Today we’re going to concentrate on a trouble that may look trivial to most of you, but has happened to a lot of new car owners! In actual fact, we are going to focus on the subject of a steering wheel locked on my Toyota RAV4, and how to handle it if you realise you are in this situation? It might appear logical, but when you don’t know the cars in depth, finding yourself struggling with the steering wheel of your blocked Toyota RAV4 can be upsetting. In this post, we will first try to demonstrate why the steering wheel of your car is blocked, and additionally, how you can unlock the steering wheel of your Toyota RAV4.
Why is the steering wheel of my Toyota RAV4 locked?
So let’s commence our content with the source of the issue you are struggling with. Being confronted with a steering wheel stuck on your Toyota RAV4 doesn’t imply that your car’s neiman is stuck or busted, nor does it always signify that you’ll have to fix your car key or cylinder. Fortunately for you, it’s just a safety element. However, if no one has explained to you how this car anti-theft system operates, you can’t invent it. The role of this system is to lock the steering and as a consequence the steering wheel of your Toyota RAV4, so a possible thief, regardless if he is able to to turn on your car, will not be able to change its direction and as a consequence to travel it freely with your Toyota RAV4. This unit operates 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 inserted between the sprockets of your steering column. This simple car anti-theft system helps prevent a significant amount of car thefts, make sure to activate it each time you get out of your car.
How do I unlock the steering wheel of my Toyota RAV4?
Now that we’ve learned why your steering wheel is locked, we’re going to check out the part that you’re most likely most curious about, how to unlock the steering wheel of your Toyota RAV4? You’re most likely at home and want to go to work, so it’s time to discover the remedy to your issue. There are 3 approaches to unlock the steering wheel of your car:
- Deactivate the anti-theft system of your Toyota RAV4?:
This is the least complicated technique and will certainly be the solution to your issue. To get this done, you just have to insert 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 read our article content which resolves the problem of a key blocked on aToyota RAV4), to unlock the steering wheel of your Toyota RAV4 you will have to make it turn in the mean time as you try to turn the key in the Neiman. The steering wheel should be locked but at least in one way you should have a little bit of play which should enable you to do this micro rotation and as a consequence solve your steering wheel locked issue on your Toyota RAV4. - Unscrew the barrel on your Toyota RAV4:
The second scenario is that if you have not been able to handle the locked steering wheel of your Toyota RAV4 using the classic method, you may be struggling with another issue and it is not your steering wheel lock unit that is responsible. It may be that your cylinder has gripped up over time. To unlock it you will have to apply a spray, like the WD40 for example and spray the inside of the barrel, let it work for a little while before attempting to unlock your steering wheel yet again. Be aware that if it succeeds you will have to take into account buying and changing the barrel of your car because finally it will happen again. - Replace the lock cylinder of your Toyota RAV4:
To finish, last probability, if despite 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 RAV4. This procedure is not very problematic if you have some basics in mechanics. You will only have to be mindful to buy a model suitable with your Toyota RAV4. Otherwise go to your auto technician who will be able to do this procedure for you.
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If you need more tutorials on the Toyota RAV4, go to our Toyota RAV4 category.
