1996 Volkswagen Golf My insane car has a mind of its own.

When I turn the key to start my car the engine will turn on fine but as soon as I let the key go it abruptly shuts off. The internal lights will stay on and everything will look fine but, the engine will have simply turned off. The solution to this is that when I turn the car on the steering wheel has to completely straight when I turn the key. If the wheel is perfectly straight the car will usually start right up and work without a problem. If the wheel is not straight when I try to turn the car on I have to crank the wheel left or right as I turn the key and this does the trick. If I dont do this the engine will keep shutting off as soon as I let go of the key. The car hasn't ever turned off while driving but sometimes if I tug on the wheel while driving the engine will die and the headlights will turn off for a split second and then turn back on. I know these cars have leaky seals and electrical issues but so I know this is probably the issue but how do I go about fixing this? What part of the system needs to be replaced? Could this be part of the alarm system and engine shutoff device? My alarm/stereo combo is fried but if that is the problem than why is the steering wheel causing me the issues.

Thanks for the Help!