Hi there new to the forum here. I have 09 Lancer ES. My ignition lock started having problems unlocking. At first it was intermittent. then it just got worse. I bought the kit from the dealer that has the ignition lock, door lock, and two key/remotes. My mechanic installed the locks, and swapped the internal parts of the remotes from the old to the new. It worked fine for a week, and then the same problems with the ignition lock again. Only this time it took about a few dozen times to get the unlock the ignition. Any suggestions would be appreciated. Thanks!

 

Does a twist of the steering wheel (left or right) work to free it?

 

I did try that, but no it did not work.

 

One other idea I had does the battery in the remote make a differnce? I can still lock and unklock the doors, bur wasn't sure if there was a chip in the remote that makes the ignition unlock. This is the remote with the key built into it.

 

So my Lancer sat for a few days. Today I was able to unlock the ignition and start on the 1st try. I took it for a drive, and so far the next 3 starts it has unlock at the first try as well. Previously I did use this liquid graphite on the lock and key. Not sure if that helps or not.

 

My mechanic took the ignition lock out. Figures it did not act up at that time. Hes doing some more research on my Lancer. He think's it's possible it could be the following 2 parts. In 1 picture the cylinder lock mount. The 2nd picture (forgot what the part is called), it bolts to the top of the steering column. The red arrow in the picture points to the part. I'll have to find out the cost, and also wait to hear back from my mechanic.
Cylinder Lock housing.
Part on top of column mount.