There are a few common reasons why your car key might get stuck in the ignition. The good news is that it’s often easily un-stuck. Whatever you do, don’t start trying to rip the key out of the ignition. That can cause bigger problems.
This article is written with the assumption that your key is stuck right now, and that you are looking to get it out.
A key getting stuck in the ignition is not the most common problem. You can go the whole life of the vehicle and this typically won’t happen.
Key Stuck in Ignition: Causes
Here are some of the most common reasons why the key would get stuck in the ignition. They are presented somewhat in the order of most likely to least likely to be the cause.
Parking Lock
All cars equipped with automatic transmissions have a lock that keeps the key from being removed from the ignition while the vehicle is in gear. This prevents your car from “rolling off”.
When the vehicle is not on, any gear other than park will act like neutral. Leaving the key stuck in the lock is the manufacturers way of telling you that you need to put it in park before you leave the car somewhere.
Steering Lock
A lot of vehicles are equipped with a steering lock. This lock can bind the ignition switch and get the key stuck from time to time. This is particularly true on hills.
Bad Key
- Bent– Over time and repeated use, a key can bend. If this is the case, you’ll need to get a new one. This issue often happens with cheap duplicated keys. If you do massage the key out, go ahead and throw it away. Take the good key and duplicate it.
- Rusted– A key that is rusted can get stuck in the ignition system easily. It doesn’t have to be a lot of rust. Just enough to keep it from moving freely. As with a bent key, just start over. Once something rusts, it comes back a lot easier.
- Debris– If you’ve used your key to clean something off, or gotten food (or other debris) on it somehow, you’ll find that it can pretty easily stick in the ignition lock.
- Worn– If a key has worn past the point of usefulness, it can start failing to pass through the ignition lock. Replacing the key would be ideal. If you have a key that’s in better shape, you’d want to use that one to make a duplicate.
If you have no key to duplicate, many manufacturers can use the VIN number to cut you a brand new OEM key. Just be prepared to prove ownership in some way.
Ignition Lock Cylinder
The lock cylinder itself can go bad over time. While it would seem like the most likely cause for a key to get stuck in the ignition at first, compared to it being a bad key, this is not nearly as likely.
Replacing them can be tricky. This is best left to a professional, with todays electronic theft prevention mechanisms there can be a lot to this.
Battery
A battery that doesn’t have enough voltage to properly engage the safety mechanisms that leave your key stuck in the ignition can cause the issue.
How to Get Key Unstuck from the Ignition Lock
Here are ways that you can get the key free from the ignition lock. This is our recommended order to do them in.
Make Sure You Have Voltage
Is the battery charged? If the vehicle still starts it should be fine. But, since this requires almost no effort to check, why not start here? Low voltage can keep the ignition lock mechanism from properly functioning.
Wiggle the Wheel
Give the wheel a wiggle while lightly trying to turn the key out of the ignition. If the steering lock is causing a bind, this will relieve the pressure and get the key out. This is a very common situation when you park on hills, park with the wheels turned all the way in one direction, or if the wheels were turned with the vehicle not moving before the ignition was shut off.
Shifter
Make sure the vehicle is in park. Even if it is in park, push the shifter up higher toward park while gently turning the key. You don’t need to manhandle anything. You’re just looking to see if the park lock mechanism is failing. If it is, the key should come right out.
Lubricate the Key
Now that we’ve tried all of the easier, and likely things that can make a key stuck that aren’t the key, it’s time to go ahead and try to get the key out. You’re going to want to use a small amount of lubricant to see if it can help you get the key moving.
If you can still move the key forward, go ahead and do it so that you can get the lubrication spread a little.
Trouble Codes
It’s time to use a code scanner and see if there are any diagnostic trouble codes that can illuminate the problem.
Conclusion
If the key is still stuck after going through all of these steps, it may be time to have a mechanic take a look at the ignition lock and see if it has gone bad. Good luck with your vehicle. If there’s anything that you’ll like to add, please leave a comment below.