2001 Chevrolet Corvette

STEERING COLUMN LOCKED - LOCKING PIN DID NOT RELEASE DURING KEY TURN BUT ENGINE TURNED OVER. THIS OCCURED THE SAME WAY THREE TIMES. FIRST TIME WAS A YEAR AGO. HAD DEALER REPAIR IT BUT THEY CLAIMED IT WAS A WEAK BATTERY, THEY CHARGED IT AND SIMPLY SAID THEY RESET IT.. DUE TO HOW LONG THEY HAD IT, I HAD TO RENT A CAR WHICH ULTIMATELY COST ME $350. SECOND TIME, A DIFFERENT DEALER CLAIMED IT WAS THE BCM NEEDING REPROGRAMMING AND THAT IT WAS NOT THE SAME THING AS THE CURRENT RECALL AT THE TIME (SPECIFICALLY RELATED TO THE PCM) DESPITE THE SEEMINGLY SIMILAR EXPLAINATION OF THE RECALL. IT WAS JUST OUT OF WARRANTY AND LEAD TO A COST OF $275. THE THIRD TIME, SAME EXACT THING HAPPENED AGAIN AND THIS TIME THE SAME DEALER CLAIMED IT WAS THE STEERING COLUMN LOCK ACTUATOR OR OTHERWISE KNOWN AS THE SOLENOID. THEY ARE NOW IN THE PROCESS OF REPLACING THE WHOLE LOCKING ASSEMBLY FOR $315 ($175+LABOR). ALL THREE INCIDENCES OCCURED WITH A WEAKENED BATTERY YET THE ENGINE HAD NO PROBLEMS TURNING OVER SUGGESTING THAT DAMAGE COULD HAVE OCCURED. EACH TIME, I WAS STRANDED WITHOUT A VEHICLE FOR SEVERAL DAYS AND THE TOTAL COST IS NOW ROUGHLY $1000 OUT OF MY POCKET. I SHOULD ALSO MENTION THAT SINCE TOW TRUCKS ARE NOT DESIGNED WITH THE CORVETTE IN MIND, EACH AND EVEY TIME MY VEHICLE GETS TOWED, I HAVE TO ASSIST THE TOW TRUCK SO AS TO AVOID FURTHER DAMAGE WHILE THEY BARELY GET THE VEHICLE ON THE FLAT BED. THIS ALONE IS ENOUGH STRESS LET ALONE THE COST OF THE TOWS. *AK

WHILE DRIVING ON HWY AT 65-70 MPH STARTED TO TURN INTO CONVIENCE STORE, AND TURNED WHEEL FROM 12 TO 2 O'CLOCK POSITION, BUT DECIDED NOT TO GO INTO STORE. DRIVER TRIED TO TURN WHEEL LEFT TO STRAIGHTEN OUT THE CAR, BUT WHEEL WOULD NOT TURN, AND STAYED LOCKED FOR 10-15 SECONDS BEFORE DRIVER WAS ABLE TO GET IT UNLOCKED. DRIVER ENDED UP WITH 2 WHEELS IN A DITCH, AND DAMAGE TO FRONT END. DEALER CONTACT: MATT JOHNSON. *AK

2001 CHEVROLET CORVETTE CONVERTIBLE, PARKED AT GOLF COURSE, STARTED CAR TO LEAVE AND REALIZED THE STEERING WHEEL WAS LOCKED. THE DASH DISPLAY READ "SERVICE STEERING COLUMN." THE CAR SAT AT THE GOLF COURSE A COUPLE DAYS WHILE I CHECKED WITH MECHANICS, FRIENDS, INTERNET AND NHTSA (MY SON WORKS FOR YOU). I DISCOVERED THIS IS A FREQUENT PROBLEM WITH CORVETTES FROM 1997 AND UP (C5 BODY STYLE). I TRIED ALL THE "TRICKS" I WAS TOLD BY SEVERAL PEOPLE INCLUDING SHAKING THE STEERING WHEEL HARD LEFT TO RIGHT WITH THE KEY OUT OF THE IGNITION AND IN THE IGNITION, PLUS USING THE KEY INSTEAD OF THE REMOTE CONTROL TO UNLOCK THE DOOR. NOTHING WORKED. I HAD IT TOWED TO A CHEVROLET DEALER. THEY HAD IT SEVERAL DAYS AND COMMENTED THEY COULD NOT UNLOCK IT WITH THEIR SPECIAL TOOL. THEY FIXED IT IN THE END BY INSTALLING GM PART NUMBER 26050960 WHICH IS THE STEERING WHEEL LOCK ASSEMBLY/THEFT DETERRENT ACTUATOR. THE REPAIR BILL OF $392 ($171 FOR THE PART) STATED THE STEERING WHEEL LOCK HAD AN OPEN CIRCUIT CAUSING IT NOT TO RELEASE. THEY JUMP STARTED VEHICLE & VERIFIED CONCERN, REMOVED AND REPLACED THE STEERING LOCK ASSEMBLY/THEFT DETERRENT ACTUATOR. THIS CAR HAS 45000 MILES ON IT, IS A MANUAL TRANSMISSION. *LA

I HAVE A 2001 CORVETTE. SINCE I'VE OWNED IT, SEVERAL PROBLEMS HAVE OCCURRED. THE FIRST BEING THE DRIVERS DOOR LOCK. THE CAR DEALER REPLACED THE MODULE TWICE AND THEN IT SWITCH ITSELF. THEN THE ELECTRONIC SYSTEM DEFAULTED WHERE I COULDN'T START THE CAR (TWICE). HAD TO HAVE IT TOWED BACK TO THE DEALERSHIP. THEN DRIVING ONE DAY THE FUEL GAUGE WENT FROM SHOWING HALF A TANK ALL THE WAY TO ZERO. ALL THE FUEL WARNING LIGHTS CAME ON. TOOK IT INTO SERVICE AND THEY REPROGRAMMED THE COMPUTER. THE VERY NEXT DAY I STARTED THE CAR AND THE STEERING WHEEL LOCK ENGAGED AFTER THE CAR FIRST STARTED, (I HAVEN'T HAD IT IN GEAR YET). THIS PROBLEM CONCERNED ME AND I STATED THAT TO THE SERVICE MANAGER WHO IMMEDIATELY STATED IT COULDN'T HAPPEN IF I WAS DRIVING THE CAR. (REALLY?) THEY REPAIRED THAT. THEN THE GAS GAUGE DID IT AGAIN. TOOK IT IN AGAIN AND THEY REPLACED SEVERAL ITEMS IN THE FUEL SYSTEM. NOW, ONE TANK OF GAS LATER, THE GAUGE DOESN'T READ PROPERLY. THE LOW LEVEL LIGHT CAME ON AND IT ONLY TOOK 10 GALLONS. TOOK IT BACK INTO THE DEALER AND THEY DON'T KNOW HOW TO FIX IT SO THEY'RE TALKING WITH GM ENGINEERS. ALSO THERE WERE SEVERAL OTHER 2001 CORVETTE'S IN FOR THE IDENTICAL PROBLEM. NOW (10/3/03) I HAVE A RENTAL CAR AND DON'T HAVE ANY IDEA WHEN THEY WILL BE ABLE TO FIX MINE. *LA

I WAS IN A SINGLE CAR ACCIDENT IN MY 2001 CORVETTE. I BOUGHT IT BRAND NEW. THE INJURIES I SUFFERED WERE NEARLY FATAL. I WAS AIR LIFTED TO A SHOCK TRAUMA UNIT, IN A COMA AND ON A RESPIRATOR FOR 21 DAYS AND REHABILITATION FOR SEVERAL MONTHS AFTER. I HAVE SUSTAINED SOME PERMANENT INJURIES AS A RESULT OF THIS ACCIDENT. THIS WAS A SINGLE CAR ACCIDENT INVOLVING ONLY MY VEHICLE. THE EVIDENCE POINTS TO A POSSIBLE STEERING COLUMN LOCK UP WHICH RENDERED ME UNABLE TO STEER THE CAR. THE VEHICLE RIGHT HAND SIDE WENT OVER A ROCK WALL ON A DRIVEWAY AND THEN WENT PERFECTLY STRAIGHT INTO TREE WHICH BEGAN TIPPING THE CAR OVER. NEXT TO THE TREE WAS A VERY LARGE TREE STUMP WHICH CAUGHT THE RIGHT SIDE OF THE CAR'S UNDERSIDE AND FINISHED ROLLING THE CAR. I WAS THROWN FROM THE CAR AS I WASN'T BELTED IN. (I HAD TROUBLE WITH THE DRIVER'S SIDE SEAT BELT IN THIS CAR ALSO.) THE ESTIMATED SPEED AT THE TIME OF THE CRASH WOULD BE AROUND 20 MPH. *NLM