Service steering column

[my 1999 coupe]

Hi everyone ,
Has anyone run into this issue.on there C5. I had to boost my car and after I did this I started getting a message on my display when I start and turn off the car that says " Service steering column " . I know there was a recall to correct the steering column lock issue but I was assured when I bought the car that all recalls were done.
It wasn't doing this before I boosted the car. I checked with my scan gauge reader and no codes came up to clear. If I hit the reset button it clears the message until I shut the car off. I have no driving issues.
Any help would be appreciated

Thanks
harlie

 

[Black 03 Z06]

Harlie, was your car hooked up to a battery tender or other similar trickle charger. These cars are notorious for doing weird things when voltage is low. If the battery is indeed low, charge it up and see what happens. Gut feeling it is a battery/voltage issue.

It does not take long to deplete a battery when they sit.

Good luck.

 

[my 1999 coupe]

Black 03 Z06,

Thanks for the reply .
I see I left the C off Charlie in my name.
Any way no it wasn't on a tender and I had been driving the car for quite a while . I had left a inside light on and killed the battery. Charging system and voltage is fine just keep getting this message.

Thanks
Charlie

 

[Black 03 Z06]

Charlie, I would get the battery checked before doing anything else. If the battery is at all weak, even with a functioning charging system you could have low voltage issues on start up. Lots of places will check it for free and if the battery is good then you can cross that off your list.

You will get it sorted. I am sure others will chime in with suggestions and support.

 

[my 1999 coupe]

Good News I have fixed it myself.

After a lot of research I was able to fix this "Service Column Lock" message code.
As I stated earlier I knew the recall had been done in the past by a previous owner and this message only appeared after I boosted the car.
The first thing I did was to clear all existing codes . This may be know to the forum and other C5 owners but it was news to me that you can turn your message center into a diagnostic reader.
I will give the process below so others may do the same.

First turn the key to on twice but do not start the car.
Next hit the reset button to clear any messages.
Next hit the gauge button until you have a blank display.
Next hold down the option button and hit the fuel button 4 times
Now all the codes will start appearing .
Let that finish and then the display will go into a manual mode.
Hit the option button to go threw the codes (#4 button is forward and # 3 button goes backward)
Hold down the reset button for 2-3 seconds to clear any codes ( I had a lot) Codes with a H are history codes and have been corrected on there own and C are current codes that need to be addressed.

That is it and it saves having to buy a OBD reader.

After doing all this I thought I would be fine but the dreaded Service Column Lock still appeared.
After more research I discovered there was one more thing to do.
You need to remove fuses # 23; #25 and # 29 and leave out for 15 minutes .
Once i did that the the service column lock disappeared but the message remove key for 10 seconds appeared.
After I did that all was fine.

I apologize if this is already know or somewhere on this site but i thought it would be good to share this with the other members.


Charlie

 

[nascar03]

Hi Charlie
Most of us C5 owners know about the diagnostic tool built into the cars..
It is a great built-in tool that we C5rs have at our disposal.
I didn't suggest that because it was not going to solve your steering column lock issue.
I did not know about the fuse removal trick to actually stop that code alert from coming back.
Thanx for sharing.

Graham

 

[Black 03 Z06]

Charlie, so glad you got it sorted and I have to thank you for telling us some information we may not have known otherwise.

Appreciated.