NHTSA Complaint #10016529 — 1999 CHEVROLET CORVETTE

WHILE DRIVING MY 1999 CHEVROLET CORVETTE I TURNED OFF THE HIGHWAY & INTO THE PARKING LOT OF A STORE UPON DOING SO MY STEERING WHEEL LOCKED UP. I NEVER RECEIVED ANY WARNINGS IN MY DIC ABOUT STEERING PROBLEMS I ALSO HAD THIS REPLACEMENT PART PER A RECALL NOTICE LESS THAN A YEAR AGO & AT THAT TIME FOUND OUT IT HAD BEEN REPLACED PRIOR TO THAT. THE DEALERSHIP TOWED THE CAR IN & INFORMED US THAT THEY HAD FIXED IT AGAIN! THIS IS AN EXTREMELY DANGEROUS VEHICLE! THE NOTES I READ ON YOUR SITE EVEN 1997 THROUGH 2002 MODELS WITH THIS PROBLEM NONE OF THE REPORTS WERE WHILE DRIVING THEY WERE WHEN PEOPLE GOT INTO THEIR CAR & STARTED IT THAT THE WHEEL DIDN'T UNLOCK. I HAVE AS I SAID BEFORE NEVER RECEIVED A MESSAGE IN THE DIC PRIOR TO ANY OF THE LOCK UP PROBLEM. I AM THE 2ND OWNER OF THIS VEHICLE & IN THE 18 MONTHS I HAVE HAD IT IT HAS BEEN REPLACED 2 TIMES THIS LAST TIME COULD HAVE BEEN FATAL TO BOTH MYSELF AND MY DAUGHTER! JUST 10 SECONDS EARLIER BEING ON THE HIGHWAY WITH SPEEDS OF 60 MPH WE COULD HAVE BEEN KILLED! AT WHAT COST WILL IT TAKE FOR GENERAL MOTORS TO CORRECT THIS WRONG? MY DAUGHTER SAYS SHE WILL NOT GET BACK INTO THE CAR AGAIN! I MYSELF AM SCARED FOR MY LIFE TO TAKE THE CHANCE THAT THIS WILL OCCUR AGAIN! SO, I REFUSE TO DRIVE THE CAR ANYMORE. THESE ARE NOT CHEAP CARS TO BUY! I HAVE OWED SEVERAL OTHER CORVETTES & HAD A FEW MINOR PROBLEMS HERE & THERE, BUT NOT ANYTHING THAT COULD BE A LIFE THREATENING OR LIFE TAKING PROBLEM ESPECIALLY AFTER THE FIXES BEING DONE BY THE DEALERSHIP! ANOTHER THING I WOULD LIKE TO ASK OF YOU, IF YOU HAVE AN AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION ON THIS CAR, IS IT NOT SUPPOSED TO BE LOCKED WHEN THE STEERING WHEEL IS? I DID ALL THE SO-CALLED THINGS, OF KEY REMOVAL & WAIT, ETC & IT DID NOT UNLOCK THE STEERING, BUT YOU COULD PUT IT IN ANY GEAR TO MOVE IT. JUST STRAIGHT FORWARD & BACKWARD DO TO NO STEERING. I CAN'T SEEM TO GET A REAL ANSWER TO THIS QUESTION. *NLM REF. IN EA02-031 *CJS