toyota locked steering wheel-key won't turn

[fi1000]

Hi,

I am a new member - and hope this is how your site works. I have a question I know one of you will be able to answer. I have a 1990 toyota celica. The parking attendant somehow locked the steering wheel and the key will no longer turn in the lock. I tried everything i could think of: turning the wheel whilst turning the key, putting car in all positions other than park and then turning the wheel and key, changing the key, etc....The steering wheel remains locked and will not unlock. Do any of you know the trick to get it unlocked? Apparently this happens quite a bit in toyotas.
Thank you,
fi1000

[nialusa]

This has happaned to me before, although not on a Celica,squirt some WD40 into the keyhole and get a friend to rock the steering wheel left,right,left.right etc while you try and turn the key. This `should` work.

[NyneWun_Cell91]

yeap just crank it to the right a little and it should unlock, atleast mine does when this happens?

[91 Celica St]

he mighta broke the ignition swtich

[fi1000]

Hi

Thank you for the advice about the squirting WD40 into the key hole- you were exactly right- I actually ended up doing that as a desperate measure just so i could get myself home and am glad to see that was the right thing to do. Ultimately, i will need a new car or a new ignition...
THanks for your advice!
fi1000

[91 Celica St]

yeah its ur ignition swtich...ad thing is you probably just effed it up more, haha ive had one break and my car was stuck on, if that ever happens disconnect the main plug wire from your distributor cap

[firestarter69]

I had to go to the junk yard pull the whole ing. sys. then install it in mine

[SigmaProjects]

On my 3rd gen the problem would be that the key would go too far into the ignition. Don't know why, but that was what happened to me so i would have to wiggle the key in the ignition till i had pulled it out to the correct distance. Before I figured this out I almost twisted my key off, it's a bit twisted, but still works =P

[takermama]

We just had similar problem on 2007 Highlander. We have a steep driveway and I parked it the other night and it was kind of snowy/icy. 2 days later tried to start and couldn't get key to go in. Jiggled steering wheel and no luck. DH though managed to get key in, but key wouldn't turn and steering wheel locked. After reading posts, we put in some WD40 into the key hole dand tapped on key/lock steering wheel, that didn't do it right away, but then I jumped on the front bumper, as someone suggested (since it was on incline) and that with the WD40 did it, thank God, or would have had to tow to Toyota the day before Xmas...

[Newhampshireboy]

Today, my wife's 2009 Corolla ignition locked up. I will try WD40 and hope it works because nothing else works. Toyota engineers should correct this problem as it is quite common!!

[svilla]

Change your key !Your old key maybe worn out.

[Brian R.]

Try to avoid responding to old posts. They car probably has been fixed by now.