Page 3-65 of the 2004 Owner's Manual says the following in its list of DIC Warnings and Messages:
SERVICE COLUMN LOCK (Manual Transmission Only): If the system that controls the locking and unlocking of the steering column does not work properly, have the vehicle towed to a dealer for service.
Of course, the Manual tells you to take the vehicle to a dealer for a
lot of things... :eyerole That being said, the column lock is a funny animal that can be affected by something as simple as low battery voltage. You might want to review
this thread, which contains some links to videos that capture a presentation by another forum member, Paul ("C4C5specialist"), about this topic. If your battery is old, you might want to consider replacing it; at least check the voltage and ratings per the information contained in the videos. It may solve the issue with the column lock.
According to Paul, the column lock bypass that became the 'band-aid' fix from GM is almost never needed. Once you check your battery, if you're still experiencing problems, you might shoot Paul a PM if he hasn't already chimed in to this thread; he's probably best-qualified to speak authoritatively on this topic. If the column lock releases, you might be able to drive the car, but I think there's an inhibitor that keeps you from exceeding something like 5 mph; if it releases and the inhibitor does not engage, you're probably fine to drive the car, since the column lock
cannot engage while you're driving.
