Ignition Repair

Before assuming an ignition has failed, rule out the steering lock. If the wheels were turned against a kerb when the car was parked, the steering lock takes the load and binds the ignition solid. Rocking the steering wheel gently left and right while turning the key releases it, and this accounts for a large share of 'my ignition is broken' calls.

If that is not it, the cylinder itself is the suspect: worn wafers inside the barrel, a worn key rounding off the peaks it needs to lift, or debris packed into the keyway. These fail gradually, so people usually recall months of the key needing to be wiggled before it stopped entirely.

How to read the symptom

• Will not turn at all, wheel feels locked — steering lock. Rock the wheel while turning the key.
• Turns with a spare key but not the usual one — the key is worn, not the ignition.
• Turns part way and stops — worn wafers in the cylinder, or something lodged in the keyway.
• Spins freely without doing anything — the cylinder has failed internally and is no longer driving the switch.
• Turns fine but nothing electrical happens — the ignition switch behind the cylinder, not the lock.

Have this ready

• Year, make and model.
• Every key you have, so a worn key can be ruled in or out.
• Whether it fails always or only sometimes, and whether cold or heat changes it.
• Whether anything has ever been spilled into the keyway.
• Proof of ownership.

Common questions

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