Took my car to get inspected and aligned. Picked it up at 3, went back to work til 4. Came out, wouldn't start. Ignition was locked it seemed and cd player was flashing red light. Called shop guy he was clueless. Kept locking, unlocking, etc. car finally started. Battery level was about 12. Any help guys. I'm now afraid to drive to work tomorrow. Thinking mayb just alarm was stuck or something? Hoping it's not battery or ignition or anything.

 

battery was probably low and they left stuff on while messing w it. get a trickle charger and trickle it.. or a new battery, and that will *probably* solve it.

these cars won't run properly when the battery is low. 12 isn;t right. should be 14 or at least 13.5 under full elec load with all on.

 

Go for a highway drive..7 miles at 55mph+ will bring a dead battery back..assuming your alternator is good...

 

Just went out after letting it sit about an hour n a half. Started right up, battery level was right below 14. Hoping it was just alarm issue, battery seems ok tho it does sputter a bit when cruising at low rpms Any ideas????

 

if your battery is low, which i'm guessing it is? one more time starting right up and driving without issues can lull you into complacency.. until the battery fails. it couid very well be low, and that can also cause some very peculiar behavior one might not instantly associate with, or suspect, as being electrical in nature. given you had difficulty starting the car? i wouldn't think "alarm",.. i would think "battery".

a new battery will set you back $100.00 and afford you peace of mind. until the next thing. eg "sputter" is more maf related sounding lol

 

Would battery cause ignition to lock up though? It's not like it just wouldn't start. I couldn't even turn key. Cd player light was flashing which is another reason I'm suspecting alarm and not battery. I'll keep an eye on it. I also need to find a new mechanic in central pa, as my guy seems like an idiot. Recommendations welcome....

 

no. that;s simply the steering lock activating... and be careful with the ignition until you learn it. the switches can go bad, esp if you're not reasonably gentle about key insertion ( w.. tf?! ) never mind.

you just got in to a locked steering wheel car. you'll get used to it. that does nothing to diminish the value of the info above re batteries and keeping them fully charged.

 

A low bettery causes a myriad of issues with these cars, running or not. Have your battery loadtested. That will tell you what you need to know and do. Your local auto parts store usually will do it for nothing if you drive the car there...

 

Latest wrinkle....car started and drove great today. Needed gas, gas lid wouldn't open. As far as I know there is no switch for this as every other time I've gotten gas it's opened fine. Had to use a fork to push in little thing to open it. This really makes me think it was some alarm issue. I dont know what guy did to activate it or what i may have done....but this is frustrating. I have now sat in my car for 25 min yesterday trying to start it and sat at gas station for 10 min this morning trying to figure out how to open gas lid.....

 

The little solenoid switch/rod for the fuel door could be failing. I think it only works with the locks. Leave the fuel door open and try it a few times with the key while you are watching it...
I had an issuie with mine once..turned out it just came loose...and was just catching...even unlocked...