Q: Bad Ignition switch Symptoms

If upon actuating the ignition switch you hear "crackling" noise in the dash, that could be due to arcing or a faulty component such as a relay that happens to be in the circuit that you are powering with the switch. To diagnose the switch, a volt ohmmeter is used to determine if power is reaching the switch and flowing through to supply the circuits that you have referred to. Voltage drop also has to be considered (too much and circuit won’t work). This sort of diagnostic is carried out with reference to the Factory Service Manual, and wiring diagram, that a certified Mechanic would of course use to troubleshoot the type of fault you are reporting. Symptoms of ignition switch failure do include what you are reporting but there are other possibilities such as an open fuse, bad relay and so forth in the circuit(s) that are presently not working. To get to the bottom of this, what I would recommend is that you request an electrical diagnostic during which the certified Mechanic will simply trace the non functioning circuits to find the fault, whether the fault is in the ignition switch, some other components, or possibly even a combination.