Q: My car horn works when I lock the car but not when I push on the steering wheel

Hi there. When locking the vehicle, the antitheft computer beeps the horn to acknowledge the doors locking and the system arming. It sounds like your spiral cable, or clock spring cable, has broken. Are there any other steering wheel functions that aren’t working? This cable is located in the wiring harness just behind the steering wheel and provides the electrical connections for the horn and other steering wheel buttons. It is wound and unwound an innumerable amount of times during the life of a vehicle, in fact, every time the steering wheel is turned. Over time, this thin, winding cable can break; sometimes just one wire breaks, but other times more than one. Testing this cable is best and most safely done by a qualified technician as this requires handling of the airbag and the airbag wiring harness. I would suggest having a qualified technician, such as one from YourMechanic, perform an inspection to diagnose your horn problem and to avoid a safety hazard and any unnecessary part replacements.