Do EVERY car's steering wheel lock up if you turn off your car while the wheel is turned all the way to the side???

[Hoeboy]

Or is it just older cars? And why does this happen?

 

[vi edit]

I don't think my '00 Passat does that.

 

[Hoeboy]

u should try it the first time it happened to me, i freaked out cuz i thought i f*cked up my car.

 

[Sluggo]

I think most of them do to some degree, some models being more obvious than others.

 

[MacBaine]

every car that I know of does it.... You are supposed to turn off your car, then turn the wheel a bit until it locks. It's somewhat of a security feature...and I think it also makes it so you can't be screwing around with the wheel when the car is off, hence damaging it.

 

[BrunoPuntzJones]

In same cases it gets turned far enough that you can't turn the ignition. I've had it happen several times in Jeeps and Camaros. Hell I just had it happen less than a month ago on a Ford F150. Wheel gets turned, put the key in and it won't go forward. Have to turn the wheel really hard in the same direction it's locked and then turn the key.

 

[guyver01]

i remember reading somewhere it's a saftey feature so that when you are parked on a hill, the car won't roll strait. if the wheel is locked in one direction, the car will just roll in a circle. (or something to that affect)

 

[Stallion]

My 71 olds does.

 

[Cyco]

Most do. Some don't

 

[Cyberian]

Originally posted by: guyver01
i remember reading somewhere it's a saftey feature so that when you are parked on a hill, the car won't roll strait. if the wheel is locked in one direction, the car will just roll in a circle. (or something to that affect)

It's also a theft dererrent.

If someone just jumps the ignition, they still can't steer the car.

 

[Thegonagle]

You mean steering locked so that the key won't turn back on? If that ever happens on any car (and it can happen to almost any car with a steering lock, old or new), just jiggle the wheel slightly to the left and right while you're turning the key. That takes pressure off the lock so you can turn the key easily.

EDIT: As for why, think of the pennied dorm-room door analogy. It's very difficult to turn the lock with all that pressure on the bolt.

 

[txgixer]

Originally posted by: cyco5150
Most do. Some don't

 

[Hunter1020]

u should try it the first time it happened to me, i freaked out cuz i thought i f*cked up my car.

I did this and now my steering wheel is upside down while my wheels are straight. I've already released the lock by turning the wheel and turning the key. Any help would be appreciated.

 

[zinfamous]

Necro aside, I see a McBaine post. wow.

 

[freeskier93]

I did this and now my steering wheel is upside down while my wheels are straight. I've already released the lock by turning the wheel and turning the key. Any help would be appreciated.

Unfortunately once this happens your steering wheel is permanently upsidedown, it cannot be fixed. The only option is to make the rest of your car upsidedown.

 

[OverVolt]

Yea makes sense, if you were parked horizontally on a steep incline the pressure on the steering wheels would cause them to want to turn. Going forward or backward like that enables them to do so. I live on a hill like that and I can turn out of my spot without turning the wheel =). I always thought that the steering lock kicked in from pressure on the wheels. Parking with your wheels turned would make them want to return to straight because of the interaction between caster/camber thus locking your steering.

 

[JEDIYoda]

My Tesla doesn`t do that thingee with the steering wheel!!

 

[Red Squirrel]

Mine does, I think it's a security thing. Like if someone traditionally (without hacking electronics) hotwires the car, the steering is still going to be locked. Just a guess though. I have an older (2004) car though so not sure what kind of security electronics it really has.

That always got me thinking though, if the car stalls while you're driving would it also lock then or are you fine as long as key is in the ignition? That could be kind of dangerous.

 

[freeskier93]

Mine does, I think it's a security thing. Like if someone traditionally (without hacking electronics) hotwires the car, the steering is still going to be locked. Just a guess though. I have an older (2004) car though so not sure what kind of security electronics it really has.

That always got me thinking though, if the car stalls while you're driving would it also lock then or are you fine as long as key is in the ignition? That could be kind of dangerous.

It's possible some newer cars are electronic steering locks, but any vehicle I've seen it's a mechanical mechanism part of the ignition cylinder. As long as the key is in and turned to accessory the wheel won't lock.

I'd like to know what percentage of vehicle thefts these days are actually "smash and grab". If we are going with security then it's an antiquated deterrent. Pretty much any vehicle built in the last 15 years has some type of chipped key. If you don't have the key the vehicle isn't going anywhere and a thief will eventually brick the on board computer. Given the level of electronics these days it seems the simplest method of theft is with a flat bled.

 

[thedarkwolf]

Security.

My 67 ford didn't and anybody that knows a little about cars could hot wire it and drive off. They even made it nice and easy by having the starter solenoid mounted right up on the fender well for easy access.

 

[Red Squirrel]

It's possible some newer cars are electronic steering locks, but any vehicle I've seen it's a mechanical mechanism part of the ignition cylinder. As long as the key is in and turned to accessory the wheel won't lock.

I'd like to know what percentage of vehicle thefts these days are actually "smash and grab". If we are going with security then it's an antiquated deterrent. Pretty much any vehicle built in the last 15 years has some type of chipped key. If you don't have the key the vehicle isn't going anywhere and a thief will eventually brick the on board computer. Given the level of electronics these days it seems the simplest method of theft is with a flat bled.

Yep and all those fancy new electronics, especially wireless stuff, is super easy to hack for thieves. The worse part is if they can steal stuff or the car itself without damaging it your insurance won't cover anything as they'll just figure you left your door unlocked/keys inside. Most thieves just have special devices they made that they can hit a button and unlock all the cars in the area that use that protocol. Probably a simple circuit with an arduino or something lol.

 

[Rifter]

every car that hasnt been stolen yet and had it broken, since like early 90's steering wheel locks have been standard equipment.

So many people though never bother to replace them when repairing damage after a theft.

 

[LTC8K6]

No lock on my 2008 Jeep. No key in the column anyway. Lots of modern cars have no steering wheel lock. The key in the column began to disappear quite a while ago.

The steering column lock was introduced by automakers in 1969/70 to reduce car thefts.

 

[JEDIYoda]

My 1989 Lamborghini Countach doesn`t have those issue!