Cannot turn key/start car to the right in ignition

hi guys. i could not start my car out of the parking lot today. when i insert the key, i cannot twist it to the right. it is locked somehow. i've tried inserting it with my backup keys but still it cannot move in the ignition. i tried for 2 hrs and my friend finally gave me a ride. my car is still at the parking lot at the gym and i have no idea how to turn it on. has this happened to anyone before? is there something I need to do to get it working? thank you!

 

Have you tried moving the steering wheel while you turn the key? Sometimes it locks and you have to pull down on the wheel!

 

Yup just try and move steering wheel back and fourth it should work then!

 

yep....steering wheel locked on ya creating a bind in the ignition. Has happened to me a couple of times. Just turn the wheel in the opposite direction its trying to go. It'll unlock it.



you know he's already on the road to go get it....

 

This happened to me as well. I was mad.

 

It freaked me out when it happened. wiggle the steering wheel while turning the key

 

hey guys, it worked!! thank you so much. why does it lock up like that anyways? i didn't do anything when i turned off the car. i just left it in 1st gear with my e-brakes on. why did it just lock up like that?

 

I had the same problem the day I bought my taco. I couldn't even drive it off the lot! I had to run inside and ask and felt like a total idiot when they told me.

 

helps with theft. cant start the car by hotwiring it if the steering wheel locks. you might have turned the wheel a little bit after you turned off the ignitions. all the cars i have driven have done it.

 

This happens to every car...just don't turn the wheel after stopping the engine. Usually you hear it click when it gets locked.

 

If all else fails read the owners manual. It says to turn the wheel if you have trouble turning the ignition key.

 

Just curious.......is this your 1st vehicle??

 

Hey! Don't pick on him. I've got a white beard and called AAA a few years back when we couldn't get my wife's key to turn.

In my defense, it took both the keyman and myself to turn the wheel to let the lock move. It had gotten bound up on the slight hill the van was parked on.

 

If it locks when on a hill, I recommdend bouncing the front end to release the pressure on the system (truck's steering), which will allow you to turn the key. It used to happen on my old civic when I was in high school

 

In this guys defense, the wheel is a bitch to unlock.
At least its more difficult than that Camaro I had.
I did figure it out in the first 2 hours though

 

I'm not picking on him, just asked because I noticed the various "how to drive" threads he also started and quite honestly it is slightly scary that he is out there driving on the roads if he has to ask all those questions on a forum. I tend to think people should learn those things from drivers ed or having someone else drive with them and teach them until they are proficient.
My 1st vehicle was a manual transmission and I didn't hit the road alone till I was fully capable of driving it and understood how to drive it. I've also taken the Emergency Vehicle Operations Course along with defensive driving school, so who am I to question his driving skills, just glad he doesn't live near me.

 

Wow i just went back through the threads started and it is a little scaryy....

 

hey thanks for the help on this situation guys. don't worry i practice driving in empty areas

 

No worries. But get yourself a bumper replacement and you might get rid of the red rep square. J/k
Have fun out there man!