NHTSA Complaint #10249066 — 1999 CHEVROLET CORVETTE

I EXPERIENCED THE STEERING COLUMN ON MY 1999 CORVETTE LOCK UP WHILE I WAS DRIVING IT. I WAS ONLY IN A RESTAURANT PARKING LOT AND WAS ABLE TO STOP AND CALL FOR HELP. I CALLED MY LOCAL REPAIR FACILITY AND THEY HAD INFORMED ME THAT I MUST HAVE MY CAR TOWED IN FOR THE NECESSARY REPAIRS. UPON ARRIVING AT THE REPAIR FACILITY, THEY INFORMED ME THAT A RECALL HAD BEEN ISSUED TO REMEDY THIS ISSUE. THEY CHECK MY VEHICLE IDENTIFICATION NUMBER AND QUICKLY REALIZED THAT THE RECALL HAD ALREADY BEEN PERFORMED ON MY CAR. THEY HAD TO REPLACE THE PARTS ONCE AGAIN AND I WAS CHARGED ALMOST $700 FOR THE REPAIR. I ASKED WHY I NEEDED TO PAY FOR THE RECALL AND THEY SAID I WAS PAYING FOR IT BECAUSE THE RECALL HAD ALREADY BEEN PERFORMED. I RESEARCHED THE EXACT RECALL PERTAINING TO THIS PARTICULAR INCIDENT (04V0600000) AND DISCOVERED SOMETHING THAT SHOULD NOT HAVE BEEN ABLE TO HAPPEN IF THE RECALL WAS PERFORMED AS INTENDED. THE VEHICLE WAS SUPPOSED TO BE RECONFIGURED AS TO DISABLE IT FROM BEING DRIVEN WHILE THE STEERING COLUMN WAS LOCKED UP. ON THE MODELS EQUIPPED WITH AN AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION, THE LOCK WAS REMOVED FROM THE STEERING COLUMN AND A LOCK WAS INSTALLED ON THE SHIFTER SO IT COULD NOT BE REMOVED FROM THE PARK POSITION. THIS WAS ALSO INTENDED TO KEEP THE ANTI-THEFT FEATURE. ON MODELS EQUIPPED WITH MANUAL TRANSMISSIONS, THE LOCK ON THE STEERING COLUMN COULD NOT BE REMOVED BECAUSE THIS WAS THE ONLY ANTI-THEFT DEVICE. INSTEAD THE FUEL TO THE ENGINE WAS SUPPOSED TO BE INTERRUPTED IF THE STEERING COLUMN LOCKED UP. ON MY VEHICLE, I WAS ABLE TO DRIVE MY CAR INTO A PARKING SPOT AT THE RESTAURANT. I WAS NOT ABLE TO STEER THE VEHICLE BECAUSE OF THE STEERING COLUMN BEING LOCKED UP. I CALLED THE GENERAL MOTORS REIMBURSEMENT DEPARTMENT AND TOLD THEM WHAT HAPPENED AND THEY SAID MY CLAIM WAS DENIED BECAUSE THE VEHICLE WAS OUT OF WARRANTY. FROM WHAT I UNDERSTAND, MILEAGE OR WARRANTY DOES NOT APPLY TO SAFETY RECALLS. PLEASE ADVISE. *TR