Steering column lock issue.
Thread Starter
Intermediate
Joined: May 2021
Posts: 37
Likes: 4
From: North Carolina
Steering column lock issue.
As a Precursor: I've spent a good bit of time looking for someone with the same issue as me and I didn't see anything quite like I've got going on.
So I first had this issue a couple weeks ago where I got the dreaded "service steering column lock" "pull key wait 10 seconds" messages at a gas station of all places. I reset the BCM and looked deeper into the issue when I got home. I came to the conclusion that I needed an LMC5 bypass switch. Seemed logical. I installed it and at first no problem, worked a couple more days and had the issue come up again. Then I found out my battery was kinda old so I just replaced it the other day with an optima. Today I just had the issue come up again and idk what to do next besides replace the BCM. Help?
So I first had this issue a couple weeks ago where I got the dreaded "service steering column lock" "pull key wait 10 seconds" messages at a gas station of all places. I reset the BCM and looked deeper into the issue when I got home. I came to the conclusion that I needed an LMC5 bypass switch. Seemed logical. I installed it and at first no problem, worked a couple more days and had the issue come up again. Then I found out my battery was kinda old so I just replaced it the other day with an optima. Today I just had the issue come up again and idk what to do next besides replace the BCM. Help?
Advanced
Joined: May 2005
Posts: 64
Likes: 48
From: Mt. Juliet, TN
2022 C5 of the Year Finalist - Unmodified
I'll second reaching out to Richard - superior customer support. I experienced the same issue w/ mine, even after doing the "brown wire mod" and replacing the battery. The issue was most prevalent when I was in a rush, jumping in to the car and immediately starting it up. Richard's advise was to turn the to ignition to the on position, wait until the gauges "cycle", then start the car. This solved the issue w/ mine. Richard described it as a "lazy BCM", that doesn't receive the signal soon enough.
Burning Brakes
Joined: May 2014
Posts: 758
Likes: 211
From: Detroit
As mentioned, do the brown wire portion of the LMC5 install if you haven't already. Otherwise, keep the battery charged if the car is sitting for more than a couple weeks. And ultimately, the "pull key wait 10 seconds" thing is probably still going to happen occasionally. I think it's just a quirk of these cars to some extent, so pull the key, wait, and restart and you at least shouldn't get stranded with the LMC5 installed.
Racer
Joined: Mar 2016
Posts: 399
Likes: 31
i'll second reaching out to richard - superior customer support. I experienced the same issue w/ mine, even after doing the "brown wire mod" and replacing the battery. The issue was most prevalent when i was in a rush, jumping in to the car and immediately starting it up. Richard's advise was to turn the to ignition to the on position, wait until the gauges "cycle", then start the car. This solved the issue w/ mine. Richard described it as a "lazy bcm", that doesn't receive the signal soon enough.
Last edited by royal flush; Jun 28, 2021 at 08:21 PM.
