JSW

Just ranting again...

I had it happen again. This was the first time after installing the CLB. I guess the cold or the rain had something to do with it. I'm getting sick and tired of this problem. I'm going to have to start driving my old truck again whenever I have to go somewhere I know won't have cellphone coverage or somewhere I wouldn't want to leave my C5 stranded. That's what I did before I got the CLB. This sucks.

Also, I waited on hold with GM's roadside assistance for just under 14 minutes before my phone battery died. If you're going to depend on those guys, make sure you have a good cellphone battery to handle the hold time. That was a long walk home in the cold rain, and I hope my car is ok until tomorrow morning because I couldn't pull all of the way off of the road since I couldn't steer.

mrm1149

are you automatic or 6 speed?

Red C6 Z06

This doesn't sound plausible! You have a bypass in and it locked!!?? And you were driving when it happened??

Too many curiosities here. Tell us the whole deal....

jdmvette

Isn't the connector just dangling from the lock to where the CLB is now plugged in? How can it lock without power?

JSW

I'm still up, because I couldn't sleep because I'm still so mad.

It's a manual, so the dealers won't remove the lock. It locked about two dozen times before I installed the CLB. I finally broke-down and spent the money on it after it quit as I was pulling into the parking lot at work. If it had locked a few minutes earlier, I would have been on the Interstate.

This time I was going slow in the rain and driving over very rough pavement. That might have knocked the lock in place. I had my wheels turned slightly to the left, so I drove until I got the car almost all of the way off of the otherside of the road. As soon as I finish this post, I'm headed to my car to try the unlock cable that came with the CLB. Hopefully that will work. I hope I can get it out of the mud without having to pull it out.

When will GM fix this problem? They still won't let their dealers remove the locks.

Red C6 Z06

This is the first I have heard of the column locking with the CLB in place! I still haven't installed mine and now I am less interested in doing so. I have noticed that all the posters that have described evidence of column lock failure are 2000s or older (that I have read about anyway). I am going to resist the temptation to install the CLB now until I find evidence of more recent lockups.

blazeone

Wrong - forum member Mojo1 has a 2004 6-sp that locled up and many others have. The CLB works, I have not idea how the posters steering locked with a clb in place.

Cochemarman

I seem to remember reading a post on here some time ago that mentioned it was possible for the worm drive on the locking pin to gradually wind itself down over time so that even without power it was possible for the locking pin to engage. The post suggested that the only solution was to have a blanking plate fitted or remove the whole mechanism.

I wonder if that is what happened here?

I hope not, 'cos the roads around here are seriously bumpy.

JSW

The power cable that came with the CLB unlocked it. I heard it move a little when I plugged the cable in. The sound didn't last as long as it used to before I installed the CLB, so the lock wasn't as engaged as it is supposed to be when locked. Maybe vibration did knocked it back slightly in place.

The outside and the interior on the driver's side are covered with mud. I got the inside very dirty when removing the dashboard pieces to get to the lock cable. My feet kept sliding in the mud, and my back got covered in mud. I'm headed back outside in the cold rain now to clean it up. I wish I could get the dealer to just remove the lock. What a miserable experience.

PS: I'm now keeping the CLB cable in the car with a set or torx screwdrivers.

steve1173

GM has to be pressured to have the government grant a waiver so that even on M6's the lock can be removed. This is a known problem, GM admits it by removing the lock on A4's but legally cannot do it on M6's but if the Government gave the okay they would. Write the NHTSA! Also any expenses I ever have because of it I would apply to small claims court vs. GM. Let GM fix it right. Does th 05 have a completely different system. They can get it right if they want to but know most owners will alleviate the problem by themselves with the CLB.

TEXHAWK0

This brings up a whole new question of safety. Others have always said it was not possible for the column to lock while the car was being driven, but if it can lock with the column lock disconnected, then it would be possible for it to lock even if you leave the factory harness connected. Not good.
I wonder if having power to the column lock might actually reduce the possiblility of it locking while the car is in motion, or if it is just as likely to lock either way?

JSW:
Before you installed the CLB, did your column ever lock up when the car was in motion, or was is always just when the car had been turned off?

Hall1836

Not that it makes a difference, which CLB did you have installed?

jschindler

If it had happened to me two dozen times (or even 5 or 6) I would have called an attorney a long time ago. I think legal action would be appropriate. And believe me, I am a believer that legal action should only be used as a last resort.

Good luck.

professorhp

I know when mine locked the first time I was able to jerk the sterring wheel along with turning the ignition and it unlocked. This happened several times and I felt i would be stranded sooner or later so i got the bypass. Thanks to this wonderful forum i was in the "know" as to what to do until the CLB was installed.


PHP

JC in XTC5

If you read through the CL service bulletins, there was also an issue with some CLs where the locking pin did not have the correct clearance from the locking plate, which could result in the CL locking with the pin not fully extended. The bulletin covered this case by reinstalling the plate with the correct clearance.

That may have occured here. I have driven my car for 4+ years with the lock disconnected with no problems as have many others. And there was a discussion on this a while ago, and the conclusion was that it was not probable for the pin to slowly extend over time. I hope that's the case, but I will admit it makes me think about pulling the steering wheel and putting a blocking plate.

jeromeunderwood

I noticed the other day when I was painting my calipers I could turn my wheels in both direction without the key... 01 A4, is there no lock on my car? or has it been bypassed.

ROCKnROLL

This column lock issue gets more interesting all the time.
I remember reading where someone asked why it was necessary to install the blocking plate that came with the wiring harness in the GM kit.
I think we just found the answer.

georgec114

The A4's have had the locking removed starting on 2001 from the factory. No problem...George

JSW

This is the second time it happened while driving. In the first case, I was pulling into the parking lot at work and almost hit my boss's new BMW 7-series! That was the day I ordered the CLB. I bought it from a vendor I found through this forum. I'm not going to say who I ordered from because I don't see how it could have caused a problem when it's not connected to the lock.

Last night was the second time it locked-up while driving. All of the other times happened before I installed the CLB and after I had just started the car.

I spent several hours on the phone with GM trying to find someone who could help. I didn't find a single person who seemed to care. Also, I had it out with my local dealership again. They're not interested in even looking at the lock plate, which is covered by the recall. I want to get a recording of their refusal so I have it to use just in case something bad does happen. They wouldn't provide it in writing.

I want lock out of my steering column. Any instructions on how to get rid of the thing? I'm fed-up with dealing with GM and with my local dealer. They just don't care.

jdplays

i have a 04 6-speed, havn't had it lock yet... is it going to happen sooner or later? why does it lock, when does it lock?