sci68
Member
I got the dreaded "Steering Column Lock" message on the DIC yesterday. Steering wheel was locked solid. I set out this morning to the dealership to see if my 02 had the recall fix performed. I did a lot of research on this and other forums about this issue and it appears the fix is to replace the battery (low voltage on a weak battery seems to cause this to flare up). So I decided that before I head out, I would check the voltage reading on DIC. I put the key in the ignition and turned it on and got the "Pull key wait 10 sec" message, which I did, restarted and got the "Steering Column Lock" message on the DIC. Well you can't read the gauges when the "Steering Lock Column" message appears on the DIC. I then pushed the reset button (located on the right side of dashboard, bottom button and, viola!!, the Steering Column Lock message disappeared and I was able to read the voltage (it was at 11.5, seems like I need to replace the battery). And, get this, the steering column now is unlocked!!! I even shut the car down and restarted it 3 more times and no issues.....
As I was driving to the dealership to find out if my 02 ever had the recall fix and to pick up a battery, I thought to myself, could it be that simple to press the reset button, shut off the car and restart and that fixes the Steering Lock Column issue? The service technician wasn't sure. I got the service history on my car and the recall was performed (harness kit). I decided not to buy the battery and instead to write this long post to see if anyone ever used the reset button and whether it fixed the Steering Column Lock. Thanks!
As I was driving to the dealership to find out if my 02 ever had the recall fix and to pick up a battery, I thought to myself, could it be that simple to press the reset button, shut off the car and restart and that fixes the Steering Lock Column issue? The service technician wasn't sure. I got the service history on my car and the recall was performed (harness kit). I decided not to buy the battery and instead to write this long post to see if anyone ever used the reset button and whether it fixed the Steering Column Lock. Thanks!