# Steering Wheel Lock Problem



## tparker50 (Sep 1, 2007)

Help! My 04 AT GTO is now a 3,600 lb. boat anchor! The key won't turn in the ignition no matter how much jiggling, turning the wheel, mashing the brake pedal, fooling with the shifter knob I do. 

The rear wheels are locked (it's in Park), the front wheels are turned about 45 degrees. 

Anyone got any ideas? Please be constructive, I've already considered torching it.


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## PEARL JAM (Sep 6, 2005)

This happened to someone else on this board a short time ago. The dealer ended up replacing the whole colomn. Good luck to you and let us know what happens.


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## Cottonfarmer (Jul 11, 2005)

This happened to me about a month ago. Dealer had to replace the whole steering column because (he said) the ignition switch couldn't be replaced with the steering column locked. Goat was in the shop for two weeks because there wasn't another column shown on any dealer's inventory in the continental U.S. so replacement had to come from down under.

Sorry to hear about your problem and hope your ride won't be down as long as mine. -Jim




tparker50 said:


> Help! My 04 AT GTO is now a 3,600 lb. boat anchor! The key won't turn in the ignition no matter how much jiggling, turning the wheel, mashing the brake pedal, fooling with the shifter knob I do.
> 
> The rear wheels are locked (it's in Park), the front wheels are turned about 45 degrees.
> 
> Anyone got any ideas? Please be constructive, I've already considered torching it.


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## lukekeith (Oct 27, 2006)

I've had that problem before in mine, every now and then it comes up again, it's taken me as long as 30 minutes to get my car started when it does that, but I figured it out somewhat, I jerk the wheel hard to the right while simultaneously turning the key hard to the right. Also, I've noticed the key can't be pushed in 100% of the way when doing this, I have to push the key in about 95% of the way, it clicks a little different when you do that. Much like sex panther cologn, "60% of the time, it works all the time". Obviously it's not a guarantee, but that's what worked for me. Good luck with your car man.


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## tparker50 (Sep 1, 2007)

Cottonfarmer said:


> This happened to me about a month ago. Dealer had to replace the whole steering column because (he said) the ignition switch couldn't be replaced with the steering column locked. Goat was in the shop for two weeks because there wasn't another column shown on any dealer's inventory in the continental U.S. so replacement had to come from down under.
> 
> Sorry to hear about your problem and hope your ride won't be down as long as mine. -Jim


Thanks. I'll let everyone know how it turns out. In the meantime: ALWAYS STRAIGHTEN YOUR FRONT WHEELS WHEN YOU PULL INTO A PARKING SPACE. It makes things a lot simpler if something goes wrong.


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## tparker50 (Sep 1, 2007)

Here's an update on the status of my car. Still a boat anchor at this point. GM of North America doesn't have a steering column in stock so they are checking to see if any dealer might have one (!).

Next stop - Australia.

Really makes me want to put my name on the list for a G8 
[heavy sarcasm implied here]


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## Partsguru1 (May 21, 2007)

Hey everybody,

I too had the same locked steering/ign key problem a couple weeks ago. Being the parts mgr, and having a good relationship with our #1 tech, I have some insight that may be real helpful to getting your car back and running.

What the tech showed me I will try to explain and I've attached a pic to help explain. What the tech did first after he tried for an hour to get the key to release or turn, was he got the idea of taking the ign switch off,which is mounting to the back of the ign lock cylinder. The tech then realized that what was causing the problem was likely the pin at the very rear of the lock cylinder (shown on the pic in pink) was hanging up. If you will notice the ramp to the right of the "pink" pin, you'll see it is a very steep slope for the pin to climb up. The tech reshaped the ramp to where it was almost c shaped so the pin now has very little resistance to climb the ramp. The tech also comment about how soft the metal was, and how he reshaped the ramp with nothing more than a razor blade. The main problem as I see it is the lock cylinder housing is made of way too soft metal, and the pin is wearing a spot at the bottom of the ramp and that, along with the steep slope of the ramp is causing our ignition to lock up. 

If you have any other questions just PM me or email me at [email protected]. 

Good Luck
Partsguru


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## GTO_Gregory (Aug 5, 2005)

Yes, I hear about this a lot. I know two GTO's this has happened to.


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## tparker50 (Sep 1, 2007)

*Steering Wheel Problem Update - Week 2*

Group,

My car is still in the shop. The parts manager says that they are looking for a steering column and a cylinder. They haven't been able to find one in the US and aren't too sure about Australia. They are supposed to call me tomorrow after they have spoken (again) to the GM Parts rep.

I had fax'd them the excellent write up and picture sent in by Partsguru1 (thanks again Doug!) but they claim that GM has advised them against any kind of "temporary" fix. I suspect they fear some kind of liability in the event of an accident.

I will keep the Board posted on my status but, in the meantime, I'd straighten my wheels before I turn the key off if I were you.


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## GTO JUDGE (May 14, 2005)

*Man that does suck. 

Are you in a rental car? If not insist on one. I believe your warranty will get you one.*


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## tparker50 (Sep 1, 2007)

*Steering Wheel Problem Update - Week 2 Update*

Still no word from GM.

For the record, the dealership has rented me a car and they are going to pay for both the tow and the repair. I'm 2,000+ miles out of warranty. 

They are trying to do the right thing, but it's hard to believe that GM would import and sell cars without putting enough parts in their system to keep them running.

Here's a scary thought: If they can't find parts for an '04 in '07, what's it going to be like when you need something five years from now? 

Maybe we should all buy a couple of wrecks so we'll have our own parts donors.


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## GTO JUDGE (May 14, 2005)

tparker50 said:


> Maybe we should all buy a couple of wrecks so we'll have our own parts donors.


*Ain't no shortage of them, I have read many wrecked ones lately. September must be total your GTO month.*


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## MajorTom (Jun 30, 2007)

^ Knock on wood...

I hear that tie rod ends are also out all through the country. That's a bummer too.


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## cuspid (Dec 8, 2004)

Blowout the lock with wd40 and compressed air a couple of times. A bunch of black stuff comes out. The key then should turn. I had some 3 in 1 oil in a spray can and sprayed that in and blew the excess out. Been a week now no problems.arty:


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## tparker50 (Sep 1, 2007)

*Steering Wheel Problem Update - Week 2 Update*

Still in the shop. Parts still on order: Steering column and cylinder coming from Australia. May arrive next week.

Still in a rental car (they are paying).

Stay tuned.


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## PEARL JAM (Sep 6, 2005)

Kudos to your dealer for doing all that 2k miles after your warranty ran out. When a dealer does something bad, it's all over these boards; it's nice to see some good talk about our hard working service employees.:cool


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## fiddler_red (May 9, 2007)

GTO_Gregory said:


> Yes, I hear about this a lot. I know two GTO's this has happened to.


:willy: 
If you wouldn't mind, please tell how you're getting that combo of performance and mileage!!!

I have a stock '06 M6 18's and have gotten 31mpg highway with the cruise set at 75 for a 100 mile give-or-take stretch, but my city mileage sucks bigtime. I'd like to hear what mods you have, etc.


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## tparker50 (Sep 1, 2007)

Just to keep everyone in the loop. We are now at 1 month and counting on my repair. Car is still immobile. Parts are still on order. I'm still in a rental.


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## Partsguru1 (May 21, 2007)

tparker50 said:


> Just to keep everyone in the loop. We are now at 1 month and counting on my repair. Car is still immobile. Parts are still on order. I'm still in a rental.


Tom,
Does the dealer's parts dept. have a spac case on the parts ordered? I'm surre you won't know off hand, but you need to make sure there is a SPAC Case opened or you will be waiting forever on getting your car back. Basically opening a spac case puts your parts on as high a priority as possible and indicates a vehicle down. If for some reason they haven't opened a spac case you should go down and kick someones a$$ because they have just wasted a month of your time! If you need anymore info just email me.

Doug aka "Guru


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## svede1212 (Nov 1, 2005)

as Doug pointed out the cylinder ramp is wearing and it can be fairly easily fixed. in a lot of ways that's a better fix IMHO. you have your car running fairly quickly and it's less likely to happen again. over on LS1GTO there is a fairly detailed thread on how someone fixed his own. DIY FTW


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## Cottonfarmer (Jul 11, 2005)

tparker50 said:


> Still in the shop. Parts still on order: Steering column and cylinder coming from Australia. May arrive next week.
> 
> Still in a rental car (they are paying).
> 
> Stay tuned.


They did a SPAC case on my car when it became obvious the parts weren't readily available. Dealer told me the steering column was airfreighted in from AU. They had it in a bit over a week. They then had to wait three more days for some other little insignificant part to come in.

Sorry to hear about your extended downtime. That's a bummer.

Jim


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## Partsguru1 (May 21, 2007)

svede1212 said:


> as Doug pointed out the cylinder ramp is wearing and it can be fairly easily fixed. in a lot of ways that's a better fix IMHO. you have your car running fairly quickly and it's less likely to happen again. over on LS1GTO there is a fairly detailed thread on how someone fixed his own. DIY FTW


Unfortunately since there has been no design change on the lock cylinder, I fear that Tom will have this happen again. The steering column replacement is not neccesary, but rather is just a sign that the service dept wasn't sure what the exact problem is and is throwing a column at it as a "catch all". Having been an eyewitness to the real problem, it obvious that it really is an easy fix. My ignition cylinder is smooth as butter after modifying the ramp on the cylinder case. 

Doug


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## tparker50 (Sep 1, 2007)

*Spac*

The dealer told me early on that they had opened a spac case on the parts. Doesn't seem to have helped much.

I've been traveling this month so the car they've rented me has spent a lot of time at the airport.

I'm not too worried about this problem recurring because, as soon as they get it fixed, the "for sale" sign is going in the window.

This is just ridiculous.


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## EEZ GOAT (Jul 9, 2005)

well guys add me to the list. iam stuck (as i type this) at work. got off at 4 pm and cant get home. Called dealer and they are sending a tow truck. sure hopes a a flat bed. my service advisor said they will put me i a rent a goat. not expecting to have the goat this week. let me go out and see if i can start her up now. btw iam at 33,000 on the clock


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## GTO JUDGE (May 14, 2005)

EEZ GOAT said:


> well guys add me to the list. iam stuck (as i type this) at work. got off at 4 pm and cant get home. Called dealer and they are sending a tow truck. sure hopes a a flat bed. my service advisor said they will put me i a rent a goat. not expecting to have the goat this week. let me go out and see if i can start her up now. btw iam at 33,000 on the clock


*Damn EEZ.... 

This is becoming an epidemic*.


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## EEZ GOAT (Jul 9, 2005)

i see as i read on


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## Partsguru1 (May 21, 2007)

*See my earlier posts if your problem is the ign key not turning...it will fix it!!*


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## Partsguru1 (May 21, 2007)

btw, if the dealer thinks they "must" have a lock cylinder to fix your car (they don't), let me know as I have one put back here at the dealership.


'Guru


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## GTOBert (Jan 26, 2005)

*Happened to me too.*

The same thing happened to me. I could not turn it for about 5 hours. I kept trying while I was waiting for the tow truck. Finally after taking the key in and out and trying to turn the key, It moved. That was a month ago and have not had a problem since. If it happens, just keep trying. Take the key in and out and trying to turn at the same time.:cheers


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## Firstgoat (Oct 1, 2005)

Oh brother, just what I need first the column lock issue on the Corvette and next I may have one on the GTO:willy: 
Mine's never stuck yet but 1 time I did have the key feel real gritty.


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## EEZ GOAT (Jul 9, 2005)

UDATE:




goat is at the dealer but know has looked at it yet. i am in a VIBE. i dont want a temp fix guys. it wiill just happen whent the warry run out and i will be in deep crap. if the dealer fix it now and it goes out in less than 3 years i wont have to pay out the azz


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## Partsguru1 (May 21, 2007)

EEZ GOAT said:


> UDATE:
> 
> 
> 
> ...


EEZ... you have got to pay closer attention!

The fix I detailed is THE Cure....not a temp fix. True, if your dealer "fixes" it now, you will be covered When it happens again, but if your dealer has half a clue (most don't), if you will ask them to look at the area I have descibed and pictured, and make the needed modification your problem is solved.

My key turns smoothly, in fact smoother than it ever has since I owned the car.


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## EEZ GOAT (Jul 9, 2005)

k i will print it and fax it to them


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## Partsguru1 (May 21, 2007)

Good luck!!!

If your dealers service dept is like TParkers they will just give you a dumb look and won't try it though. I have a distict advantage in that I'm the Parts Mgr and the tech working on my car was willing to try and figure out what the real cause of the problem was. He found it, figured out the fix and took care of me. Hoping your guys are as willing to try to fix your car. If you need to feel free to call me at the dealership. Vic Koenig Chevrolet 618-529-1000 and ask for Doug.

'Guru


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## EEZ GOAT (Jul 9, 2005)

no word from the dealer


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## EEZ GOAT (Jul 9, 2005)

got car back today. have to order a new one from aus. they dont know how long it will take but they showed me how to turn the key if it happens again. guess i will go and INVEST in that grease/spray you all are talking a bout:willy:


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## GTO JUDGE (May 14, 2005)

*Try the graphite EEZ. *


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## EEZ GOAT (Jul 9, 2005)

wall mart?


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## GTO JUDGE (May 14, 2005)

*I'd try a hardware store. Don't know if walmart handles it but you can try.*


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## tparker50 (Sep 1, 2007)

Update on my car: 
- Still sitting outside the service dept., covered in dust and bird crap
- 5 weeks and counting
- steering column on back order
- latest shipping date is December(!)

Anyone considering buying one of these cars, or a G8, needs to have his or her head examined. If GM can't be bothered to stock the parts needed to keep them on the road, then only an idiot would pay good money for one.

First "Big 3" car in 20 years! 

It's too bad that they've ruined the experience of owning a really neat car.

I'm done with these incompetent cretins. They richly deserve their long, ugly slide into irrelevance. And they have no one to blame but themselves.


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## GTO JUDGE (May 14, 2005)

*You are waiting on the entire steering column? Why didn't they just order the Key cylinder? *


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## tparker50 (Sep 1, 2007)

They said that, because the wheels are fully cocked to the left, the cylinder is jammed in such a way as it will have to be drilled out. Apparently this will destroy the old column.

That's their story and they are sticking to it.


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## GTO JUDGE (May 14, 2005)

*I'm not so sure they couldn't get around that. But I'm no mechanic.*


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## Partsguru1 (May 21, 2007)

I still say BS, and say my fix is the answer to all this trouble. Too bad the dealer won't try to take care of their customer. No wonder Toyota is taking over the world!

'Guru


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## cuspid (Dec 8, 2004)

3 weeks no further problems since blowing out with wd 40 and compressed air.


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## tparker50 (Sep 1, 2007)

*Last Post As An Owner*

Got my car back on Thursday night. 6 weeks for a stupid part. I'm done with Pontiac, GM and the whole sorry lot.

The "for sale" sign goes into the window when I get back from vacation. 

It's really a shame because I loved driving the car. But if GM can't be bothered to stock the parts needed to keep it on the road, then I'm not going to play "repair roulette" every time something breaks.

The way I see it, my job is to keep up with the payments, get the service done on time, and not tear up the equipment. GM's job is to engineer a decent product and then support it after the sale.

Anyone contemplating buying a G8, or any other GM product, ought to have his/her head examined. The bean counters are still running the show, no matter what you might read in the car buff magazines.

You've been warned!


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## kaw20 (Feb 12, 2008)

I recently had to have my ignition lock cylinder replaced due to the issue most people have, where one day when inserting the key into the ignition, the key simply will not turn, resulting in having my car towed to the dealer and $480 later, my car was fixed. I contacted GM about this issue and they claim I was the first GTO owner to complain of this issue or have this problem. I recommend that everyone with this issue contact the district manager at GM. His name and contact info are listed below. The mroe of us that report this issue, the more likely GM will issue a recall. 


Max
866-790-5600
ext 12487


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