Normal Operation
WARNING: This page is about a different car, the 2005 Mercury Montego, 2005 Ford Freestyle, and 2005 Ford Five Hundred. However, it is still accessible from the selected car via links, so may be relevant.
The ignition lock cylinder is the mechanical link to the ignition switch. When the ignition key is placed in the ignition lock cylinder and rotated through the ignition switch positions, the pinion rotates, moving the ignition switch to the desired position.