NHTSA Complaint #10078308 — 2000 CHEVROLET CORVETTE

I HAVE A 2000 CORVETTE AND IT HAS 18,000 MILES ON IT; AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION. I HAD TO HAVE IT TOWED TO A DEALERSHIP YESTERDAY BECAUSE OF A STEERING COLUMN LOCK MAKING MY CAR NOT DRIVEABLE. THEY WERE GOING TO CHARGE ME $556.00 TO FIT IT. THE TOW TRUCK DRIVER INFORMED ME THAT LAST YEAR HE PICKED UP 21 CORVETTES IN THE SOUTH HOUSTON AREA WHERE I LIVE WITH THE SAME PROBLEM AND THAT IT WOULD HAPPEN TO SOME OF THEM MORE THAN ONCE AFTER BEING FIXED. ON THE INTERNET I FOUND THAT 127,000 CORVETTES FROM THE YEAR 1997 TO 2004 HAD BEEN RECALLED FOR THIS PROBLEM. THE DEALERSHIP AND GENERAL MOTORS SAID THAT BECAUSE MY CORVETTE WAS NOT MADE AT THE PARTICULAR FACTORIES NOTED, THAT MY CORVETTE WOULD NOT BE CORVETTE. AFTER COMPLAINING, THEY SAID THEY WOULD GO 50/50 WITH THE DEALERSHIP SO I HAD TO PAY HALF OF $556.00. I STILL DON'T FEEL I SHOULD HAVE HAD TO PAY ANYTHING. IT IS OBVIOUSLY A PROBLEM IN OTHER FACTORIES. I PLAN TO WRITE GM A LETTER WITH MY RECEIPTS, ETC. TO SEE WHAT ELSE I CAN DO. THANK YOU.