Locked ignition, steering wheel & shift - 986 Forum - The Community for Porsche Boxster & Cayman Owners

wroot · 07-08-2014, 11:59 AM

I am continuing to have a problem with the ignition locking up on my 2004 Boxster S. When this happens, the ignition key will not turn, the steering wheel locks up and the shift lever will not move out of park. The instrument and courtesy lights do work though when the door is opened.

I used to be able to free up the wheel and unlock the ignition by jerking the wheel from side to side, but last week my wife pulled it into the driveway and stopped to unload groceries. When she went back to pull it into the garage, the key wouldn't turn in the ignition. The steering wheel was locked, as was the gear shift lever. I could not break it free even by violently jerking the wheel side to side. I replaced the ignition switch with the new model Porsche part last year. That seemed to fix the problem up until a few months ago.

Have any of you folks encountered this problem and found a solution?
Thanks much for any insights you can provide.

Xpit77 · 07-10-2014, 03:56 AM

My 99 does the same thing. Not a lot though.My Altima did it as well right from day 1.

thstone · 07-10-2014, 11:24 AM

You may have a problem with the mechanical portion of the ignition switch/steering interlock. Porsche PN 99634701707.

wroot · 07-12-2014, 05:02 AM

Thanks for the advice. I finally broke down and took the car to the dealer. Here's what we found:
[*]Nothing wrong with the locking system[*]My wife was using the steering wheel to help her get out of the car. That was causing it to lock up.[*]Jerking the wheel side to side only makes it worse.[*]Solution is to turn the steering wheel to apply gentle pressure while simultaneously turning the ignition key. So far this has worked fine for the past week.

Hope this helps.