[garythewolf]

ign key started to jam on me and l would have to hit it to turn on ignition,,l took it to Mcgregor Auto parts in st.thomas and they say its a common problem with focus and could get so bad they would have to be drilled out and cost lots of money,,here is what they did, removed the sticking key cylinder and sent it to a locksmith who cleaned and repaired it, this way yu dont need new keys,,works perfect and the do lots of focus and other cars and never had a call-back,,the trick is to get it repaired as soon as the problem comes up and it cost me $79.10 total,,,,,

[Flofocus]

there is also many how to's to replace the part since it is a very common issue. Had it happen to me in the hospital parking lot. tow truck was not happy at all maneuvering through that!!

[Mystake]

whattya mean jam??

recently my steering wheel locked and it took 5 minutes of jiggling for the key to finally turn and unlock the wheel?

[habmann]

I remember when this happened to me in the parking lot at Mohawk College back when I was a student.

As a preventative measure try not to have a million things hanging on the same key ring as the car key.

[dBlast]

It cost me $525 at the stealership when it happened to my car a few years ago.

[ZTWsquared]

(07-21-2011, 04:09 AM)Mystake Wrote: whattya mean jam??

recently my steering wheel locked and it took 5 minutes of jiggling for the key to finally turn and unlock the wheel?

If this happens again you need to tap it smartly back into the lock ... the last time this happened to me the only thing I had to tap it with was a rolling pin ... worked like a charm.

You can get a brand new cylinder, keyed to your existing key, for not much more than the cost of the service mentioned above ... and it's a 2-minute job at most to replace it.

[garythewolf]

(07-21-2011, 04:09 AM)Mystake Wrote: whattya mean jam??

recently my steering wheel locked and it took 5 minutes of jiggling for the key to finally turn and unlock the wheel?

yep,,better get er fixed,,next time it may not work

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(07-21-2011, 05:15 AM)ZTWsquared Wrote:

(07-21-2011, 04:09 AM)Mystake Wrote: whattya mean jam??

recently my steering wheel locked and it took 5 minutes of jiggling for the key to finally turn and unlock the wheel?

If this happens again you need to tap it smartly back into the lock ... the last time this happened to me the only thing I had to tap it with was a rolling pin ... worked like a charm.

You can get a brand new cylinder, keyed to your existing key, for not much more than the cost of the service mentioned above ... and it's a 2-minute job at most to replace it.

the new keys and cylinder is $85.00,,,at APC, still needs programing

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If the key wont turn period then how are you going to turn it to acc.?? thats where the big expense is,,it has to be able to turn to acc. to remove the cylinder, then its drilling it out or tear the steering column apart or both,,its a good security system but a pain in the "backside" its best to get it done when you can still move it after hitting it to make it work,,mine started last week and got worse, l had it repaired and it now works very smooth...this is very common in the focus...

[ZTWsquared]

(07-21-2011, 07:49 AM)garythewolf Wrote:

(07-21-2011, 04:09 AM)Mystake Wrote: whattya mean jam??

recently my steering wheel locked and it took 5 minutes of jiggling for the key to finally turn and unlock the wheel?

yep,,better get er fixed,,next time it may not work

---

(07-21-2011, 05:15 AM)ZTWsquared Wrote:

(07-21-2011, 04:09 AM)Mystake Wrote: whattya mean jam??

recently my steering wheel locked and it took 5 minutes of jiggling for the key to finally turn and unlock the wheel?

If this happens again you need to tap it smartly back into the lock ... the last time this happened to me the only thing I had to tap it with was a rolling pin ... worked like a charm.

You can get a brand new cylinder, keyed to your existing key, for not much more than the cost of the service mentioned above ... and it's a 2-minute job at most to replace it.

the new keys and cylinder is $85.00,,,at APC, still needs programing

---

If the key wont turn period then how are you going to turn it to acc.?? thats where the big expense is,,it has to be able to turn to acc. to remove the cylinder, then its drilling it out or tear the steering column apart or both,,its a good security system but a pain in the "backside" its best to get it done when you can still move it after hitting it to make it work,,mine started last week and got worse, l had it repaired and it now works very smooth...this is very common in the focus...

You don't need new keys ... the dealer can "key" the cylinder so that it accepts your existing keys ... therefore PATS not an issue.

In fact, all cylinders come with all the stuff needed for you to do your own "keying" ... but IIRC US dealers charge 25.00 to do it for you.

[konafocuswrc]

ucky me, when mine started to get stickied, i hit with hammer and never had sticky problem.

[Mystake]

at least its only ~100$ to do.

That's all I have to say (sigh). Oh and I won't be letting my steering wheel lock any time soon lol