I have a 2001 Pontiac Grand Am. The ignition key is not electronic, just a simple key. Every now & then when I go to start the car, the engine shuts down and I am going nowhere. After talking to several mechanics, they have given me the following advise: This is a security issue; the car does not recognize the key. In order to override this problem, turn the key over and hold it for 5 seconds, release the key to the battery on position, wait 10 minutes. Turn the key all the way off, turn it on to the engine on position for 5 seconds, release the key to the battery on position, wait another 10 minutes. Do this one more time (for atotla of 30 minutes) and the engine should start on the 4th try. Believe it or not, this recipe usually works, but it also puts me half an hour behind schedule! I have tried using a different key, but this problem happens with that key too. Does anyone have any other solutions to this aggravating problem!
I would go to the car dealership and see if they can make copies of the key based on the VIN rather than copying the key itself. If that doesn’t work, you may need a new ignition switch.
Do you have a lot of keys on your key ring? More important, do you have keys for other cars on your key ring? If you have keys for two or more cars on the same ring, separate them. Your car could be reading the other cars key and that disables the car you want to drive.