New to this forum stuff any help would be appreciated

Need Help, My 97 a4 had the recall aug 05, dealer said they fixed it,got to first stop after repair it lock up,had to have it towed, the next morning dealer called said they fixed it, and i owed them $99.oo,the battery cable was bad??. Today my wife was backing out of the parking garage and guess wat reared it's ugly head "Column Lock",the car did exactly what it did when it was towed moves about 4 ft and dies,the bat.cable look's ok have any ideas its going to be hard to get the car out of the p.garage very low celing.
Thanks Charles

 

I'd raise hell with your dealer and demand your $$$$ back.
In the mean time, read up on the column lock issues for your year model and get the Column Lock Bypass if it will work for your year model, I'm sure it will.

 

The relay has probably failed in the dealer installed harness........If the car never had the issue prior to the recall, remove that harness and it may be fine.........my 97' was

 

I agree. If the column lock actuator was working before the recall, go under the dash, remove the relay harness, and reconnect the actuator. Then you can at least drive it to the dealer to get it fixed without having to tow it again.

 

If so, then get the CLB kit and be done with it.

 

Thanks for the info. the column lock was acting up a little that is why i took it for recall, but could always get it unlocked but since the dealer messes with it not able,iwill try dissconecting the relay,could it be in the anti theft relay circuit?
Thanks Again

 

I think your problem is your screen name.

 

The Electronic Column Lock on this car relies on numerous relays to operate properly and not just the ones installed as part of a recall. The relays that are part of the ECL are very sensitive to battery voltage. If your battery happens to be low it can cause the relays to malfunction and lead to the problem you are encountering. The relays can also become corroded and malfunction or draw excessive current when trying to operate.

I would first check the battery voltage. A battery that is not fully charged or nearing the end of it's useful life can easily result in column lock malfunctions. If your battery voltage indicates below 12 volts, try swapping it out with a known good one (or charge it fully) and see if you can get it to unlock and operate. At least then you can drive it to the dealer to have them check it out.

The electronics in this vehicle are vulnerable to all sorts random and seemingly unrelated problems when exposed to less that optimal battery voltage. The vast majority of these problems are minor and not permanent and will be corrected when the battery is 100%. Regardless of the problem I encounter, if it is remotely electronic in nature, the first thing I do is check battery voltage.

By the way a more recent recall was issued in the spring of this year that may pertain to your car. Check the sticky at the top of the page to see if it pertains to your vehicle.

Good luck... GUSTO

 

is your 97 red? i seen a red 97 on a flat bed today

 

Maybe we can make a goal for the forum this year to have everyone get the CLB and skip the DA*N dealer. By now you would think that everyone would just do the CLB and stop playing roulette

 

The column lock "Yes it is fixed/No it isnt fixed" fiascal is bs. Complain to the BBB since this is a NHTSB safety recall. GM will have to do something about it. Anything else besides safety then GM is allowed to take their typical "Screw You" attitude

 

 

Thanks it could use a new one,bought the car used,no knowledge of age of bat. If I remove the dealer bypass and rewire to original will this caue the pcm to need reflashing ?

 

No, but it will continue to shut down your fuel supply as it is now doing if something goes awry. I don't know if they can reflash back to original once they have messed with it. I have an '02 that has had two CL recalls issued on it but I have so far ignored them because I have a CLB and I don't want them to reflash my computer so it will shut down my fuel supply. I would like my locking plate removed but if they won't just do that without the reflash then I'll continue with what I've got.

Sanford
Saraland, Al.