NHTSA Complaint #749131 — 1998 CHEVROLET CORVETTE

WHEN ATTEMPTING TO START CAR, ENGINE WOULD NOT START AND DRIVER INFORMATION DISPLAY READ "REMOVE KEY AND WAIT 10 SECONDS". KEY WAS REMOVED, AND AFTER 15 SECONDS, ATTEMPTS MADE TO RESTART CAR. ENGINE THEN STARTED, BUT DRIVER INFORMATION DISPLAY READ "SERVICE STEERING COLUMN LOCK" AT WHICH TIME I ATTEMPTED TO TURN STEERING WHEEL AND FOUND IT WOULD NOT TURN IN EITHER DIRECTION. ENGINE THEN STOPPED RUNNING AFTER ABOUT 15 SECONDS. I ATTEMPTED TO RESTART CAR A NUMBER OF TIMES, BUT SAME PROBLEMS PERSISTED. I REMOVED AND CHECKED FUZE #23 PER CHEVROLET REPAIR MANUAL, BUT FUZE WAS OKAY. AGAIN ATTEMPTED TO RESTART CAR, BUT SAME PROBLEM WAS STILL PRESENT (STEERING WHEEL WAS LOCKED AND COULDN'T BE TURNED). TOW TRUCK OPERATOR LATER ADVISED THAT HE HAD TOWED FIVE CORVETTES WITH SMAE APPARENT PROBLEM IN LAST TWO WEEKS. CHEVROLET DELAER SUBSEQUENTLY ADVISED THAT CHEVROLET INITIATED A RECALL THIS WEEK, BUT FOR 1999 CORVETTES (AND POSSIBLY NEWER, ONLY). MY 1998 IS APPARENTLY NOT COVERED BY THE RECALL. THIS PROBLEM WOULD BE PARTICULARLY DANGEROUS IF IT OCCURRED WHILE THE VEHICLE WAS MOVING.*AK REF. IN EA02-031 *CJS