My car had the ignition assembly replaced twice under warranty because it locked and wouldn't turn. Now just out of warranty, its starting to show signs of the same problem. When I put the key in to start it, sometimes it works fine but sometimes I have to wiggle the key back and forth and move the steering wheel quite a bit to get it to turn. Anyone else have this problem?

 

If the key is at ALL hard to turn, put your hand on the wheel and turn it ever so slightly until you remove the tension from the locking mechanism... Then try turning the key.

 

I often have to do the same thing on my XFire.

 

This problem (pre-loading) is a danger in all cars that have a mechanical interlock to prevent turning the steering wheel while locked. One should ALWAYS let go of the wheel and let it find it's own center BEFORE turning the key to OFF. This is especially true if you regularly park on hills with the wheels turned away or toward the curb.

Procedure:

1. Pull to curb and set Parking Brake.
2. Take foot off brake.
3. Place transmission in PARK or 1st/REVERSE (depending on uphill/downhill attitude).
4. Release steering wheel. Let it move to where it wants.
5. Turn Ignition Key to OFF.
6. Remove Ignition Key.

Never try to force that little key to turn if it's holding your car on a slope!


It's not just the xFire, this is true with all cars.

 

I know that turning the steering wheel a little should release the pressure. However, as I stated in the post, sometimes when I get in the car, turning the steering wheel both directions does nothing. I have to repeatedly turn the steering wheel and wiggle the key to get it to turn. The interlocking steering wheel feature is a pain if you ask me.