BMW X5 e53 Key Won't Go into Ignition, Steering Wheel Won't Lock

[Auto Parts Guy]

Just wanted to end this thread with confirmation that the problem is fixed. I've been DDing the X5 since the steering column repair and all good.

[gadden]

Hi all,

I'm sorry for hijacking the thread. I have pretty much the same problem.

All of a sudden the wheel wouldn't lock, couldn't get the key in, wiggling did not help. Sprayed just a bit some WD40, cleaned up the ignition key hole with some airbrush cleaning brushes and pocked it a bit with a paper clip.

Long story short something "clicked" after poking. Now the wheel locks sometimes, but rarely. Even without the wheel locking i can get the key in, with some resistance but still and i can even turn the key to start the car.

My main concern now - is there even a slight chance of the wheel locking while i'm driving? As something is definitely not working properly, either the little piston or the ignition key cylinder. I'm mainly driving it on mountain roads with lots of turns and highways, a wheel lock at either would be fatal. Any input much appreciated.

Thanks and best regards

[80stech]

I "think" the way it is designed, the act of turning the key backwards builds the pressure to lock the wheel so there is no way for the lock to engage with the key in the run position. As a second layer of safety the key needs to be pulled out as well for the lock to engage which makes the mechanism a bit more complicated and causes some of the problems mentioned this thread. I can't imagine how the steering would ever lock unintentionally or that BMW wouldn't have all those bases covered and even there was some freaky way it could lock while driving that it hasn't come to anyone's attention by now. That being said, I often remember the story of the guy getting his keys locked into the car when the car wash employee drove his car fast with the driver's door open for the doors to lock and his keys ended up locked inside when the door was closed! That should never have happened either!

[Auto Parts Guy]

Originally Posted by gadden

Hi all,

I'm sorry for hijacking the thread. I have pretty much the same problem.

All of a sudden the wheel wouldn't lock, couldn't get the key in, wiggling did not help. Sprayed just a bit some WD40, cleaned up the ignition key hole with some airbrush cleaning brushes and pocked it a bit with a paper clip.

Long story short something "clicked" after poking. Now the wheel locks sometimes, but rarely. Even without the wheel locking i can get the key in, with some resistance but still and i can even turn the key to start the car.

My main concern now - is there even a slight chance of the wheel locking while i'm driving? As something is definitely not working properly, either the little piston or the ignition key cylinder. I'm mainly driving it on mountain roads with lots of turns and highways, a wheel lock at either would be fatal. Any input much appreciated.

Thanks and best regards

Like 80stech said, you should be safe from it locking while driving just by the way it's designed. My X5 did the same thing as yours, would lock randomly finally, with the key out of course, then i could get the key in again.

You'll need to do the same repair i did to fix it. It's not fun but not terrible as long as you have something else to drive.

[gadden]

That's the weird thing. Mine doesn't lock anymore at all, wiggling does not help, however after i inserted the paper clip in the tumbler removal hole i can get the key in and turn it, although sometimes it enters with some force.

Yesterday i cleaned it up again - wd40, brushes, compressed air, teflon spray, key goes in smoothly, turns with no problem. Wheel still does not lock.

Unsure what to do really. I'm not really looking forward to taking it apart, currently truck is drivable, but it might be only a matter of time before the key stops turning

[andrewwynn]

When my dad's Buick key cylinder died he couldn't get the key in at all. I took apart the steering column and removed the cylinder, pulled out all the bent and broken wafers and reassembled the thing.

He could start the car with a screwdriver but needed the key to be within an inch or two of the key cylinder to get a pass from the car access. Took a couple weeks to get the part. I would take a similar tack with your situation.

[whizzkid23]

The ratchet / strap trick is worth gold when you work on it alone! Thanx a lot!
The rest of this replacement process is straight forward.

In our case it seems that the culprit was a broken spring on the mechanism that turns. At least that’s the only broken part that I noticed. Intermittently the key wouldn’t go in the ignition… some patient wiggling cured the problem for a while…

[x5gurl]

Now I have this problem. I'm not about to take my steering column apart and I'm at a loss. I called my mechanic and told him what was going on and he had never even heard of this. (mechanic is a BMW mechanic, doesn't touch anything else) I told him about the You Tube video and after about 10 mins of rocking the wheel and banging on it i was able to get my key in and operate my vehicle. So my question is, will this be a sometime thing eventually turning into an everyday thing? and what do I tell my mechanic to do to fix it? Thanking all ya'll in advance

[andrewwynn]

I would replace or remove the interlock it will not cure itself.