Originally Posted by 8VETTE7

Expect to pay for this out of your own pocket if you let the dealer do the service. In 2007 GM sent a letter to owners of record that beginning in March 2008 if GM had preciously serviced the NHTSA Column Lock recall at least once (GMVIS record determine that ) then all further service to the column lock system would be considered normal wear and tear and any additional service service would be at the owners expense.

I doubt you understand what the recall was for. It was NOT because the column locks, it was supposed to, but rather it was because under certain conditions it is possible to drive the car with the column locked. Clearly a safety issue and why NHTSA got involved. If your colugmn is locked and you experienced the 2mph fuel shutoff, then your car HAS been serviced and the recall on that VIN is CLOSED. The bill could be anywhere from a few hundred to well over $1000 if the dealer can convince you that the lock motor has failed and must be replaced.

I suggest that you put some time into reading the last 10 or so pages (not posts but PAGES) of this thread to learn more about the problem and what your options are that can fix the car for well under $100 and it will be a permanent fix, unlike what the dealer will do.

If you take the time to fill in your profile and provide some info about the car, (like year, trans type, any modifications, etc) you might get some specific help. Without that info there are way too many variables that depend upon year, trans type, etc.

Originally Posted by 8VETTE7

According to your profile and the post above you have a 2000 A4 and you state that you have the speed set to 200. Your problem could be 1 of 3 things:

1) Lock motor has failed. Possible but not especially likely.
2) The GM K Harness that would have been installed as part of the recall service has fried. Possible and very likely.
3) The Column Lock Relay in the passenger footwell may have fried. Possible but less likely than the GM K Harness frying.

You could purchase and install an LMC5 and the message should go away. However remember that the BCM on some cars do not like the LMC5 and you may end up going back to the supplier to get the LMC5-R.

You could also use the procedure in post #1772 above and eliminate the GM K harness. If that is what has failed then the message will go away and you would not have to spend any additional $$$$.

Originally Posted by 8VETTE7

Car is a 97 or 98 automatic. With NO KEY in the ignition, does the column lock? If YES then the NHTSA Column Lock Recall has not been performed on the car. You could take it to the dealer and as long as the column lock motor has NOT failed, they will perform the recall service free of charge. That involves replacing the full size lock plate with a small diameter that physically prevents the column from locking. Unfortunately they will also reprogram the PCM to set the column lock fuel shutoff to 2MPH. The dealer may well tell you the lock motor has failed. The lock motor is important because you need the lock motor to respond to the BCM when ever the BCM issues a lock or unlock to the lock motor. If the recall service is done and the lock motor has failed you will no longer experience a locked column but you WILL now experience a 2mph fuel shutoff because the lock motor doesn't respond with a "completed" signal back to the BCM. When that happens the BCM thinks the column is still locked and therefore signals the PCM to enable fuel shutoff. You start the car, get one or two error messages in the DIC ( Service Column Lock and/or Pull key and wait 10 seconds) then you try to drive the car and the engine stalls a soon as you put the car in D or R. The BCM relies on a signaling protocol to know that the column is locked or unlocked. it has NO OTHER means to know the state of the column. In the case where the lock plate prevents the column from physically locking, the BCM does NOT know the column cannot lock. It blindly plays the lock unlock game.

I suggest that you do a search on CLB or LMC5 (plenty of hits will come back) and after some research, order and install either a CLB or LMC5 and forget the dealer service. I doubt the dealer will tell you the truth about the lock motor because he can charge you somewhere between $500 and $1200 or more to replace the lock motor rather than just doing the recall service free. Sound like I don't trust stealers????????

Originally Posted by 8VETTE7

The stuff you read about CLB's burning out the BCM are legend and not fact. There are many 10 of thousands of CLB's installed without a problem. Probably less LMC5's but those don't burn out the BCM either. Both devices basically take the signal the BCM sends out and redirect it to the part of the BCM that is looking for a "completed" signal.

The dealer recall service replaces the lock plate with one that cannot intercept the lock pin thus the column will never lock again. This is standard stuff for the 97 - 200 automatics. The recall service also sets the 2mph fuel shutoff in the PCM. The small lock plate came standard from the factory on 2001 and newer automatics.

If your car has in fact never had the column lock recall service done to it the fuel shutoff is NOT set so either a CLB or LMC5 should cure your problem once and for all. Both devices require that the column be unlocked before they are installed. The major difference is that the CLB is installed under the drivers side knee bolster into the connector that the lock motor would normally connect to ( with the column unlocked, you disconnect the lock motor male connector and plug the CLB male connector into the female connector that the lock motor was plugged into. This does leave factory wiring in place between the connector under the drivers side knee bolster and the BCM)

The LMC5 has you disconnect wires directly at the BCM that would otherwise go to the lock motor and connect their device directly to the BCM. Because it connects directly to the BCM there is no factory wiring for the column lock system left in the circuit. Factory wiring could be an issue if you have had rodents get into the car and they chewed the wires for the column lock system components. Usually that's the cars in the part of the country that get stored for the winter.

I also suggest that you have your battery checked out. The MOST COMMON cause of the column lock system symptoms is a weak or bad battery or loose or corroded battery connections. I suggest that this is what triggered the symptoms in your car.....

The column lock system electronics need greater than 12.5 "NO LOAD" volts to function properly. that's because the column lock system runs long before the engine is started. If your battery is close to that voltage the charge is low. You cannot use the dash guages to measure no load volts. With the engine running you read the output voltage of the alternator. With the key on and engine off you have many electrical circuits in the car loading the battery. Measure no load volts with the neg battery cable disconnected and the DMM connected directly across the battery posts.

Originally Posted by 8VETTE7

It's been done but it is way too much work IMHO. You have to remove the steering wheel and work your way down to the lock plate that is pressed onto the column. Far less work to just but a CLB or LMC5 and install it. Plus, the lock motor could still fail at a later date and then you start getting error messages in the DIC, albeit that the car is still driveable. A few have removed the plastic covers from around the steering column and taken a hack saw to the lock pin while the column is locked. Also too much work IMHO and while the column will no longer lock you are still susceptible to the lock motor failing and the messages in the DIC.

If money is the issue you could build your own CLB. Here is a link:

http://shelor.net/Z/CorvetteForum/Cscokd/

I think the parts cost is around $15. You reuse the male connector from the lock motor I believe.