NHTSA Complaint #10234735 — 2006 SATURN VUE

I OWN A 1998 SC2 AND A 2006 SATURN VUE. I HAVE BEEN HAVING PROBLEMS WITH THE IGNITION LOCKING, I.E. YOU PUT THE KEY IN THE IGNITION, ATTEMPT TO START THE VEHICLE AND THE KEY WON'T TURN. THIS HAD BEEN HAPPENING ON MY 98 FOR SEVERAL YEARS AND IT'S ALWAYS BEEN RESOLVED BY JIGGLING THE STEERING WHEEL, WHICH THEN "LOOSENED" THE KEY, SO I ALWAYS THOUGHT IT WAS DUE TO THE KEY OR LOCK "WEARING DOWN". ABOUT 2 MONTHS AGO THE SAME ISSUE STARTED OCCURRING WITH MY 2006 SATURN VUE. I AGAIN FIGURED MAYBE THE KEYS WERE WEARING DOWN QUICKLY, SO I SWITCHED TO MY "SPARE" AND THE ISSUE SEEMED TO RESOLVE ITSELF. A FEW WEEKS LATER THE SAME IGNITION LOCK UP STARTED HAPPENING AGAIN, ON THE VUE, YOU WOULD PUT THE KEY IN THE IGNITION, AND YOU JUST COULDN'T TURN IT, THE STEERING WHEEL WOULD ALSO LOCK WITH VERY LITTLE "PLAY". THE ISSUE WAS AGAIN ALWAYS RESOLVED BY JIGGLING THE STEERING WHEEL AND THE KEY. THE DEALERSHIP IS AN HOUR AWAY FROM MY HOME, AND SINCE IT SEEMED TO BE RESOLVED WITH STEERING WHEEL JIGGLING, IT WASN'T A TOP PRIORITY ON MY LIST. TONIGHT WAS THE BE ALL END ALL-I GOT IN MY CAR TO GO TO AN APPOINTMENT AND THE STEERING WHEEL COMPLETELY LOCKED UP AND THE KEY WOULDN'T TURN AT ALL. I HAD TO HAVE A TOW TRUCK COME OUT AND TAKE MY CAR TO SATURN TO HAVE THIS FIXED. THE TOW TRUCK DRIVER WAS ABLE TO FINALLY JIGGLE IT AND GET IT TURNED. THIS IS RIDICULOUS- I'M LUCKY I WAS AT HOME WHEN THIS HAPPENED. I OFTEN ATTEND DOG SHOWS OUT OF THE AREA-WHAT WOULD I HAVE DONE IF I HAD MY DOGS WITH ME HOURS AWAY FROM HOME? WORSE-WHAT IF I HAD CHILDREN? I'VE DONE A SEARCH ON THIS PROBLEM WITH SATURNS AND IT SEEMS TO BE A COMMON ISSUE. THEY REALLY NEED TO FIX THIS PROBLEM. *TR