What's the point of the steering wheel locking mechanism?

[chadhgraves]

You know when you take your key out of the ignition or when you try to put your key in, it won't turn unless you "unlock" your steering wheel by turning it a little to release it. What is the purpose of that. Is it an anti-theft device? Say you turn the wheel to where it locks, if someone then breaks in and tries to hot wire it for a joyride, will they not be able to turn the wheel?

[Zimm]

idk. the manual for the '10 says that if it does it often, to see the dealer and they can adjust it. when i asked at my dealer about adjusting mine so it would not lock randomly, the service counter guys and the techs they called over just stood there all slack-jawed.

[jkm311]

I've never known the reason for this, but every NUMMI-made vehicle I have driven (the Vibe will be my 5th), has done this. In fact, when I was at college, my Prizm locked up for the first time and I had absolutely no idea how to turn the engine over. Nobody had ever told me to rock the wheel back-and-forth. I looked in the manual after a couple frustrating minutes of trying to force the key to turn, and fortunately found the wheel-rocking advice. I have to think it is a security mechanism, but who knows.

[sideshowalan]

It is a security measure, the wheel won't unlock unless the key is physically in the ignition. So if someone hotwires it, the wheel won't turn and they won't be able to drive very far.Supposedly they're not too tough to break by violently slamming the wheel back and forth, so it's just a minor deterrent.

[journeyforce]

It was more of an effective theft deterrent back in the days of rear wheel drive cars and before the advent of roll back type tow trucks.What you were supposed to do was when you parked it, you turned the front wheels to ether the extreme left or extreme right and then allowed the wheel to lock. This prevented your car from being taken by a tow truck(the older tow trucks were the hook and pull where there was a crane type device attached to the back of the truck that lifted up the front or back of the car and towed it using the cars front or back wheels (depending on it being RWD or FWD) ) On a rear wheel drive car the rear wheels are locked by the trans when the car is parked and would only be able to be towed by jacking up the rear and pulling it using the front wheels. By turning the wheels to the extreme right or left and locking it with that steering lock, the car could not be towed and attempts to do so would cause enough attention that the crooks would be caught.Granted if somebody wanted the car bad enough they would get it but it stopped a casual crook from taking your car and taking somebody elses.Now they got roll back tow trucks so it is not as effective

[09vGT]

Mines hard to even get to lock. My Mustang would lock up quite often, but the Vibe has twice by accident. Funny story.. One of my best friends had a 2003 VW Beetle Turbo and hers locked up one day. She called me freaking out because she couldn't get it to unlock. I kept telling her to turn it back and forth, which she said she was doing. Her dad had to come out to fix it. Turns out she was just to weak to turn it LOL. She's very tiny. Maybe 100 lbs.