I went out today to get a Blizzard and when I came out to crank my '05 I couldn't turn the ignition. I made sure I was in park. I could barely turn the switch to where the steering wheel started to come out but it would stop and go back in. Mashed brake pedal. Opened and shut doors. Tried to raise windows but they wouldn't move. Moved steering wheel back and forth. Pressed and released Parking brake two times. I used the fob to lock and unlock the doors. I inserted the fob into the ignition switch. All to no avail.

Out of the blue, the ignition switch decided to turn and everything is fine. What did I do wrong? Is this a sign of a future problem?

 

Over the years I owned my car I have had the ignition switch seize up a few times. Can't really put my finger on how it happens but seemingly at random times it would feel like it was stuck or locked when I attempted to turn the switch. Just to be clear my car has smart key so this is the switch being turned with no key in the ignition. In every case moving the steering wheel just slightly to the left or right seems to take the pressure off what ever is jamming the switch and allows it to turn. First time that it happened I thought the switch was broken and my car was immobilized but I calmed down, called Lexus and they advised me to try moving the steering wheel back and forth and the key turned. I asked Lexus to check the switch a couple of times when it was under warranty but the service guys could never duplicate the "locked" switch. I don't know how to make it seize, it seems to do so on a completely random basis but I am sure there is a very discrete and specific cause I just don't know it. It happens to me rarely - maybe once every couple of months. But now I barely notice it because I just move the steering wheel a little and it always frees right up...so I don't give it a second thought. But if anybody discovers what is actually wrong and how to correct it would be great to know.

 

Yeah, I think it happens when you bump the steering wheel while getting in the car. Then you have to jiggle the wheel and the key until it turns.

 

When this happened to me, there was a message in the dash. I don't remember the exact wording, but if I had read it more carefully, it would have clearly indicated that the steering wheel was locked, and I just had to rotate it slightly to free it.