Today I went out to get into my '93 honda civic. I got half way down the road and realized I was in my wife’s '95 honda accord. BUT I HAD MY KEY IN HER CAR! So I went home to switch it, amazed it was running her car, and my key won’t come out! I push it in but it won’t turn back all the way to be removed. It runs the car just great but I need the key back. Any thoughts!.
Sounds like the key switch was worn out to begin with. Maybe you’ll need to find a new one. Otherwise, I have no idea how to get the key out without potentially damaging the key switch. I do suspect the key switch will need to be removed to fix this, either way.
I’m guessing the wear on the tumbler pins was enough to allow your '93 key to turn to car on, but now is jamming the key, and will not release correctly. But, they made these switches to be hard to tamper with, and to access the tumblers will probably require drilling or cutting.
Does the key turn all the way to “LOCK?” I’m thinking it doesn’t, and that is why it won’t come out. There is nothing in the cylinder that should hold the key in place. If it went in, it should come out, but only if the cylinder turns all the way to the correct position.
Keep messing around with it. Maybe you will get lucky and the key will come out.
How do you mistake one car for the other? Civic, Accord, they are DIFFERENT.
You sure you’ve got your foot firmly on the brake pedal and the car is in Park?
Well your are correct, it won’t turn to the lock position. For example on the key hole there is a set of symbols or numbers 0 - where the key comes out and then I II III. It will not go back to 0. I can push it in but it still won’t turn. As for the brake I am pressing it as hard as I can and I have the gear shift in neutral with the parking brake all the way up. But I have noticed the parking break light is not lighting up. So I had my wife check the brake lights and they are coming on.
As for the messing up the cars. Believe you me I am just as shocked, they are not even the same colors. It was 6:30 am and we had been on vacation with my wife’s car all week, so I was used to getting into her car.
I really don’t want to pay for a new starter this car really isn’t worth paying the money. But if I have to I guess I will. I will also try playing with it, I too do understand why it won’t come out. This is insane.
More replies and more help from anyone if possible, that would be great.
There is no indicator I am in park, since this is a 5 speed manual I am putting it into neutral and then putting the parking break on.
I guess I’d look to see if there is some sort of requirement that the transmission be in a specific gear like reverse, or that the parking brake be on, or the clutch be pressed. Maybe the fact that the warning light hasn’t gone on with the parking brake is a clue. There is an electrically operated interlock cam in later Accords that has been the subject of recalls. If the switch to activate the warning light is disconnected or the wiring is broken, maybe the key release interlock is not activating. Meanwhile, if you have extra keys I guess you could leave it there and just be sure to lock the car.
Problem Solved!
I started looking really close and noticed the key would push in to turn to the lock position but not all the way. The rubber covering around the key was thicker and further down the neck of the key than my wife’s keys. So I got a knife and cut the rubber off. The key pushed in and came out just fine.
Weird!
Thanks for the update BenJoe. Now, when someone asks about a stuck key, we’ll have a ready answer.
Boy, isn’t it the way! Seems like the simple answer is often the right one. A doctor friend told me he learned in med school, “If you hear hoof beats, think horses, not zebras.”