In this article we’re going to concentrate on an issue that might appear insignificant to many of you, but has happened to a lot of new drivers! In reality, we are going to focus on the subject of a steering wheel locked on my Toyota Highlander, and how to handle it if you find yourself in this scenario? It might appear obvious, but when you don’t know the cars in detail, finding yourself struggling with the steering wheel of your blocked Toyota Highlander can be disturbing. On this page, we will first try to teach you why the steering wheel of your car is blocked, and secondly, how to unlock the steering wheel of your Toyota Highlander.
Why is the steering wheel of my Toyota Highlander locked?
So let’s commence our content page with the source of the trouble you are standing in front of. Being faced with a steering wheel stuck on your Toyota Highlander doesn’t suggest that your car’s neiman is stuck or busted, nor does it automatically mean that you’ll have to fix your car key or cylinder. Fortunately for you, it’s only a safety element. Nevertheless, if no one has revealed to you how this car anti-theft system functions, you can’t invent it. The goal of this system is to lock the steering and therefore the steering wheel of your Toyota Highlander, so a possible thief, even if he is able to to turn on your car, will not be able to modify its direction and therefore to travel it freely with your Toyota Highlander. This unit functions basically, once you have taken off the key from the cylinder of your car, if you move the steering wheel, it will lock thanks to a tongue that will be introduced between the sprockets of your steering column. This simple car anti-theft system helps prevent a good number of car thefts, remember to activate it every time you get out of your car.
How do I unlock the steering wheel of my Toyota Highlander?
Now that we’ve learned why your steering wheel is locked, we’re going to check out the section that you’re probably most serious about, how to unlock the steering wheel of your Toyota Highlander? You’re probably at home and want to go to work, so it’s time to discover the remedy to your trouble. There are 3 approaches to unlock the steering wheel of your car:
- Deactivate the anti-theft system of your Toyota Highlander?:
This is the least difficult technique and will surely be the option to your trouble. To do this, you just have to place the key into the ignition cylinder of your car, then try to turn it, it should then normally be blocked (do not think twice to consult our article which solves the problem of a key blocked on aToyota Highlander), to unlock the steering wheel of your Toyota Highlander you will have to make it turn at the same time as you try to turn the key in the Neiman. The steering wheel should be locked but at least in one direction you should have a little bit of play which should let you to do this micro rotation and as a consequence fix your steering wheel locked trouble on your Toyota Highlander. - Unscrew the barrel on your Toyota Highlander:
The second scenario is that if you have not been able to cured the locked steering wheel of your Toyota Highlander using the traditional method, you may be standing in front of another trouble and it is not your steering wheel lock unit that is at fault. It may be that your cylinder has seized up over the years. To unlock it you will have to apply a spray, like the WD40 for example and spray the interior of the barrel, let it work for a few minutes before trying to unlock your steering wheel again. You should know that if it works you will have to consider buying and changing the barrel of your car because sooner or later it will happen again. - Replace the lock cylinder of your Toyota Highlander:
Finally, last probability, if in spite of having tried to unblock your cylinder, there is nothing to do, your steering wheel is still locked because your key does not want to turn, you just have to change the ignition switch of your Toyota Highlander. This procedure is not very complex if you have some fundamentals in mechanics. You will just have to be careful to buy a model appropriate with your Toyota Highlander. Otherwise go to your repair shop who will be able to do this procedure for you.
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If you want more tutorials on the Toyota Highlander, go to our Toyota Highlander category.
