NHTSA Complaint #10226497 — 2003 CHEVROLET CORVETTE

A MESSAGE WAS RANDOMLY DISPLAYED SAYING THAT THE ACTIVE HANDLING SYSTEM HAD FAILED AND THAT SERVICE WAS NEEDED. WHEN THIS HAPPENED, THE CAR'S COMPUTER WOULD THEN SHUT OFF THE ACTIVE HANDLING SYSTEM, BUT WHEN THE IGNITION WAS TURNED OFF AND THEN BACK ON, THE ACTIVE HANDLING SYSTEM WOULD BE ACTIVE UNTIL THE NEXT FAILURE. I BELIEVE THAT THIS FAILURE CONSTITUTES A SAFETY PROBLEM. AFTER MANY MONTHS OF THIS (I WASN'T OVERLY CONCERNED SINCE I DON'T DRIVE ERRATICALLY AND RARELY ACTIVATE THE ACTIVE HANDLING SYSTEM), I TOOK THE CAR TO A DEALER (WEST CHEVROLET, ALCOA, TN) AND WAS TOLD (1) THEY HAVE SEEN THIS PROBLEM BEFORE ON CORVETTES AND (2) IT IS DUE TO THE WIRING HARNESS IN THE STEERING COLUMN BEING TOO SHORT. (THIS CAR HAS A POWER TELESCOPING STEERING WHEEL AND MEMORY SEATS SO THAT EVERY TIME THE DRIVER GETS IN AND OUT OF THE CAR, THE STEERING COLUMN AUTOMATICALLY MOVES OUT AND IN, EVIDENTLY TUGGING ON THE WIRING HARNESS EACH TIME.) THE DEALERS TECHNICIAN FOREMAN SAID THAT ONE OF SIGNALS CARRIED BY THE HARNESS IS THE ANGLE OF THE STEERING WHEEL WHICH IS USED IN CONJUNCTION WITH A YAW-RATE SENSOR TO DETERMINE IF THE CAR IS "SPINNING OUT" AND WHAT CORRECTIVE ACTION IS REQUIRED TO CORRECT THIS. HE ALSO SAID THAT DUE TO THE TOO-SHORT HARNESS, THE INTEGRITY OF THE HARNESS CONNECTOR DEGRADES OVER TIME CAUSING THE INTERMITTENT FAILURE OF THE ACTIVE HANDLING SYSTEM. (3) THE DEALER SAID THAT THIS PROBLEM IS FIXED BY EXTENDING THE HARNESS WITH A GM PART WHICH IMPLIES THAT GM KNOWS THAT THEY HAVE A PROBLEM AND HAVE DEVELOPED A PART TO FIX IT. (4) I ASKED THE DEALER WHAT WOULD HAPPEN IF I DID NOT FIX IT. I WAS TOLD THAT EVENTUALLY THE CONNECTOR WOULD COMPLETELY FAIL RESULTING IN A LOSS OF THE POWER STEERING. THIS WOULD THEN BE ANOTHER SAFETY PROBLEM. SO I HAD TO HAVE IT FIXED BUT IT WASN'T CHEAP - $594.68. *TR