Hey, if your Honda's push start button
just blinks and the steering wheel locks
up like it's glued in place, that sucks.
I've seen it strand folks in parking
lots. Good news, it's often a quick swap
of the electronic steering lock module
right behind your dash, and it'll have
you rolling again in under an hour. All
right, then. Grab a basic socket set,
torque wrench, and a new steering lock
assembly from your Honda dealer. Part
numbers model specific, so check that
first. Oh, and an OBD scanner helps pull
any immobilizer codes from the car's
computer. You know, nothing fancy, just
tools you probably got in your garage
already. First off, before tearing into
anything, try this no tools trick on
your Honda. Press the brake pedal hard.
Jiggle the steering wheel left and right
a bit, maybe 10° each way, while mashing
that push start button. Sometimes the
pin in the steering column just gets
stuck from uneven pressure when you
parked. If it clicks free, you're
golden. That's fixed it for half the
Civics and Accords I see. But if it's
still stubborn, and honestly in push
start Hond's from 2010 on, it's usually
the module failing. Time to dig in. Pop
the hood and disconnect your car's
battery negative terminal first.
Safety's no joke with the ECU talking to
the immobilizer.
That kills power to the steering lock
system so nothing shorts out while
you're working. Okay, so slide under the
dash on the driver's side. Your knees
might complain, but it's a tight spot.
Remove the lower panel with a few
screws. It's that plastic cover hiding
the steering column in your Honda.
Unplug the wiring harness from the old
steering lock module. It's a small black
box bolted right to the column shaft.
Two 10 mm bolts hold it. Torque them
loose and it'll pop right off. Swap in
the new one. Plug everything back and
reconnect the battery. Now, here's the
key part. Your Honda's immobilizer needs
reprogramming so it recognizes the fresh
module. Fire up that OBD scanner, plug
it into the port under the dash. Yeah,
the one near your fuse box. And follow
the prompts to sync the new part with
the car's brain. Takes about 5 minutes
if the tools got the Honda software
loaded. Double check by hopping in,
pressing the brake, and hitting start.
The wheel should unlock smooth as
butter. What year Honda are you
wrestling with right now? Drop it in the
comments. I bet it's a 2013 Accord like
my buddies was last week. Speaking of,
that guy pulled up towing his on a
flatbed, swearing the wheel seized mid
turn on the highway. Turns out his
12volt battery was dipping low, which
glitches the steering lock electronics
in these push start setups. We jumped at
first, boom, started right up, but the
module was toast anyway, replaced it on
the spot, and he drove home laughing
about how he thought his power steering
quit for good. Moral: Always test
voltage before assuming the worst. One
quick tip, if you're diying this, grab
dialectric grease for those connectors.
It keeps moisture out and saves
headaches down the road. Common mistake,
forgetting to cycle the key fob near the
start button after the swap. The car
won't prime without it learning the
signal. So to wrap it, jiggle and
restart first, then swap that steering
lock module if needed. Reprogram and
test. Easy win for your Honda's push
start wos. If this got your wheels
turning again, hit like and subscribe to
Car Justify. We've got more garage chats
like this. Share your steering lock war
stories below. What's the craziest spot
it's happened to you?