Topic: Locked ignition

[RedCoupe]

Today I went to start my 2009 GXP, but the key is in locked position. The wheel is locked in position.  I can't do anything with it. Any suggestions?  Wrecker is coming in the morning.

[smartin]

My 2009 G5 had a recall for something like this. Not sure if it was for the Solstice though.

[JimVonBaden]

Obviously wiggling the steering wheel did nothing, so I suggest you check the battery. If it is flat you will get a similar issue.

Jim

[sallysky]

That happened to me last summer. You need to take a mallet and hit the underside of the wheel right under the key. Mine loosened after that and then I had the dealer lubricate the cylinder.

[spicy3480]

If you have an automatic, make sure the shifter is completely in the "park" position.  If not, it will get stuck as well and will not come out.

[1LILNDN]

Today I went to start my 2009 GXP, but the key is in locked position. The wheel is locked in position.  I can't do anything with it. Any suggestions?  Wrecker is coming in the morning.

This happened to me a week after I bought it. I had to get a rollback to get it to the Dealer. They checked it in the morning and said it was OK. Only thing they said it may have been stuck. Try tugging on the Wheel and turning the Key at the same time .happened to me another time and thats what I did and it freed up .  Hope you get it unlocked B4 wrecker comes.

[DeepBlueGXP]

That happens when you turn the wheel to one side or another after the key is alread out.  Pull hard one way and try turning the key.  Then the other way if it didn't work the other way.

[RedCoupe]

6:30 AM wrecker arrived from a town 75 miles away. Driver looks at car in garage with wheels turned and steering wheel locked. He tries to jiggle it loose. Nothing worked. He says he can't move it without "go jacks" (I think they are dollys for the front wheels) because it is in the garage.  He leaves.
7:00 AM I call roadside assistance again. Of course there is no human to talk to and the options are limited. The machine (in Canada) says they (it) will try another wrecker. I go to work.
12:00 noon I come home on my break to pick up my cell phone and find a wrecker in my driveway. This time from 50 miles away. Between the two of us we get the car on the rollback, and he leaves for the dealership.
I keep trying to get my dealer (a GMC, Chevy dealer) to let me know when it arrives. My dealership is 15 miles away. He never gets it. Finally I find my car in Charleston, 30 miles from here. Not the dealer I requested when I made my initial call to get help.
Roadside assistance could use GPS to locate towing and dealers nearest your home.

[1LILNDN]

RedCoupe When the rollback picked mine up the wheels were also turned , this is a smart guy, He carries a 4x4 about 5ft long . he creeps the Car foward then gets the wheels on the Bed tilts the bed so the front end doesn't hit then places the 4x4 in front of the wheels then starts wenching it goes strat up.when he takes it off he uses a small floor jack. thats somebody that used their head. What was the problem with the lock?

[elff]

This happened to me a week after I bought it. I had to get a rollback to get it to the Dealer. They checked it in the morning and said it was OK. Only thing they said it may have been stuck. Try tugging on the Wheel and turning the Key at the same time .happened to me another time and thats what I did and it freed up .  Hope you get it unlocked B4 wrecker comes.

Let me get this straight
You get your car towed to the dealer and tell and show them the key is stuck
and their response is to tell you
It may have been stuck

WELL THANK YOU MR. Obvious
    

[RedCoupe]

From what the tow truck driver tells me, there is a bulletin out for faulty ignition switches which lock in off position.  My service guy at the GM/Chevy dealer didn't know about this. 
The whole wrecker loading problem would have been way easier if the car could have been winched from the front.  I'll find out something about the disposition of the problem today or tomorrow.

[smartin]

As I said, that is what happened to my G5. They fixed it and all is well. I hope the same holds true for yours.

[hammy221]

i had a rental 2010 HHR and it locked in the on postion and i couldnt shut it off lol had to pull the fuel pump fuse so enterprise could tow me a new car from an hour away on a sunday and tow away the HHR

[RedCoupe]

Car fixed after a week of waiting. No charge for anything. I only wish that "roadside assistance" had a clue about the location of the nearest wrecker and GM dealer repair shop. It is crazy that they are located in Canada so they have no clue about finding nearest anything.

[Critterman]

What did they find?

[scanner]

Usually it's a flat battery.  Jump, or charge before calling for help is usually my path.

Clear Skies.

[RedCoupe]

After my car sat at the dealer/service center for 5 days, they looked at it and decided that the ignition key cylinder was jammed.  That's what I had told them at "Roadside Assistance" and at the dealer/service the day they had it towed in. It's too bad that it took 5 days to do a check that took less than 2 minutes.  They could have ordered the part the day it was brought to them, not 5 days later.

[scanner]

Good reason to have a face to face with the service manager.  See what he or she has to say about this, then suggest that they could & should make it up to you to have you feel a little bit better about working with them in the future. 

Clear Skies