Steering wheel will not unlock

1998 SATURN SL1
100,000 MILES • 4 CYL • 2WD • AUTOMATIC
Avatar
ROYMULVANEY722
  • MEMBER
  • 1 POST
i have tried all the tricks to unlock the steering wheel in my car but none of them are working. the key wont move and the wheel stays locked and the gear shift wont move either. the car has also been sitting for more than a year, but it has got a brand new battery and all the fluids seem fine if i am correct.
Jul 14, 2019 at 5:21 PM
Advertisement
Avatar
VERBATIM68
  • MEMBER
  • 10 POSTS
If the steering is loaded up hard against the steering lock, you'll have this problem. If this is the problem, you'll have to pull very hard on the steering wheel in the opposite direction to move it away from the lock so that you can turn the key. Some of them can lock up really hard and it takes a lot of effort to move the steering wheel away from the lock enough so you can turn the key.
Jul 15, 2019 at 8:49 AM
Avatar
STRAILER
  • CERTIFIED EXPERT
  • 53,855 POSTS
It sounds like the shift cable needs to be replaced. here are diagrams and instructions to do so. Check out the diagrams (below). Please let us know what you find.
Images (Click to enlarge)
Attached Media
Attached Media
Attached Media
Jul 15, 2019 at 6:35 PM
Advertisement