I HAVE NO CHOICE BUT TO SHELL OUT THE 450 TO 650 BUCKS IT IS GOING TO COST ME TO FIX GM'S SCREW UP.*JB

AUTOMOBILE WAS RECALLED FOR LOCK STEERING COLUMN IN APPROX 2004 WHILE UNDER 36000 MILE WARRANTY STEERING LOCKED AND RECALL WAS DONE. IN NOV 2006 STEERING COLUMN LOCKED AGAIN. THIS TIME LOCAL CHEVROLET DEALER WOULD NOT WARRANTY THE SAME LOCKED STEERING COLUMN PROBLEM. WAS TOLD WOULD NOT FIX SAME PROBLEM TWICE UNDER RECALL BY MANUFACTURE. *NM

DT*: THE CONTACT STATED A RECALL NOTICE #04V060000 WAS RECEIVED ON THE 2002 MODEL FOR ONE OF THE TWO VEHICLES OF THE SAME MAKE AND MODEL REGARDING THE STEERING. THE 2002 WAS TAKEN TO THE SERVICE DEALER IN 2004 FOR THE REMEDY REPAIR WHERE A PROGRAMMING CHANGE WAS MADE TO THE VEHICLE. IN SEPTEMBER OF 2006, WHEN THE 2002 VEHICLE WAS STARTED, THE DRIVING INFORMATION CENTER DISPLAYED THAT THE STEERING HAD LOCKED. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO THE DEALER. THE CONTACT ALSO OWNED A 2001 OF THE SAME MAKE AND MODEL BUT A RECALL NOTICE WAS NOT RECEIVED FOR THIS VEHICLE. THE CONTACT WAS CONCERNED THAT THE STEERING MAY ALSO LOCK ON THIS VEHICLE. THE MANUFACTURER WAS CONTACTED AND DETERMINED THE 2001 VEHICLE WAS NOT INCLUDED IN THE RECALL DUE TO THE VIN.

DT*: THE CONTACT STATED PREVIOUSLY THERE WAS NOT A PROBLEM WITH THE STEERING COLUMN. THERE IS A NHTSA RECALL # 04V060000 CONCERNING THE STEERING COLUMN LOCKING ANTI-THEFT DEVICE. AFTER THE RECALL WORK WAS PERFORMED, THE STEERING COLUMN BEGAN TO LOCK. THE VEHICLE IS CURRENTLY AT THE DEALERSHIP AWAITING REPAIRS. THE MANUFACTURER WAS ALERTED.

STEERING COLUMN LOCKED UP TWO TIMES WITHIN A 2 WEEK PERIOD AFTER HAVING RECALL PERFORMED IN YEAR PRIOR TO THIS INCIDENT. FIRST LOCKUP OCCURRED FOR 2 1/2 HOURS AND SECOND OCCURRED FOR 20 MINUTES BOTH OF WHICH CAUSED THE VEHICLE TO BE COMPLETELY UNUSABLE SINCE IT COULD NOT BE DRIVEN. BEING CONCERNED WITH THE LOCKING AFTER THE SO CALLED RECALL FOR THE STEERING COLUMN LOCK PROBLEM BEING PERFORMED, I TOOK THE VEHICLE TO THE DEALERSHIP WHERE I WAS INFORMED THAT THE LOCKING MECHANISM WOULD HAVE TO BE REPLACED NOT UNDER ANY WARRANTY OR RECALL BECAUSE IT WAS "BROKEN". LATER I FOUND OUT THAT A BAD WIRE IS THE REASON FOR THIS PART (#88965331) HAVING TO BE REPLACED. I CONTACTED GM CUSTOMER ASSISTANCE AND WAS INFORMED THAT THIS BROKEN PART HAD NOTHING TO DO WITH THE RECALL AND THEREFORE HAS COST ME $486.97 OF WHICH $282 WAS FOR THE "GM GOODWRENCH" TO PERFORM LABOR DURING 3 HOURS THEY SAID IT TOOK. I CANNOT BELIEVE IT TOOK A GM GOODWRENCH MECHANIC 3 HOURS TO REPLACE A COLUMN LOCK PART BECAUSE OF A WIRE. GM GAVE ME THE TYPICAL BRUSH OFF FOR CORVETTE OWNERS WITH REGARDS TO THESE COLUMN LOCK PROBLEMS BY TELLING ME THAT THEY WILL KEEP INFORMATION ABOUT THIS PROBLEM IN THERE RECORDS. HOW CAN A CAR WITH ONLY 13K MILES START HAVING FAILURES OF PARTS THAT NOBODY EVER HAS ACCESS TO WITHIN THE STEERING COLUMN AND THEN GM HAS THE NERVE TO TELL ME IT IS NOT A DEFECTIVE PART. *NM

DT: CALLER HAD RECALL WORK DONE ON MAY 11, 2005. CALLER DID NOT HAVE THE PROBLEM UNTIL THE RECALL WORK WAS DONE. STEERING: ANTI-THEFT DEVICEFAILED. CALLER SAID THAT WHILE HE WAS PULLING OUT OF DRIVEWAY THE VEHICLE LOCKED. TURNED IT OFF, AND WHEN HE STARTED IT AGAIN IT CAME UNLOCKED. HE HAD TO HAVE VEHICLE HAULED TO DEALER. DEALER HAS VEHICLE NOW AND CAN NOT FIND PROBLEM. MANUFACTURER HAS NOT BEEN CONTACTED YET. *AK