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Sometimes keys get stuck; that’s a fact of life. We know that it happens, and it can frustrating to experience; especially when the key is stuck in your car’s ignition and won’t come back out.
Why stay calm
It’s easy to say “stay calm” but it can be hard to keep your cool when you can’t turn your car off and remove the key. Or, you do stop the engine but the key won’t come out. Yep, you have a problem – how do you lock the car if the key won’t come back out? How do you force the key out without breaking it off and causing ANOTHER problem? If that happens you now need broken key removal AND a new ignition (or transponder) key made! You can’t even lock the car door to prevent others from getting inside and driving off with your vehicle. As these scenarios play through your mind, your situation seems to become bleaker by the minute!
First of all…
After getting calm (or attempting to!); put on the parking brake. Remember; you are behind the wheel of a multi-ton vehicle made of metal and you don’t want to be suddenly lurching forward or rolling backwards while you wait for help to arrive or while you sit there trying to decide what to do next.
Next, try and dislodge the ignition key by gently turning it back and forth. Remember what we said earlier about not wanting to break it? You don’t want to force it, so if this gentle movement is not enough to dislodge the key don’t worry; we’ll try something else!
Are you in Park?
It may sound simplistic, but check to see what gear you are in. Your vehicle needs to be in the PARK gear and NOT in NEUTRAL or DRIVE. Pretty much everyone knows this but in the hustle and bustle of today’s busy schedules, it’s easy to make a mistake. Modern car makers have designed automatic transmissions to not release the ignition key if the car is not in the PARK position. This is for your safety as you can imagine how dangerous it would be to actually be driving and accidentally bump the ignition key and have it come out!
Clean the ignition lock
Let’s recap. You’ve tried gently turning the key back and forth and you’ve also checked to make sure that you are in the PARK gear. Did the ignition key come out? If yes, you are good to go (literally) but if no, we’ll have to try the next thing; clean your ignition lock.
Next…
Did your key come out? At any time, you can always try and move the steering wheel back and forth a few times. Often, this is enough to unlock the ignition and release the key. You can try this in between all these other methods we are recommending. Also, be sure to check your car’s battery and make sure it isn’t drained. If it is, your vehicle’s computer will not able to recognize the signal sent from your transponder key and this too, can lock up your key in the ignition.
A few other causes of stuck ignition keys
Believe it or not, some people stick the wrong key in the ignition and don’t realize it until they can’t get it back out. It’s actually easy to do; between busy schedules and trying to multi-task, you can get distracted to the point of actually putting another key in the ignition cylinder, and causing it to get stuck. If this is the case, try tapping the key gently with a hammer or other flat surface. This may be enough to loosen it but you also run the risk of jamming it in further.
Plain old “wear and tear” is another culprit to stuck ignition keys. Like anything else, your ignition system has a life span and every time you start and stop your engine it brings your wheel lock cylinder a little closer to the end of its life cycle.
Your ignition keys wear out too. Be honest; how often have you used your key to open a box, pop open a bottle, or to puncture a surface? We all have, so don’t feel bad; the key still works, but over time, the key wears to the point that the interior lock pins don’t drop and they key itself, becomes unusable or gets stuck.
Call for help
You always have the option to call for help but be careful; car dealers and auto repair shops will usually insist that you tow your car in to them. You now have tow fees, dealership mark ups and long service area waits that you have to deal with. This is especially true if they key broke off in the process of trying to remove it.
