A friend of mine has a 2002 Pontiac Gran Prix with a reoccuring issue. It seems that from time to time that when she stops and wishes to exit the car she is unable to remove the key from the ignition. She has had it into the same shop on a couple of times and they can’t seem to figure it out. Well someone told her that if it happened turn the key to the position before it starts the car, use the power lock button and unlock the doors then turn the car off and guess what each time she has done that the key can be removed. Any idea why when she unlocks the doors the key will come out but if she doesn’t the key can’t be removed.
It’s Old !
At 9 T0 10 Years Old, It’s A Senior Citizen In Car Years.
I’ve Got Stuff That Doesn’t Work As Well As It Did Before, Too.
CSA
I don’t know why using the door locks works, but I’d say the lock cylinder is probably very worn due to use and age. The lock cylinder is fairly simple and similar in design to the lock cylinders in the door locks in your house. It’s entirely possible that a shot of graphite lock lube can fix this. Outside of that, the lock cylinder can also be replaced, with the new one keyed to match the existing keys.
Likely you need a new lock cylinder They can ware out.
Note: If a driver has lots of keys, tags, pompoms etc on their key chain, that can cause additional wear.
The place where she has to take it due to warrenty keeps working on the gear shifter, on this last visit she said the removed “something” in it that would keep this problem from happening, she has no clue what they remvoed.
Why remove the key. Leave it in and follow the instructions for changing the lock cylinder. When it does the same thing with the new one, change the lock mechanism.
The mechanic says it’s in the gear shift.
The gear shift is on the floor in this car. The key is on the column. The only connection between the two is a signal wire to trip a solenoid to prevent the key from locking the steering wheel if the car is in any gear but ‘Park’. This should be an easy fix to diagnose with the center console removed and the plastic shell over the steering column removed. If they still haven’t fixed it, you need a new mechanic.
The key was stuck in the ignition on my Mustang for over a year.Not sure why but I finally was able to remove it and turned out the key was bent.
I would think it would be an easy fix but it has not been for this place which is the only place she can take it to because it’s covered under the warrenty.
This is for everyone with key-stuck-in-ignition issues, especially the Reverend who called in yesterday about his BMW. I had the same problem and but was pretty specific. I had a new key made by Ace Hardware and after I put it in the ignition, it wouldn’t come out. I paid a locksmith about $50 to fix the problem. It was much cheaper than going to the dealership. I might recommend disconnecting the battery before the locksmith works on it.