sometimes, seemingly random, my car will basically lock me out. when i get in and try to start it, the key won't turn at all. also, the steer will is locked tight and won't turn at all. it seems like if i pump the brakes eventually the key twists and the wheel unlocks. is this supposed to happen? if not, what's the problem? if so, what's the purpose, what makes it happen, and what's the feature called?

Thanks!

 

Yea it is normal. i have done it once to my car also. I dont know what it is called. but i believe it is a theft deterrent? Hopefully someone else can chime in on the issue.

 

I don't think it's normal, it has never happened to me.

Have you tried one of your other keys (the car came with two master keys, one valet key, and one wallet key)? Have you tried turning the steering wheel from side to side? I can't think of any reason why pumping the brakes would free the ignition key lock.

 

It happened to me once, after filling up gas I tried to turn the ignition to go home and it was locked tight, had no idea what happened. So I got out of my car and checked the gas door and everything it seemed fine, got in the car again and it worked oddly enough...

 

Well, actually it does happen sometimes; when I try to use the keys to another Lexus in the family instead of my own keys.

 

Confused?

If you are not I am.

Different things are being discussed which do not address the orignal post.

lockout: (term which describes not unlocking the door)
remote does not unlock the door lock: Check the red light on the key flashes (tells you battery is good). Insert the key to unlock (or even lock) and then the remote starts responding. [The remote responder in RX stops responding to remote signals if it receives an incoorect code ... typically from another RX key for a nearby parked RX. This is done to prevent bad folks with signal generator to sweep the possbile spectrum to unlock RXs].

Key fails to turn in ignition:
Wrong key.
Steering lock mechanism jams the key. [Solution is to wriggle the steering till the jam is free.Once ignition is off, try not to turn the wheel. Most of the time it happens when children pretednd to drive and turn the wheel.

Key fails to come out of the ignition:
Gear lever must be in Park. Try jiggling the gear lever as the switch may be out of position.

Dreaded Problem:
Key is pulled out of ignition when it is NOT in off position. Worn key or worn tumbler.

Hope it helps.

Salim

 

I think I actually figured out the answer to my own question. It appears that it's a security feature. Turn the wheel so then the tires are straight and the wheel is upside down (the "L" or "Lexus" (can't remember what's on it) is upside down). turn off the ignition and take out the key, wiggle it around slightly and the wheel will lock. in order to get the wheel out of this locked position, put the key in the ignition (will not turn) and pull the wheel semi-hard to the right. After that, the wheel is unlocked and the key will turn. Thanks for the help!

 

Yes, the wheel will lock as a security precaution when you remove the key. Once in a while, particularly if there is some side load on the tire (say headed into a curb with the wheel turned slightly, you may have to haul on the steering wheel to get the locking pawl to disengage so that you can turn the key.

But there's another phenomenon a few of us have experienced - the dreaded lockout with the wheels straight ahead, on level ground, nowhere near a curb. You get out of the car, removing the key, and when you return you can get the key in the ignition, but it will not turn - no matter what you do. After fighting this in my one instance, I finally got the key to turn by pulling and pushing it in and out of the keyway, rocking it until it finally turned. Don't get too rough with this, but it will require a little effort.

You know we all get a little absent-minded, especially when focused on another task, like pumping gas. It's easy to pull up to the pump, turn off the key, rip the key out of the ignition, and jump out of the car. I believe the problem occurs when we get this operation a little out of sequence - pulling the key out of the ignition before it has fully reached the "off" position. I'm almost positive that's what I did on my 330, pulled the key without the lock being fully engaged. By slowing down the twist-yank sequence a little, I've never experienced the problem again.

 

The steering lock is legacy and may be dropped out as soon or even is when cars go to push button start. Can some one confirm.

The steering lock was introduced to prevent folks from hot wiring. Then the crooks figured out how to break the lock and we got add on bars to tie the brake pedal to the steering.

Good drivers should curb the wheels and then turn ignition off and pull out the key. Having the steering lock in jam (under strain) is definately not good in the long run.

Salim