Ignition Key Will Not Turn At All '95' Ls400

[rickatups]

Hey guys ..... got a REAL PROBLEM here today .... I was just washing and detailing my LS400 like on any Saturday ... suddenly out of nowhere, my ignition key will not work.

It is as if I was trying to use the key for your car in my car. The key goes in .... but it will not turn the lock. It goes inside the key cylinder just fine ... but it just will not turn as if something is stuck in the mechanism.

There was no warning of anything going wrong whatsoever ..... it has always worked perfectly. It does not feel loose or sloppy or make strange sounds ...... everything seemed just fine ... until now.

Ever had this happen? Ever heard of this before?????????

Geeeeeeez !!! Thank God this did not happen while I was on a long distance trip out of town or something ...... the car is in my drive way at the moment ...... got sooooooooo lucky in that regard .....

Well ..... if you can help solve this enigma .... I would be very glad to fax you a beer and pizza, for sure ..... !!!!

T H A N K Y O U !!!!!

[PureDrifter]

Hey guys ..... got a REAL PROBLEM here today .... I was just washing and detailing my LS400 like on any Saturday ... suddenly out of nowhere, my ignition key will not work.

It is as if I was trying to use the key for your car in my car. The key goes in .... but it will not turn the lock. It goes inside the key cylinder just fine ... but it just will not turn as if something is stuck in the mechanism.

There was no warning of anything going wrong whatsoever ..... it has always worked perfectly. It does not feel loose or sloppy or make strange sounds ...... everything seemed just fine ... until now.

Ever had this happen? Ever heard of this before?????????

Geeeeeeez !!! Thank God this did not happen while I was on a long distance trip out of town or something ...... the car is in my drive way at the moment ...... got sooooooooo lucky in that regard .....

Well ..... if you can help solve this enigma .... I would be very glad to fax you a beer and pizza, for sure ..... !!!!

T H A N K Y O U !!!!!

try turning the wheel a little bit to either side (try both) while turning the key. sounds like the wheel lock got activated.

[lexfourcam]

when the steering column locks on these things sometimes it can be hell to get the key to turn ive had to use some pliers b4 to turn my key it was that bad.

[w140amg]

Agree with the previous posts. Move the steering wheel side to side as you start the car.

[lasik124]

Ya my dads BMW locks like that and its incredibly annoying and difficult to get it unlocked. But the 91 Lexus doesn't have that feature...wonder when it was introduced to the LS400s

[90LS400Lexus]

When I bought my first LS400 (1990), I had the wheel turned when I shut off the car. I had a hard time getting the key to turn next time I went to drive it.... turns out that the pressure against the wheel lock had the switch in a bind. Seems like its a common thing on these cars and not only Lexus... I know a lady at work with a Toyota Tercel that had the SAME problem. She was trying to call a mechanic... I asked her what was wrong - she said the switch would not turn and I asked what kind of car and she said a 1996 Tercel... I went out and sure enough, terrific pressure was on the steering wheel lock... I showed her how to relieve the pressure and the key turned as easily as pie.

Not sure if this is your issue, but give it a whirl if you havent already. ;)

[VBdenny]

My wife called me one time all upset because the key wouldn't turn in the ignition. First, I told her NOT to break it off trying, then I asked her if the wheels were turned. They were as she had turned into a corner parking spot. I told her to pull hard on the wheel while turning the key. Yeah, I listened to a lot of whining that it wasn't working, and it took her several tries (and some excellent ocaching as well) but it worked and the powerful 4.oL surged to life. At this piont I suggested she always straighten the wheel when parking. She did, and that, was that.

Takes a lot of muscle to turn these with no PS.