I have always wondered what the purpose of locking in your steering wheel was? after parking your car, you would turn the steering wheel a bit and the steering wheel would lock. what does this do?

 

Security feature. Same as locking your door.

 

would someone be able to steal my car if, say, they hotwired it even though the lock is on

 

not unless they can unlock the steering wheel and disable the immobilizer system.

 

so our fits GD, GE alike, cannot be hotwired?

 

They can but they are a little harder. The security features arnt theft proof just theft deterrents.

 

Torque lock is parking on a hill and setting the lever on an automatic transmission equipped car in park without first setting the parking brake... With the weight of the car being held by being in park it can be impossible to move the lever out of park without having a couple of people to push the car up hill to release the pressure on the shifting mechanism so it can be shifted.... The same thing can occur to the steering if a front tire is resting on a curb when you remove the key and have lifted your foot from the brake when parking.... I know about this because I have done it a few times in the 46 years since I got my drivers license... Probably a few times before then actually.