The 2003 Chevrolet Corvette has 1 NHTSA recall campaign affecting an estimated 126,624 vehicles. Recall repairs are always free at any authorized dealer. Owners have filed 126 complaints with NHTSA, most often about the steering. Last updated July 5, 2026.
Recall campaigns
STEERING04V0600002004-02-09126,624 affected
Defect
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…
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…
Complaints by component
STEERING
25
4crashes
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
11
2crashes
ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL (ESC)
10
1crashes
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM
8
STEERING:COLUMN LOCKING:ANTI-THEFT DEVICE
7
2crashes
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
4
2crashes
POWER TRAIN
4
1crashes
SERVICE BRAKES
4
STRUCTURE:BODY
4
1crashes
POWER TRAIN:MANUAL TRANSMISSION
3
Total complaints126
What owners report
Verbatim reports filed with NHTSA, lightly edited for readability and with personal
information removed.
“Vehicle was part of mandatory recall for problems with steering column lock. The same identified and inherent problem happened so that the steering column lock is engaged and will not disengage. Gm was contacted and refuses support and stated that I would have to take care of the problem and I…”
“Tl* the contact owns a 2003 chevrolet corvette. The contact stated that while driving approximately 40 mph, the steering wheel suddenly ceased and the driver was unable to turn the steering wheel in either direction. The steering column was later unlocked and the vehicle was taken to the local…”
“A very strong smell of gasoline in the cabin area and in the trunk after filling the corvette with gasoline. The strong smell of gasoline was at it's strongest scent when the deck lid was open. I stood on the rear right of the corvette with my head barely inside the trunk. So basically rear right…”
“My car has 45,000 miles. There is a fuel smell coming from the car. I always fill the tank full when I plan on not driving it for a while. If I leave it parked for several months and don't drive it, the fuel tank will be empty when I start it up. The fuel smell appears to be coming from the middle…”
“Tl* the contact owns a 2003 chevrolet corvette. While driving 20 mph, the steering ceased to operate without warning. Prior to the failure, the vehicle was included in and repaired per nhtsa campaign number: 04v060000 (steering) by an unknown dealer. After the recent failure, the vehicle was towed…”
“The car has developed a condition where the steering column lock fails to unlock the steering column when the vehicle is started. A message appears in the dic display telling you to pull the key and wait 10 seconds. It shuts off the fuel supply if you attempt to drive it. Chevrolet acknowledged…”
“The car has developed a condition where the steering column lock fails to unlock the steering column when the vehicle is started. A message appears in the dic display telling you to pull the key and wait 10 seconds. It shuts off the fuel supply if you attempt to drive it. Chevrolet acknowledged…”
“The car has developed a condition where the steering column lock fails to unlock the steering column when the vehicle is started. A message appears in the dic display telling you to pull the key and wait 10 seconds. It shuts off the fuel supply if you attempt to drive it. Chevrolet acknowledged…”
Defect investigations
InvestigationEA02031 Opened 2002-11-15 · closed 2004-03-11
STEERING COLUMN LOCKUP
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…
InvestigationEA02031 Opened 2002-11-15 · closed 2004-03-11
STEERING COLUMN LOCKUP
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…
InvestigationEA02031 Opened 2002-11-15 · closed 2004-03-11
STEERING COLUMN LOCKUP
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…
Recall, complaint, and investigation records from official NHTSA datasets (FLAT_RCL,
FLAT_CMPL, FLAT_INV), synced weekly. Counts reflect NHTSA records for the 2003 Chevrolet Corvette as of
July 5, 2026. Complaint narratives are consumer-submitted and unverified. This page
contains ads and affiliate links. Full methodology.