NHTSA Complaint #10476745 — 2000 CHEVROLET CORVETTE

DRIVING DOWN RT 2 IN CT WITH CRUISE SET ON 65 WHEN A "ACTIVE HANDLING" FAILURE CODE JUST POPPED UP ON THE INSTRUMENT PANEL (VERY FIRST TIME EVER) AND THEN THE BACK RIGHT BRAKE WAS ACTIVATED SKEWING THE CAR IMMEDIATELY TO THE RIGHT. I RECOVERED THE CAR AND SLOWLY DROVE IT HOME WITH THE CODE STILL DISPLAYED. I BROUGHT THE CAR TO THE CORVETTE CENTER AND THEY TOLD ME THAT THE STEERING WHEEL SENSOR FAILED AND SUGGESTED I DO NOT DRIVE THE CAR. THEY ALSO TOLD ME THAT GENERAL MOTORS DOES NOT MAKE A REPLACEMENT SENSOR NOR DO ANY AFTERMARKET COMPANIES! THEY ALSO TOLD ME THAT WITH THE STEERING WHEEL SENSOR FAILURE THE VEHICLES BRAKES, EITHER ALL OR INDIVIDUALLY, COULD BE APPLIED ANY TIME I DRIVE THE CAR BY THE CAR'S COMPUTER THUS CREATING A VARIOUS DANGEROUS CONDITION. I TELEPHONED GENERAL MOTORS CHEVROLET DIVISION AND THE REPRESENTATIVE I SPOKE WITH APOLOGIZED ABOUT THE VEHICLES BEHAVIOR AND THEN CONFIRMED THERE "WAS A PROBLEM" BUT COULDN'T HELP ME AS THERE ARE NO REPLACEMENT PARTS AVAILABLE TO REPAIR THE VEHICLE. IT IS TOTALLY RIDICULOUS TO DESIGN A VEHICLE THAT INCORPORATES AN INTERNAL COMPONENT THAT IS ABSOLUTELY CRUCIAL TO THE SAFETY OF THE VEHICLE, OCCUPANTS, AND ALL THOSE AROUND IT AND NOT SUPPLY A REPLACEMENT PART THUS RENDERING THE VEHICLE "GROUNDED" FOREVER. *TR