IllustrationTILT STEERING WHEEL INOPERATIVE. DROVE CAR HOME WITH THE STEERING WHEEL IN THE UP POSITION TO AVOID BEING STRANDED. HAVE HAD MULTIPLE OCCASIONS WHERE THE SERVICE ACTIVE HANDLING COMES ON. THIS PROBLEM HAS OCCURED SINCE THE VEHICLE WAS NEW. THE CAR HAS BEEN INTO TWO SEPERATE DEALERS AND HAS NOT BEEN REPAIRED.*AK
2001 Chevrolet Corvette
Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations
More warning signs than most Corvette years
Owner complaints for the 2001 Chevrolet Corvette are substantially higher than the model-year median of 29.
About this comparison →How this year compares
Owner complaints by model year
Compare all Corvette years →Counts vary with age, sales and reporting. They are not failure rates.
What owners reported most
All reported categories
Tap a category to read its complaints. One report may name several components.
When problems were reported
Mileage at the reported incident
350–25K
5125–50K
2850–75K
1175–100K
4100–150K
3150K+
132 reports with mileage · 71 unknown
NHTSA’s mileage field refers to the reported incident, not necessarily the filing date. This shows report counts, not the likelihood of a failure.
What to inspect
Issues worth paying extra attention to based on owner reports.
- Steering. Review the 87 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Electrical System. Review the 25 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Engine And Engine Cooling. Review the 25 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.
6 crash reports3 fire reports2 injury reports
What owners actually said
203 reportsAIR CONDITIONER FOGS UP WINDSHIELD WHEN OPERATED.*MR THE CONSUMER WAS TOLD BY THE DEALER THAT THE PROBLEM WAS A DESIGN DEFECT AND THERE WAS NOTHING THAT THEY COULD DO. *JB
STARTED ENGINE. SELECTED MANUAL REVERSE. STEERING COLUMN LOCKED.*AK
LEAKY REAR AXLE ON 2001 CORVETTE. *AK
CONSUMER WAS CONCERNED THAT THE SERVICE MESSAGE THAT SERVICE COLUMN LOCK APPEARED WHILE STARTING THE VEHICLE. TOOK VEHICLE TO DEALER, AND DEALER DIAGNOSED THE PROBLEM AS A FAULTY BMC (BODY CONTROL MODULE. *AK
AT 3,900 MILES MY NEW CAR WAS DOWN 1QUART OF OIL. UPON QUESTIONING I FOUND THIS WAS COMMON PROBLEM WITH 2001 CORVETTES. AT 15000 MILES GM REPLACE PISTONS BUT SAID THAT IT IS ACCEPTABLE BY GM STARDARDS FOR THE CORVETTE TO BURN A QUART OF OIL EVERY 900 MILES. HOWEVER THEY WON'T GIVE ME INFORMATION IN WRITING ONLY TO MY LAWGER WHIC…
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AT 3,900 MILES MY NEW CAR WAS DOWN 1QUART OF OIL. UPON QUESTIONING I FOUND THIS WAS COMMON PROBLEM WITH 2001 CORVETTES. AT 15000 MILES GM REPLACE PISTONS BUT SAID THAT IT IS ACCEPTABLE BY GM STARDARDS FOR THE CORVETTE TO BURN A QUART OF OIL EVERY 900 MILES. HOWEVER THEY WON'T GIVE ME INFORMATION IN WRITING ONLY TO MY LAWGER WHICH I DON'T FEEL NEEDED YET. I ALSO HAD A FRIEND WHO HAS SAME YEAR CORVETTE AS MINE AND HE TWO IS BURNING OIL. IT IS A KNOW PROBLEM EVEN IN GM WEB SITES FOR IT MECHANICS. PLEASE HELP I'M TIRED OF CHECKING OIL AND REPORTING CONSUMPTION TO DEALERSHIP I DIDN'T PURCHASE A 50,000 CAR FOR THIS.*AK
STEERING COLUMN LOCKED - LOCKING PIN DID NOT RELEASE DURING KEY TURN BUT ENGINE TURNED OVER. THIS OCCURED THE SAME WAY THREE TIMES. FIRST TIME WAS A YEAR AGO. HAD DEALER REPAIR IT BUT THEY CLAIMED IT WAS A WEAK BATTERY, THEY CHARGED IT AND SIMPLY SAID THEY RESET IT.. DUE TO HOW LONG THEY HAD IT, I HAD TO RENT A CAR WHICH ULT…
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STEERING COLUMN LOCKED - LOCKING PIN DID NOT RELEASE DURING KEY TURN BUT ENGINE TURNED OVER. THIS OCCURED THE SAME WAY THREE TIMES. FIRST TIME WAS A YEAR AGO. HAD DEALER REPAIR IT BUT THEY CLAIMED IT WAS A WEAK BATTERY, THEY CHARGED IT AND SIMPLY SAID THEY RESET IT.. DUE TO HOW LONG THEY HAD IT, I HAD TO RENT A CAR WHICH ULTIMATELY COST ME $350. SECOND TIME, A DIFFERENT DEALER CLAIMED IT WAS THE BCM NEEDING REPROGRAMMING AND THAT IT WAS NOT THE SAME THING AS THE CURRENT RECALL AT THE TIME (SPECIFICALLY RELATED TO THE PCM) DESPITE THE SEEMINGLY SIMILAR EXPLAINATION OF THE RECALL. IT WAS JUST OUT OF WARRANTY AND LEAD TO A COST OF $275. THE THIRD TIME, SAME EXACT THING HAPPENED AGAIN AND THIS TIME THE SAME DEALER CLAIMED IT WAS THE STEERING COLUMN LOCK ACTUATOR OR OTHERWISE KNOWN AS THE SOLENOID. THEY ARE NOW IN THE PROCESS OF REPLACING THE WHOLE LOCKING ASSEMBLY FOR $315 ($175+LABOR). ALL THREE INCIDENCES OCCURED WITH A WEAKENED BATTERY YET THE ENGINE HAD NO PROBLEMS TURNING OVER SUGGESTING THAT DAMAGE COULD HAVE OCCURED. EACH TIME, I WAS STRANDED WITHOUT A VEHICLE FOR SEVERAL DAYS AND THE TOTAL COST IS NOW ROUGHLY $1000 OUT OF MY POCKET. I SHOULD ALSO MENTION THAT SINCE TOW TRUCKS ARE NOT DESIGNED WITH THE CORVETTE IN MIND, EACH AND EVEY TIME MY VEHICLE GETS TOWED, I HAVE TO ASSIST THE TOW TRUCK SO AS TO AVOID FURTHER DAMAGE WHILE THEY BARELY GET THE VEHICLE ON THE FLAT BED. THIS ALONE IS ENOUGH STRESS LET ALONE THE COST OF THE TOWS. *AK
THE VEHICLE LOCKED UP WHEN THE CONSUMER BACKED OUT OF THE DRIVEWAY. THE VEHICLE ALSO FAILED TO UNLOCK TWICE WHILE PARKED. *PH THE CONSUMER HAS SINCE TRADE THE VEHICLE FOR A 2004 CHEVROLET CORVETTE WITH NO PROBLEMS. *JB
WHILE THE VEHICLE WAS IN MOTION STEERING WHEEL LOCKED IN PLACE. THIS CAUSED THE CONSUMER TO LOSE DIRECTIONAL CONTROL. *AK
WHILE VEHICLE WAS IN MOTION STEERING WHEEL LOCKED IN PLACE. THIS CAUSED THE CONSUMER TO LOSE DIRECTIONAL CONTROL. *AK
Official recalls
104V060000 · Steering:column LOCKING:ANTI-THEFT Device
Feb 9, 2004
ON CERTAIN PASSENGER VEHICLES EQUIPPED WITH ELECTRONIC COLUMN LOCK SYSTEMS (ECL), WHEN THE IGNITION SWITCH IS TURNED TO "LOCK," THE ECL SYSTEM PREVENTS TURNING OF THE STEERING SYSTEM. WHEN THE VEHICLE IS STARTED, THE ECL UNLOCKS THE STEERING SYSTEM. THE VEHICLE IS DESIGNED SO THAT IF THE COLUMN FAILS TO UNLOCK WHEN THE VEHICLE IS STARTED AND THE CUSTOMER TRIES TO DRIVE, THE FUEL SUPPLY WILL BE SHUT OFF SO THAT THE VEHICLE CANNOT MOVE WHEN THE VEHICLE CANNOT BE STEERED. IF VOLTAGE AT THE POWERTRAIN CONTROL MODULE IS LOW OR INTERRUPTED, HOWEVER, THE FUEL SHUT OFF MAY NOT OCCUR AND THE VEHICLE CAN BE ACCELERATED WHILE THE STEERING SYSTEM IS LOCKED. ALSO WHEN THE CONTROL SYSTEM SHOWS THAT THE ECL IS UNLOCKED AND THE VEHICLE IS BEING DRIVEN, THE LOCK PIN LOCATION CAN VARY. DEPENDING ON THE LOCATION OF THE LOCK PLATE RELATIVE TO THE SWITCH TRANSITION POINT, THERE COULD THEN BE CONTACT BETWEEN THE LOCK PLATE AND PIN CAUSING THE STEERING TO LOCK WHILE DRIVING .
Consequence & remedy
Consequence: IF THIS OCCURS, A CRASH COULD OCCUR WITHOUT WARNING.
Remedy: ON VEHICLES EQUIPPED WITH AN AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION, THE DEALER WILL DISABLE THE STEERING COLUMN LOCK BY REMOVING THE COLUMN LOCK PLATE. WHEN THE IGNITION KEY IS REMOVED, THE TRANSMISSION SHIFTER WILL LOCK BUT THE STEERING COLUMN WILL NOT LOCK. ON VEHICLES EQUIPPED WITH A MANUAL TRANSMISSION, THE DEALER WILL REPROGRAM THE POWERTRAIN CONTROL MODULE, PERFORM A DIMENSIONAL CHECK OF THE COLUMN LOCK AND, IF NECESSARY, REPLACE THE LOCK PLATE. THE STEERING COLUMN ON THESE VEHICLES WILL CONTINUE TO LOCK WHEN THE KEY IS REMOVED. OWNER NOTIFICATION TO OWNERS OF 1997 VEHICLES EQUIPPED WITH AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSIONS BEGAN ON APRIL 26, 2004. OWNERS OF 1998 THROUGH 2004 VEHICLES (EXCEPT 1997-1998 MANUAL TRANSMISSION VEHICLES) WILL BE NOTIFIED BEGINNING ON AUGUST 2, 2004. THE REMAINING OWNERS (1997-1998 MANUAL TRANSMISSION VEHICLES) WILL BE NOTIFIED LATER IN 2004, WHEN PARTS ARE AVAILABLE. OWNERS SHOULD CONTACT CHEVROLET AT 1-800-630-2438.
Model-level recall history does not show whether a particular VIN is affected or has received a repair. Check a VIN with NHTSA ↗
NHTSA investigations
2EA02031 · Steering Column Lockup
Opened Nov 15, 2002 · Closed Mar 11, 2004
Status: closed (inferred from source dates) · Steering; Steering:column; Steering:column LOCKING:ANTI-THEFT Device
IN 2001, GENERAL MOTORS (GM) ISSUED CUSTOMER SERVICE CAMPAIGNS 1044 AND 1044A TO ADDRESS A CONDITION WHERE THE STEERING COLUMN WOULD FAIL TO UNLOCK DURING THE INITIAL KEY-IN AND START-UP IN CERTAIN MY 1998-2000 CORVETTE VEHICLES.HOWEVER, ODI CONTINUED TO RECEIVE COMPLAINTS CONCERNING STEERING COLUMN LOCKUP ON CORVETTE VEHICLES.AS A RESULT, PE02-054 WAS OPENED AND LATER UPGRADED TO EA02-031 FOR MY 1997-2001 SUBJECT VEHICLES.ODI'S ANALYSIS IDENTIFIED CONCERNS WITH POST-REPAIR FAILURES IN VEHICLES SERVICED THROUGH THE CAMPAIGNS, AS WELL AS, FAILURES IN MY 1997-2003 SUBJECT VEHICLES NOT INCLUDED IN THE CAMPAIGNS.(NOTE: THE MANUFACTURER FAILURE DATA ABOVE IS LIMITED TO MY 1997-2003 VEHICLES THROUGH 10/17/2003.)ON FEBRUARY 6, 2004, GM NOTIFIED NHTSA OF A SAFETY DEFECT IN MY 1997-2004 CORVETTE VEHCLES EQUIPPED WITH MANUAL TRANSMISSIONS AND MY 1997-2000 CORVETTE VEHICLES WITH AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSIONS.THE NOTIFICATION STATED THAT IF THE VOLTAGE AT THE POWERTRAIN CONTROL MODULE (PCM), WHICH WAS DESIGNED TO SHUT DOWN THE FUEL SUPPLY WHEN THE STEERING COLUMN FAILED TO UNLOCK AND THE CUSTOMER TRIED TO DRIVE THE VEHICLE, IS LOW OR INTERRUPTED, THE FUEL SHUT OFF MAY NOT OCCUR.AS A RESULT, THE CUSTOMER COULD DRIVE THE VEHICLE WHILE THE STEERING COLUMN WAS LOCKED CAUSING THE DRIVER TO LOSE STEERING CONTROL AND POSSIBLY CRASH WITHOUT WARNING.GM WILL INSTRUCT OWNERS TO BRING THEIR VEHICLES TO A DEALER TO HAVE THE PCM REPROGRAMMED FOR MANUAL TRANSMISSION VEHICLES AND THE ELECTRIC COLUMN LOCK DISABLED FOR AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION VEHICLES.ODI WILL MONITOR THE EFFECTIVENESS OF THE REMEDY IN THE MANUAL TRANSMISSION VEHICLES AND TAKE FURTHER ACTION IF WARRANTED.
Additional source detail variants (3)
Steering:column
IN 2001, GENERAL MOTORS (GM) ISSUED CUSTOMER SERVICE CAMPAIGNS 1044 AND 1044A TO ADDRESS A CONDITION WHERE THE STEERING COLUMN WOULD FAIL TO UNLOCK DURING THE INITIAL KEY-IN AND START-UP IN CERTAIN MY 1998-2000 CORVETTE VEHICLES.HOWEVER, ODI CONTINUED TO RECEIVE COMPLAINTS CONCERNING STEERING COLUMN LOCKUP ON CORVETTE VEHICLES.AS A RESULT, PE02-054 WAS OPENED AND LATER UPGRADED TO EA02-031 FOR MY 1997-2001 SUBJECT VEHICLES.ODI'S ANALYSIS IDENTIFIED CONCERNS WITH POST-REPAIR FAILURES IN VEHICLES SERVICED THROUGH THE CAMPAIGNS, AS WELL AS, FAILURES IN MY 1997-2003 SUBJECT VEHICLES NOT INCLUDED IN THE CAMPAIGNS.(NOTE: THE MANUFACTURER FAILURE DATA ABOVE IS LIMITED TO MY 1997-2003 VEHICLES THROUGH 10/17/2003.)ON FEBRUARY 6, 2004, GM NOTIFIED NHTSA OF A SAFETY DEFECT IN MY 1997-2004 CORVETTE VEHCLES EQUIPPED WITH MANUAL TRANSMISSIONS AND MY 1997-2000 CORVETTE VEHICLES WITH AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSIONS.THE NOTIFICATION STATED THAT IF THE VOLTAGE AT THE POWERTRAIN CONTROL MODULE (PCM), WHICH WAS DESIGNED TO SHUT DOWN THE FUEL SUPPLY WHEN THE STEERING COLUMN FAILED TO UNLOCK AND THE CUSTOMER TRIED TO DRIVE THE VEHICLE, IS LOW OR INTERRUPTED, THE FUEL SHUT OFF MAY NOT OCCUR.AS A RESULT, THE CUSTOMER COULD DRIVE THE VEHICLE WHILE THE STEERING COLUMN WAS LOCKED CAUSING THE DRIVER TO LOSE STEERING CONTROL AND POSSIBLY CRASH WITHOUT WARNING.GM WILL INSTRUCT OWNERS TO BRING THEIR VEHICLES TO A DEALER TO HAVE THE PCM REPROGRAMMED FOR MANUAL TRANSMISSION VEHICLES AND THE ELECTRIC COLUMN LOCK DISABLED FOR AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION VEHICLES.ODI WILL MONITOR THE EFFECTIVENESS OF THE REMEDY IN THE MANUAL TRANSMISSION VEHICLES AND TAKE FURTHER ACTION IF WARRANTED.
Steering:column LOCKING:ANTI-THEFT Device
IN 2001, GENERAL MOTORS (GM) ISSUED CUSTOMER SERVICE CAMPAIGNS 1044 AND 1044A TO ADDRESS A CONDITION WHERE THE STEERING COLUMN WOULD FAIL TO UNLOCK DURING THE INITIAL KEY-IN AND START-UP IN CERTAIN MY 1998-2000 CORVETTE VEHICLES.HOWEVER, ODI CONTINUED TO RECEIVE COMPLAINTS CONCERNING STEERING COLUMN LOCKUP ON CORVETTE VEHICLES.AS A RESULT, PE02-054 WAS OPENED AND LATER UPGRADED TO EA02-031 FOR MY 1997-2001 SUBJECT VEHICLES.ODI'S ANALYSIS IDENTIFIED CONCERNS WITH POST-REPAIR FAILURES IN VEHICLES SERVICED THROUGH THE CAMPAIGNS, AS WELL AS, FAILURES IN MY 1997-2003 SUBJECT VEHICLES NOT INCLUDED IN THE CAMPAIGNS.(NOTE: THE MANUFACTURER FAILURE DATA ABOVE IS LIMITED TO MY 1997-2003 VEHICLES THROUGH 10/17/2003.)ON FEBRUARY 6, 2004, GM NOTIFIED NHTSA OF A SAFETY DEFECT IN MY 1997-2004 CORVETTE VEHCLES EQUIPPED WITH MANUAL TRANSMISSIONS AND MY 1997-2000 CORVETTE VEHICLES WITH AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSIONS.THE NOTIFICATION STATED THAT IF THE VOLTAGE AT THE POWERTRAIN CONTROL MODULE (PCM), WHICH WAS DESIGNED TO SHUT DOWN THE FUEL SUPPLY WHEN THE STEERING COLUMN FAILED TO UNLOCK AND THE CUSTOMER TRIED TO DRIVE THE VEHICLE, IS LOW OR INTERRUPTED, THE FUEL SHUT OFF MAY NOT OCCUR.AS A RESULT, THE CUSTOMER COULD DRIVE THE VEHICLE WHILE THE STEERING COLUMN WAS LOCKED CAUSING THE DRIVER TO LOSE STEERING CONTROL AND POSSIBLY CRASH WITHOUT WARNING.GM WILL INSTRUCT OWNERS TO BRING THEIR VEHICLES TO A DEALER TO HAVE THE PCM REPROGRAMMED FOR MANUAL TRANSMISSION VEHICLES AND THE ELECTRIC COLUMN LOCK DISABLED FOR AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION VEHICLES.ODI WILL MONITOR THE EFFECTIVENESS OF THE REMEDY IN THE MANUAL TRANSMISSION VEHICLES AND TAKE FURTHER ACTION IF WARRANTED.
Steering
IN 2001, GENERAL MOTORS (GM) ISSUED CUSTOMER SERVICE CAMPAIGNS 1044 AND 1044A TO ADDRESS A CONDITION WHERE THE STEERING COLUMN WOULD FAIL TO UNLOCK DURING THE INITIAL KEY-IN AND START-UP IN CERTAIN MY 1998-2000 CORVETTE VEHICLES.HOWEVER, ODI CONTINUED TO RECEIVE COMPLAINTS CONCERNING STEERING COLUMN LOCKUP ON CORVETTE VEHICLES.AS A RESULT, PE02-054 WAS OPENED AND LATER UPGRADED TO EA02-031 FOR MY 1997-2001 SUBJECT VEHICLES.ODI'S ANALYSIS IDENTIFIED CONCERNS WITH POST-REPAIR FAILURES IN VEHICLES SERVICED THROUGH THE CAMPAIGNS, AS WELL AS, FAILURES IN MY 1997-2003 SUBJECT VEHICLES NOT INCLUDED IN THE CAMPAIGNS.(NOTE: THE MANUFACTURER FAILURE DATA ABOVE IS LIMITED TO MY 1997-2003 VEHICLES THROUGH 10/17/2003.)ON FEBRUARY 6, 2004, GM NOTIFIED NHTSA OF A SAFETY DEFECT IN MY 1997-2004 CORVETTE VEHCLES EQUIPPED WITH MANUAL TRANSMISSIONS AND MY 1997-2000 CORVETTE VEHICLES WITH AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSIONS.THE NOTIFICATION STATED THAT IF THE VOLTAGE AT THE POWERTRAIN CONTROL MODULE (PCM), WHICH WAS DESIGNED TO SHUT DOWN THE FUEL SUPPLY WHEN THE STEERING COLUMN FAILED TO UNLOCK AND THE CUSTOMER TRIED TO DRIVE THE VEHICLE, IS LOW OR INTERRUPTED, THE FUEL SHUT OFF MAY NOT OCCUR.AS A RESULT, THE CUSTOMER COULD DRIVE THE VEHICLE WHILE THE STEERING COLUMN WAS LOCKED CAUSING THE DRIVER TO LOSE STEERING CONTROL AND POSSIBLY CRASH WITHOUT WARNING.GM WILL INSTRUCT OWNERS TO BRING THEIR VEHICLES TO A DEALER TO HAVE THE PCM REPROGRAMMED FOR MANUAL TRANSMISSION VEHICLES AND THE ELECTRIC COLUMN LOCK DISABLED FOR AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION VEHICLES.ODI WILL MONITOR THE EFFECTIVENESS OF THE REMEDY IN THE MANUAL TRANSMISSION VEHICLES AND TAKE FURTHER ACTION IF WARRANTED.
PE02054 · Steering Column Lockup
Opened Jul 1, 2002 · Closed Nov 15, 2002
Status: closed (inferred from source dates) · Steering
SEE RESUME IN REPOSITORY.