INDEED

do what you can and get a tuner to remove the speed limit!

luckily I have access to a HP tuner, so I was able to change it from 2 to 256. doubt i'll reach that. LOL

 

I just sold my car 2003 Z06, the money was wired earlier this day to my account, AND I WAS LITERALLY PULLING THE CAR BACK INTO THE GARAGE for the final detail before the buyers drove up Saturday to pick it up when I received the dreaded Remove Key and Service Column Lock messages. WTF? I just ran inside all dirty and sweaty to go online and thanks to this forum, I tried the "remove key and slam the wheel hard in either direction" routine. 10 times. And just before I was about to give up. BAMMM! It worked. The whole time I'm trying to imagine what to tell the new owners.

Thanks again.

 

Hoping you guys can help me. I have a 1999 Vette automatic, last night I was pulling out of a parking space and I couldn't turn the wheel because the steering lock was active. This has actually happened a few times over the last few years but it would resolve itself after removing the key and wiggling the steering column. Last night this was not the case. The car was still drivable but the steering lock was on! My battery is not low. I googled the problem. Saw there was a recall so had the car towed to a dealership. Dealer told me there was no recall and would cost $700 for new steering lock module. I was not happy with this and phoned GM direct. They also told me there was no recall on my model vin number then changed their mind when I persisted and said, oh yes there was a recall but you have already had the fix (maybe a previous owner). The steering lock plate has never been disabled. Anyway, they contacted the dealer where my car was at and asked him to repair it for free/reduced rate for me. The dealer said no. That was all GM could do for me, but they did tell me to call them again if this fix failed this time! I phoned the dealer and asked him if just removing the steering lock plate might work, he said he'd never heard of that before and reiterated that I had to have a new module for $700. Anyway, does anyone have any ideas or do I just have to suck it up and pay $700 for a very dangerous design flaw?

 

8vette7 thanks so much for the reply. I am not the original owner although I do have some paperwork from the previous owners. There are some documents saying and automatic was chosen from the options but I will still check with Dennis in case this is not correct. From the paperwork these are the details of the 'fix' that I could glean, the receipt said, Towing service, steering locked up, Tan case # 5640970 replaced, BCM replaced, steering wheel lock motor rep, tan tested good, cam prisn(?) 01041, replaced ECL harness, admin allowance 01044A. This was dated May 2002.
I know that the Lock plate had not been removed as I could feel the lock on the car when I wiggled the steering wheel.
I was very concerned about the fact that the car was drivable in this condition with the steering lock on.
The dealership is charging me $700 for parts and labor to replace the steering lock module. I do not have a detailed breakdown yet from him. I phoned him to ask if just removing the lock plate might work. He told me he had never heard of that and the module was stuck wide open and needed to be replaced.
The case you make about the battery is very interesting and I hadn't thought about that. The gauge reading was 14v. But I'd love to think it could be fixed by just charging the battery or grounding it better. The main trouble is I feel held hostage to a certain extent by the dealership. The car would need to be towed somewhere else and I'd still have a $120 diagnostic fee on top of that to pay. The guy at the dealership is not very responsive to my comments and just tells me he is busy with customers when I phone him to talk about it. He told me he'd never heard of anyone removing the locking plate!
I really appreciate you taking the time to reply to me. I feel better just being able to vent a little. I'm so mad at GM for not correcting this.

 

8vette7

I am the original owner of a 99 FRC (6spd of course). On Oct 12, 2000
exactly one year from the day that I picked up my car from the Musium I had the first recall done. My reciept "says" that they installed a cylinder 12458190 and a retainer 26047315. They also replaced the battery 19002053. There was nothing mentioned about reprograming.
That is the only time that I took the car in for a locked steering column but the dealer said that there was a recall done for steering column lock in 2004. I think they just charged it off when the car went in for a seat belt recall.

Last Sunday morning I got the car out and cleaned it up for a car show.
When I came out and got in the car to leave the steering column was locked. I tried rocking the steering wheel to no avail. When I went to pull the car into the garage I found out that the 2mph programming had been done. After almost ten years the problem was back. I tried charging the battery but I do not have a volt/ohmn meter and don't know for sure what the voltage is. I will be taking the battery down to an auto parts store to have it tested.

After reading this sticky I removed the panel under the steering column and have not found a k harness. I have also opened up the passanger side revealing the BCM. When I turn the key off I hear two clicks coming from the passanger side.

I ordered a column lock bypass kit. When I hooked up the jumper cable from the cigar lighter and turned the key on it did not release the column.

If the battery checks out okay do you have any other suggestions?

I didn't mind missing the car show but this weekend is suppose to be an auto X.

 

When I went out this morning to detail the car, only 1 day before delivery, the steering was locked again. I realized the interior lights remained on so I locked and unlocked the car 3 times the car with the remote and waited 15 seconds in locked position. I noticed the interior and dash lights went off and the needle on the speedo blipped ever so slightly which indicated to me all electrical systems were off. Inserted the key again and BAMM, I was unlocked. I called my service adviser on the way to the dealership and verified I was included in the recall and did not stop until I was in his parking area. The column locked again, but now it is his problem. The new owners will be pleased.

 

Posting here to hopefully add some info since this thread has helped me so much. Bought a 2003 Z06. Have no column lock issue, but knew about the issue from a previous car I owned, so I wanted to install a CLB.

Maintenance records for this 2003 showed the recall was done in 2005, during another service issue. It is listed as "04006 Electronic Column lock system." As mentioned in previously posts, no reference to recall version a, b, or c and no information on what actually was done was provided.

Before I installed the CLB, I could hear the column lock motor run every time I started the car and my steering wheel was locked before I started it.

I installed a CLB from Covette’s of Houston last night and here is what I found.

NO “K” harness installed (thanks for all info on how to identify it)
NO purple wire Relay spliced in the passenger foot well (again would not have known to look without this thread)
I did find what I believe is the factory installed safety relay (assume that is the factory installed version of the recall purple wire splice) Please correct me if am wrong. Do not what to give bad information. The relay was located above and to the right of where the BCM is. And had two orange wires, a purple, white and black going into it.

CLB install went just as instructed with the hardest part being putting the dash back together without breaking anything.

If I understand the info in this thread correctly, I believe all that was done on the recall was a reprogram that added the 2MPH fuel cutoff.

So I think I should be good with the column lock issue, but still run the “low Battery” risk of the fuel shut off and the risk of the safety relay failure. To be completely free and clear I think I would have to have someone raise the fuel cutoff MPH to 255 and carry a spare saftey relay

Hope this is helpful and if I got anything incorrect please correct me.

Thanks to all with special thanks going to 8vettd7

 

8vette7 you are correct, fifth wire in the relay I mentioned is green, thanks for correcting me and sorry for the miss information..

 

Interesting. What is the part number for the safety relay, please. Thanks.

 

I GOT THE STEERING LOCK OFF! Woohoo! I'm one happy bunny. Now I'm just going to wait until my CLB arrives. I followed 8VETTE7's link to the 'Don't Tow It- Column Lock' thread and followed pdgourno's advice at post #1 and it worked like a charm! So huge kudos to both of you. Many thanks for that useful advice. I just turned the steering wheel hard to the right and left 4 times without the key in. Then placed the key in the ignition and using my left hand with my palm facing me, I placed it on the underside of the steering wheel on the right side of the wheel in the 2 O'Clock position and as I pulled hard down on the wheel, as if I was turning right, I slowly started to turn the key in the ignition and the lock released before I started the engine! Brilliant!

 

I was bit by the column lock bug after 10 years.... the other day I drove off the base went to the store..... bang locked up on me when I was leaving the store damm it..... I was in that "it can't happen to me" state of mind. Okay so I wiggled the wheel ... it unlocked and I drove back on base and parked the car. Ordered the CLB .... I went to install the CLB today and wiggling the wheel did nothing to get the column to unlock again. the only thing that worked was to remove the column cover and tap on the column lock assembly with a hammer and it finally retracted and I installed the CLB.... now everything works fine

 

Thanks Chuck. My vette's a 99 auto conv with GM recall repair. I did the CLB/Houston number, had the fuel cutoff reset to 200 and I want to end the problem forever. Do I need to get the relay to do this? Thanks, Tom

 

8VETTE7 fighting for Truth, Justice and the American way against the evil of Colum lock. All kidding aside, you have really help allot of us and I just wanted to say thanks

 

Today I fitted the CLB! Everything is working beautifully without the steering lock coming on. It took me 3 hours working on it by myself with the help of 8VETTE7 on the phone a few times. Thank you so much 8VETTE7 for helping me with this, I would never have managed it without you. I'm so grateful.
Cheers, Jilly Bean

 

Here's a link that has some more detail about recall 01044 as well as photos of the Steering Column Lock mechanism:

http://forums.corvetteforum.com/c5-t...lumn-lock.html

 

Happenned to my 2002 z06 a couple weeks ago. Really sucked. flatbed to a friends shop. took a bit of material away from the steering column lock, it will never be a problem again

The TSB service was performed in 2004 down at Kerbeck in AC. This was triggered by an electrical short from an amplifier in the trunk installed by the previous owner. Nice alpine setup, but I pulled all of it out and put in a simple Pioneer headunit. Thought the problem was licked, but tonight while letting a friend drive the car for the first time - the damned "service column lock" message came up the moment they sat in the drivers seat. I thought for a moment, hit reset and it went away. Got on it a few times on the way home, didn't seem to have any issues.

Finicky bastards these c5's. My 2002 WRX is a tank by comparison. No cats left out of the 3 it started with and the OBDII port plugs in and passes inspection reporting all sensors ok. 99k miles 297awhp and averages 22mpg. It's a great winter car.

I have a reflash for the vararam/powerduct from ECS, I wonder if they set the fuel cutoff to 200?

 

I have a 99 M6 that died (luckily in my driveway) with the ol' SSCL message. It has had the recall done-lock bracket removed from column, k-harness B/T CL and BCM, and the extra relay in the passenger foot well. First thing I did was pulled fuses to reset. No luck. Removed all recall items and jumped the white to orange wire, still no luck. Thought it might be the vats so I bypassed it, still no luck. Got a CLB, still no luck. After some poking around with a dmm I have found that the green wire never changes...never grounded, never any voltages. The white(/orange) and purple wires both have 12V when ignition is in the "on" position. Which would explain why at lest the CLB wasn't working properly since it was getting the signal to "lock" and "unlock" simultaneously. I can hear the relays in the BCM operate at the correct times and a seemingly weird thing is that when I plug in the CL it sounds like it's doing what it is supposed to.

Anyone have any ideas about what is happening/remedies?

 

I want to thank 8VETTE7 for all his information. I found my problem (the lock control relay) and shorted the contacts as directed - my 2000 Corvette works fine.

 

I read the sticky, excellent really, and a lot of good info. I purchased a 2003 Z06 a few months ago. Lock error, water leaks, cleared the drains, dried out the carpet and BCM box but steering wheel was locked. Spoke with Chevrolet and the recall mod was already done.

After reading the sticky and inspecting my BCM I have the secondary GM relay. I unplugged the relay and jumped the orange wire (pin 87) to the white wire (pin 30), da da, lock code gone, steering wheel turns, and the engine started right up. Great Info and results up to this point.

A few days later the car won't turn over. Have power to the air conditioner but nothing else like the alarm is set. If I repeatedly try inserting the key eventually it starts.

Any Ideas?

 

I did originally get the lock message and the wheel was locked. I first replaced the relay and checked the fuses, but it didn't unlock the wheel so the new relay didn't correct the problem. Removing the relay and jumping the connections did the trick. So I'm a little confused. Everything was wet and with doors open, a strong house fan blowing into the passenger side for a full week dried the interior pretty well, even under the carpet. The BCM box baked in the sun during that time and I even installed a new battery just to be safe.

I trust what you're saying but what is different in a 2003 that makes it a bad idea Not to remove the relay and jump the connection because it immediately did the trick?

I'll check the codes today and I'll even have a new relay for the security system handy.