I first received a warning light saying that my steering wheel was locked. The start button is not starting the vehicle. The battery is fine. I have a brand new battery in my key fob. I’ve unlocked and locked the car doors that didn’t work. Does anybody have any advice?

 

How do you know the battery is fine? How old is it? What is the voltage at rest and with the car running?

I trust it is in park, and you have tried turning the wheel back and forth to release it while pushing the start button while holding the key fob next to it. And pressing the brake pedal.

Then check for blow fuses. There is a fuse box next to the engine on the driver side and another smaller one under the dash between the steering column and the side. There are fuse maps inside the covers.
If one is blown, replace it. If all are okay then:
Someone needs to check for stored codes via the OBD2 connector under the dash.
Since it won't start you either need a mobile mechanic, or tow it to a local independent repair shop with a good reputation. I would not go to the dealer.

 

Try these simple things ... starting with what Clutches pointed out.

1. Make sure the transmission shift lever is in Park. When my kids were of pretend to drive age they touched the shifter [it did not move out of park but there was enough play that set switch got confused].

2. Make sure you have only one key with you when you are in the cabin. [remove all other keys to ensure no interference is happening]

3. What is the status of the instrument cluster.

4. Have some one stand behind and observe brake lights turning on as you apply the foot-brake.

5. Observe that the instrument cluster is showing Park. { you should be able to start in "N" but you have ensure that the vehicel does not roll off ... parking brakes or chock the wheels].

6. Does the cluster dim-out when you try to start.

When you state fail to start, it has multiple meaning ... please be explicit as to starter spins and the engine does not catch or starter does not spin.

Salim

 

Good question. Back in the day dying batteries could struggle along for quite a while, even months. Modern batteries seem to die a quick death.

 

This situation has happened to me a handful of times. The steering wheel unknowingly locks hard to the left or right after parking. Next time I go to start the car (brake pedal and start button pushed as usual), I get no start response but with the single message of something like “steering wheel locked”.

Similar to what @Clutchless recommended, I apply some hard pressure (either left or right) to the “locked” wheel to where you can barely feel it moves while having foot on the brake and pushing the start button. Starts right up. Seems like the locking mechanism gets into that hard lock mode if there’s a slight turn to the wheel just prior to shutting off the engine and the steering wheel isn’t quite straight.

When parking the car, I try to be conscientious of squaring the wheel prior to turning off the car. Like I said, this has only happened a handful of times and has been quickly resolved once I learned “the secret handshake”.

Hope this solves your issue.

 

I'm with Clutchless and RX10, in that this has happened to me more than once. Good advice from RX10, having found that his advice just happens to be what I've found to be necessary in this situation. Sometimes I think that all of this pesky new technology can prove to be more troublesome than the old, simple key in the steering wheel lock that, with a turn of the key and a wiggle of the steering wheel, the wheel unlocks and the car comes to life, without further drama.

 

Good to know.
This has never happened to my wife's car.
She is forced to pull into the garage straight.
Out in the world I've never seen her max the steering wheel in either direction.
Her three point turn is more what you'd call an eight point turn.
But we've been married 48 years so I keep my mouth shut.

 

^^ A wise man indeed.

 

My wife did this all the time with our Odyssey until I told her that's why she can't start it sometimes.