Well it looks like all my bitching and other forum members making complaints to the NHTSA has finally paid off it looks like some time in January there will be an announcement about a fix for the dreaded column lock problem which I am sure will be a nation wide recall by GM :hurray:

QUIMBO :seeya :seeya SEEYAAAH

 

quimbo,

Tell us more - how were you contacted by the NHTSA and what did they say?

(Yes - My wife and I were stranded out-of-state when the steering column lock malfunctioned on my 1999 C5 coupe. The car had to be towed to a local dealer and we were stranded for three days. After the car was fixed, I purchased and installed the column lock bypass. Later, I removed the bypass and had the "satisfaction campaign" fix done by my Chevrolet dealer. I also filed a complaint with the NHTSA.)

 

:iagree: :cool: :cheers:

 

I origionally contacted them after I was snubbed by Chevy and Gm here is one of my posts and after I posted it I called the NHTSA and they then asked me to put out a post on the forum asking other members to call them which many did and here we are as of yesterday they called me and gave me the
info I posted this morning. Also to my knowlege they have been monitoring
the forum and agree with me there are way to many problems with this issue)
If chevy was really so concerned they would recall all the dam cars I have a 98 which has had it share of problems and last week low and behold I get a check system wheel lock message I call chevy they tell me my car doesnt fit there parameters for a recall I posted this last week here is there any way to get GM and CHEVY to fix these wheel lock problems !!!!
I guess there waiting for the wheel to lock up while someone is driving at the speed limit and have them get killed. My wheel locked up pulling out of my garage and the car kept running the engine is supposed to turn off.
I sent a regestered letter to Richard Wagner III demanding he fix this problem I urge everyone else to do the same lets get these guys to fix this problem once and for all. Afterall we paid alot of money for these cars GM should stand behind them and us the buyers!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! If anyone needs the addy here it is

Richard Wagner III
President & CEO
General Motors
P.O. Box 33170
Detroit, Mi 48232-5170

QUIMBO :seeya :seeya SEEYAAAH

 

:thumbs:

We can make a difference if we stand together!!! :cheers:

 

quimbo
Senior Member

This was the origional post I put on the forum last year


435 posts [100%]
plainview new york

Update from Washington NHTSA on column lock 11:06 AM 10/25/2002


Ok heres the deal I spoke to a Mrs Cheryl Tuosto this morning at th NHTSA there is an investagation going on about the column lock issue. Here is what they want anyone who has had a problem with the column lock to do.
Call 888 327-4236 DOT COMPLAINTS when you call this number you will be interviewed
on the phone here is what they are looking for 1) they need the vin#
2) Auto tranny or manual 3) the mileage 4) the speed you were going and the date
when the steering wheel locked and what was the distance from when you first started the car to when the column lock locked up on you. Please make sure to leave your work and home phone number so someone can get back in if they need to in reguard to your complaint about the column
lock issue calling the 888# that makes it offical and then if they need to talk to you in more detail someone will contact you.
I think we can get GM to repair all these column lock issues now that the NHTSA is involved so ANYONE WHO HAS HAD THIS PROBLEM AND WANTS TO HAVE IT REPAIRED ONCE AND FOR ALL BY GM CALL AND LETS MAKE GM STEP UP TO THE PLATE AND DO RIGHT THING!!!!!!!
GM YOU MAKE ME :U :U :U :U :U :U :U :U :U :U :U :U :U :U :U :U :U :U :U :U :U :U :U :U QUIMBO :seeya :seeya SEEYAAAH





[Modified by quimbo, 9:06 AM 12/3/2003]

 

Instead of bringing the car in for recall service, do you think GM could just reimburse the cost of the column lock bypass kit? I'm satisfied with my CLB, and it seems cheaper with less hassle to just send folks $100 if they feel they need a CLB. I'd appreciate $100, that's over 50 gallons of gas.

I'm not looking to scam GM out of $100; I did have some screwy behavior with the steering wheel column lock, but couldn't repeat it. Nothing too serious, but it concerned me enough that I immediately ordered the CLB when I got home.

 

While I'm sure it may have happened a few times, the chance a column lock would lock while the car is in motion is very tiny. Voltage is only applied to the column lock when the engine isnt running, for about 1 second. From that point on, it has dead wires running to it.

I've never thought of the column lock issue as a safety concern, so I'm not totally sure the NHTSA should even be involved.

 

It could be a safety issue :smash: both times mine got me stuck away from home and would start and pull up and back at one mile and hour but would not release the wheel. This in turn made me want to get a gun and shoot someone hence a safety issue!

 

Well I always thought it was an issue and even more so after my conversation yesterday with the people over at the NHTSA it seems they have a documented case where the column lock engauged while the person was driving on an interstate and the car in question hit another car at around 50 mph wrecking both cars and luckly no seroius injuries. Are you concerned
now? This was my biggest fear all along if it happened once at that speed it could happen again

QUIMBO :seeya :seeya seeyaaah

 

I think you should do a little more homework before you comment on this one......mine lock going about 30 miles and hour and in a curve....I could have easily been killed.....you have a lot of knowledge, and I do appreciate your website, but on this issue, if it hasn't happened to you....you need to do a little more research before you act as the expert on this one...... :nono:

 

Would be nice if GM finally did something about this problem. Had it twice on my '99, but so far not on my '00.

 

Yes, but do the number of occurrences of column lock warrant a recall? Look at the true number of people who have had this problem vs. the number of cars sold. It would be interesting to see.

 

jmX,

My thoughts on the column lock malfunction not being a "safety concern":

When the column "locked" on my 1999 C5 coupe, my wife and I were stranded out-of-state while on vacation with a car full of luggage in a strange town with no contacts and no accomodations. Although the car was eventually towed via Chevrolet's Roadside Assistance, we were stranded for three days and our vacation ruined. Chevrolet did not reimburse us for our lodging and expenses, although the car was fixed under the new car warranty.

I assure you that being stranded without a car in a strange town without contacts or accomodations IS a safety concern.

 

I just got a call back from the regional customer service rep last week regarding my 2nd incident of steering column lockup (after the 1st one was repaired under extended warranty). They said since they couldn't duplicate the problem after the car was taken to the dealer they wouldn't pay for anything. This was after I went thru all of the gyrations the forum has cited because mine failed this last time in a drive thru lane at the bank.

I have the latest copy of the NHTSA report (November 2002). At that time GM has had 46,311 warranty claims for the steering column lock against a production run of 131,981 vehicles (at that time)! FORTY-SIX THOUSAND THREE HUNDRED AND ELEVEN!!!!! That's 35% of all of the vehicles produced, and that doesn't count all of those failures that haven't had warranty claims filed. That sounds like a MAJOR problem to me and still no action by GM.

BTW, the NHTSA report also cites 20 incidents of the lock occuring at speeds above 20 mph (but GM's response has been that there were ONLY 10 incidents in which injuries occurred, therefore a recall shouldn't be necessary.)

Something needs to be done. NOW!!

 

We should make this a sticky tread, I would love to have mine repaired. I dread it each time i start my car :party:

 

Some of you seemed to be quite offended by my post. I thought I stated things pretty neutrally here.

As for being stranded somewhere being a safety concern, that is no more the case than getting a flat tire or having an engine component fail, and those happen to cars all the time.

As for the NHTSA having documented cases of it locking in motion, I never suggested it was impossible, and it has of course been mentioned a few times on this forum.....thus my wording "While I'm sure it may have happened a few times". I guess my point was to more imply that this occurance IMO has very little to do with the common "service column lock" issue that people have been talking about on here for years, but I'm not sure this post makes that clear. For a column lock to engage while the motor is running, there'd have to be a short or a corrupt BCM program..both of which are very different than a dead column lock motor. The 46,000 dead column locks are the problem we most all have, the 10 moving at speeds are something different altogether.

My stance on it is, if GM has documented cases of it locking up while in motion and they are sure that is what happened, it definitly needs to be fixed. Its one of those things that defies logic, based on the circuits and the way the column lock works, but I suppose there's always a way something is possible. Murphy's law I suppose.

As for the "service column lock" error, I'm probably with everybody else and am pretty amazed that GM came out with no solid fix. Makes me question their engineering skills if they can't fix a little motor in 7 years. This issue however, is NOT a safety concern IMO, so just because you've had this infamous problem really means nothing in relation to the NHTSA case. I guess that was all I was trying to say.


[Modified by jmX, 11:22 PM 12/3/2003]

 

Back in 2001, my 1999 MN6 Coupe locked while moving. I was driving out of my parking spot when it happened. The car moved around 5 feet when it locked and abruptly died as I recall. Luckily, the parking lot was fairly empty at the time. It could have been a different story had I been pulling out 5 feet into moving traffic.

 

jmX,

Your points on the safety issue are valid and make sense. My column lock break-down was one of three times my Corvette broke down out-of-state (bad alternator and clogged a/c drain - ruined computer). Ironically, when I called Chevrolet Roadside Assistance to request service, the operator asked if my steering column was locked up when I told her I had a Corvette that was broken down.

The Corvette column lock issue has been terrible. Numerous C5 owners have been stranded and Chevrolet took years to find a "fix" that doesn't always work. Numerous owners have spent extra money and time trying to deal with the issue. Even when Chevrolet announced the "satisfaction campaign", they would not provide a loaner car or transportation while the car was being repaired.

Sometimes it takes the pressure of the government to make a company do what is right. I hope the NHTSA sticks it to Chevrolet and makes them fix the car right this time, and reimburse every owner for every bit of time, gas, inconvenience, extra costs, etc. that was incurred due to the defective assembly.



[Modified by 1999 White C5 Coupe, 7:14 AM 12/4/2003]

 

You know, that last line kinda sums it all up. GM admitted there was a problem with the Column Lock system, but they don't even provide a loaner car. They make the owners shell out $35 per day to fix their mistake. We purchase the GM flagship vehicle and are left with Cavalier service levels (no offense to Cavalier owners) Why won't GM offer a loaner car to Corvette owners?? Why won't GM provide us with better dealer service. I'm scared to take my car to a Chevy Servicer. For the most part, they just don't care.

The column lock problem is an engineering mistake at GM. They messed up. Whatever the reason...... motor, computer, wiring....... the problem should be fixed on ALL the C5s once and for all. If nothing else, its a major PITA to have your car breakdown in the middle of nowhere. Even if the percentage was 5%...... it should be fixed.