Problems with 2001 Chevrolet Corvette STEERING

Consumer was concerned that the service message that service column lock appeared while starting the vehicle. took vehicle to dealer, and dealer diagnosed the problem as a faulty bmc (body control module. *ak

Steering column locked - locking pin did not release during key turn but engine turned over. this occured the same way three times. first time was a year ago. had dealer repair it but they claimed it was a weak battery, they charged it and simply said they reset it.. due to how long they had it, i had to rent a car which ultimately cost me $350. second time, a different dealer claimed it was the bcm needing reprogramming and that it was not the same thing as the current recall at the time (specifically related to the pcm) despite the seemingly similar explaination of the recall. it was just out of warranty and lead to a cost of $275. the third time, same exact thing happened again and this time the same dealer claimed it was the steering column lock actuator or otherwise known as the solenoid. they are now in the process of replacing the whole locking assembly for $315 ($175+labor). all three incidences occured with a weakened battery yet the engine had no problems turning over suggesting that damage could have occured. each time, i was stranded without a vehicle for several days and the total cost is now roughly $1000 out of my pocket. i should also mention that since tow trucks are not designed with the corvette in mind, each and evey time my vehicle gets towed, i have to assist the tow truck so as to avoid further damage while they barely get the vehicle on the flat bed. this alone is enough stress let alone the cost of the tows. *ak

The vehicle locked up when the consumer backed out of the driveway. the vehicle also failed to unlock twice while parked. *ph the consumer has since trade the vehicle for a 2004 chevrolet corvette with no problems. *jb

Steering-jumping feeling when wheels are turned as far as possible-while moving forward or in reverse after being parked and as you move to leave. tires feel as they are not just rolling but small hopping feeling. *la

While driving on hwy at 65-70 mph started to turn into convience store, and turned wheel from 12 to 2 o'clock position, but decided not to go into store. driver tried to turn wheel left to straighten out the car, but wheel would not turn, and stayed locked for 10-15 seconds before driver was able to get it unlocked. driver ended up with 2 wheels in a ditch, and damage to front end. dealer contact: matt johnson. *ak

I have a 2001 corvette. since i've owned it, several problems have occurred. the first being the drivers door lock. the car dealer replaced the module twice and then it switch itself. then the electronic system defaulted where i couldn't start the car (twice). had to have it towed back to the dealership. then driving one day the fuel gauge went from showing half a tank all the way to zero. all the fuel warning lights came on. took it into service and they reprogrammed the computer. the very next day i started the car and the steering wheel lock engaged after the car first started, (i haven't had it in gear yet). this problem concerned me and i stated that to the service manager who immediately stated it couldn't happen if i was driving the car. (really?) they repaired that. then the gas gauge did it again. took it in again and they replaced several items in the fuel system. now, one tank of gas later, the gauge doesn't read properly. the low level light came on and it only took 10 gallons. took it back into the dealer and they don't know how to fix it so they're talking with gm engineers. also there were several other 2001 corvette's in for the identical problem. now (10/3/03) i have a rental car and don't have any idea when they will be able to fix mine. *la

2001 chevrolet corvette convertible, parked at golf course, started car to leave and realized the steering wheel was locked. the dash display read "service steering column." the car sat at the golf course a couple days while i checked with mechanics, friends, internet and nhtsa (my son works for you). i discovered this is a frequent problem with corvettes from 1997 and up (c5 body style). i tried all the "tricks" i was told by several people including shaking the steering wheel hard left to right with the key out of the ignition and in the ignition, plus using the key instead of the remote control to unlock the door. nothing worked. i had it towed to a chevrolet dealer. they had it several days and commented they could not unlock it with their special tool. they fixed it in the end by installing gm part number 26050960 which is the steering wheel lock assembly/theft deterrent actuator. the repair bill of $392 ($171 for the part) stated the steering wheel lock had an open circuit causing it not to release. they jump started vehicle & verified concern, removed and replaced the steering lock assembly/theft deterrent actuator. this car has 45000 miles on it, is a manual transmission. *la

Security sytem steering column locks. light is on on dashboard. cannot steer car. cannot keep running if i put it in gear. had to call tow truck. this is the second time in one year i have had to have it towed and "fixed". whats the deal?? why no recall?*ak

Steering wheel locked while driving.

As with many other corvette owners i know, i was stranded by the defective column lock mechanism. this should be a factory recall on all corvettes.*ak

Steering column lock up. *la

Nar 06/19/2003. *mr the consumers vehicle was in need of numerous repairs. voluntary emission recall- reprogram the powertrain control module. excessive engine oil consumption. engine knocking noise. fuel gauge dropped to empty, driver seat is coming apart, steering column lock. air conditioner has a bad odor. inability to lock car doors. radio produces loud static, and speakers rattle. headlights have a bad battery and the rear view mirror doesn't dim. *cb *jb

Message "service steering column lock". dealer said recall does not include the '01 corvette, just previous years. apparently the problem was not cured, just dropped the recall. ref. in ea02-031 *cjs

Just after starting my 2001 corvette, i was pulling out of the garage and the steering locked up. i think this is because the steering pin solenoid doesn't pull the pin when the voltage drops. my battery was apparently weak because when the tow truck driver beat the steering column until the pin dropped, the car wouldn't start without a jump. ref. in ea02-031 *cjs

While pulling out of the drive way without prior warning the steering column locked up. causing him to crash into the neighbor next door house. please provide additional information dealer is aware of the problem. ref. in ea02-031 *cjs

Steering wheel has locked up about 10 or 15 times. usually immediately after starting the car. it has had me stranded for anywhere from 5-60 minutes. two dealers have looked at the car at least 5 or 6 times. i thought the problem was resolved until i was driving to work a few weeks ago on a major highway at a rate of speed of about 65mph when the digital display on the computer said to "service steering column lock". this is the usual notification i get on my car when the wheel has locked up in the past. fortunately the steering didn't lock up but it really frightened me. the dealer was unable to identify any problem in the dealership and now i'm scared to drive the car for fear the stearing wheel will lock up while i'm driving. about a week after this happened i was made aware of an investigation into this problem by nhtsa . i have a 2001 chevy corvette. can you please update me on the investgation and what should i do now?? ref. in ea02-031 *cjs

Tilt steering wheel inoperative. drove car home with the steering wheel in the up position to avoid being stranded. have had multiple occasions where the service active handling comes on. this problem has occured since the vehicle was new. the car has been into two seperate dealers and has not been repaired.*ak

Steering column locked up. if you go to http://www.corvetteforum.com & do a search for column lock you will see this is a widespread problem. a lot of people on this forum have removed the lock & installed a column lock bypass instead of pressing the issue with gm. to me gm does not have a proper & correct fix for it as they have removed the locking mechanism on the cars with automatic transmissions but due to federal law can not remove it from the manual transmission. gm just put their hands up & gave up as it shows they have no answer otherwise they would not have removed the lock from the automatic cars. i have heard it locks up while moving & that is on the back of my mind while driving, very dangerous. please get gm to correct this unsafe condition & if they tell you they have a fix ask them why they removed the lock from the automatic cars. dt

Steering column locked up while backing out of my garage preventing me from turning steering wheel. car was towed to my nearest dealership, palm chevrolet who replaced the locking mechanism. my car supposedly had the latest improved fix by gm from the factory. this is an ongoing problem with all corvettes since 1997. gm has taken the locking mechanism out of all automatic transmission corvette which shows they do not have confidence in any of their fixes. they cannot remove them from manual transmission since that would be against federal law. on the forums this is a big topic of steeriing columns locking up & i have heard it has been doing so on moving vehicles. mine locked up while backing out of my garage. being locked up while parked is an inconvenience but it happening while moving is deadly. ts ref. in ea02-031 *cjs

While backing out of the driveway consumer attempted to turn the steering wheel, the steering wheel locked up, and the warning buzzer sounded. vehicle was towed to dealer and the steering actuator was replaced. mr *tt *jb

I bought a 2001 corvette with my wife from hendrick chevrolet. the steering wheel locked as i was pulling out of a parking spot rendering the car not drivable. i was a car salesman at the time and had gotten a text from my wife to hurry home about something urgent. as i pulled out in reverse i adjusted the steering wheel down and started backing up all at the same time very fast and the steering wheel locked. i called hendrick chevrolet and told them of the incident. i am a manufacturing engineer in the automotive industry that deals with tier1 and tier 2 suppliers for gm. i know their quality standards and this i told them was going to kill someone if not addressed properly with an 8d a corrective action report and an update to the pfmea and dfmea control plans. *tr

Consumer states that while driving at 60 mph the steering wheel on the vehicle locked up and the consumer could not steer the vehicle at all. contacted dealer and the dealer is not willing to do anything. nlm

Sensor on driver's door has been replaced numerous times, intermittently drivers door will not respond to remote option.*ak customer stated that oil leaked from engine area. the driver door rattles while driving and was hard to close. the right door glass has wind noise due to door glass failure. brakes failed to grab. there was a noise while driving due to left seat belt retractor failure. consumer states cd charger would not eject cd cartridge, the steering tilt was inopartive, the door rattled, the seats would not hold programming. *yh

Active handling system malfunction - on three separate occasions during a recent road trip, i experienced a momentary loss of directional control while driving my vehicle at highway speeds. on each occasion, i was fortunate to quickly regain control of the vehicle after it involuntarily veered to the left and crossed into the adjacent lane of travel. shortly thereafter, a dash board message appeared : "service active handling". upon arrival at my destination, i had my vehicle serviced at an out of town cheverolet dealer. after consulting with general motors, the dealer examined the vehicle but was unable to provide a "fix" for the problem. i asked the dealer if they were aware of any similar problems with other corvettes - they responded - "no". acceleration disruption issue - this has been a problem since day one and continuess through today. the probloem is most apparent when i attempt to merge into traffic upon entering a freeway. "excessive heat" - as with the acceleration issue , this problem has existed since buying my vehicle in august of 2000. i plan to have warranty service with respect to the acceleration and heat issues sometime in the very near future.*ak

I was in a single car accident in my 2001 corvette. i bought it brand new. the injuries i suffered were nearly fatal. i was air lifted to a shock trauma unit, in a coma and on a respirator for 21 days and rehabilitation for several months after. i have sustained some permanent injuries as a result of this accident. this was a single car accident involving only my vehicle. the evidence points to a possible steering column lock up which rendered me unable to steer the car. the vehicle right hand side went over a rock wall on a driveway and then went perfectly straight into tree which began tipping the car over. next to the tree was a very large tree stump which caught the right side of the car's underside and finished rolling the car. i was thrown from the car as i wasn't belted in. (i had trouble with the driver's side seat belt in this car also.) the estimated speed at the time of the crash would be around 20 mph. *nlm

Tl* the contact owns a 2001 chevrolet corvette. the contact stated that the steering wheel seized after starting the vehicle. the failure recurred numerous times and was towed to the contact's residence after each occurrence. the steering wheel would eventually reset over a period of twenty four hours or greater. the vehicle was previously repaired under nhtsa campaign number: 04v060000 (steering); however, the failure persisted after the repair. the manufacturer was not notified of the failure. the approximate failure mileage was 3,000. the vin was unavailable.

Steering column locked, brand new car stranded.*ak ref. in ea02-031 *cjs

All 1997-2001 corvettes are being shipped with a defective column lock, causing steering wheel to lock and leave owners of $50,000 sports cars stranded! gm will not address this issue. please investigate this situation. you will find numerous cases of failure and fixes by gm with the origional defective part. these things fail repeatedly! thank you. ref. in ea02-031 *cjs