Originally Posted by
rustyscheuer
My theory: I am of the opinion, that the failure in the switch is caused by turning the key when the steering wheel is locked and resting against its limit. I think if one first moves the wheel to a mid (slack unbound) position before turning the key, so as to turn it whilst the wheel position is not binding it. Although the "bind" is so slight to be hardly felt, the fixture may be delicate enough to wear out over 5,000 to 10,000 turns. I relieve the stress by moving the wheel off it's locked limit before turning the key. We'll see how that works out......over time.
Just my 2c
Rusty
This has been my opinion on this, as well my experience for ANY vehicle with a locking steering wheel over the years, no matter the make. Why would anyone try to turn the ignition switch against any form of resistance is beyond me, whereby for many cars turning the steering wheel away from it's utmost locked position makes the ignition switch easier to turn. That has become an instinctive habit as part of a process to start any car for me the past 30 years, so much so I don't even think about it; hand automatically goes to wheel to release pressure off lock, then turn ignition.
Very first time I got into my Crossfire SRT-6 when looking at it, before even owning it, while it was still for sale I did this, and noticed the locked wheel putting that pressure to make the key/ignition switch harder to turn. That resistance is just way too much against the switch, spring/pin defect or not.
The old adage of not forcing something comes to mind, and why would you; it's a sign of a problem destined to lead to failure.
NEVERTHELESS.... I'm not going to risk chance on a defective design. I'm doing the sticking-key fix today before it's too late.
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