What to do when your car key is stuck in the ignition
As a nation of car drivers, we use our ignition keys a lot. We think nothing of hopping in the car, turning the ignition key to START and taking off to wherever our destination plans lead us. We do this so much that the process is pretty much automatic and we hardly notice the act of starting the engine at all. That is until you suddenly discover that your ignition key won’t come out! Now, all of a sudden we are aware of a problem and the more you think about it; the worse the situation can seem. How are you supposed to leave the car and go about your business if you can’t even remove the key? How can you possibly lock the car doors without getting the key back out? Should you apply more pressure to remove it? What if it’s too much and the key breaks off? Here at Dunwoody GA Locksmith we handle stuck ignition keys all the time. You may need our services or that of another local Dunwoody, GA lock and key professional for this very reason. That’s why we’ve put together this post; to help you with fast and easy solutions in case your ignition key ever decides to get stubborn and stay put!
What to do first!
The first rule of thumb in situations like these is to simply remain calm. We know; we know; it’s easy to say, but hard to do! This is especially true if you have a busy day planned. You might be on your way to an important job interview. Or, you might be in the process of picking up your child from school or camp. Being busy people, we tend to stay focused on our next destination or goal so having to deal with a stuck ignition key can really throw you off base (and schedule!).
So try your best to get and remain calm. Big stress often leads to hurried and wrong decisions. If your ignition key won’t come out, take a deep breath and try to relax. Then, put on the parking brake. You are going to try different solutions on your own. Don’t worry; no mechanical skill whatsoever is needed for these. If you can operate a car, you can do these simple items and they might just save you some time, stress and money if you can avoid a service call!
You may be wondering “why put on the parking brake?” but think about it. You are sitting in a metal vehicle weighing several thousand pounds. You are trying to make small adjustments to your situation so that your key can be removed. The LAST thing you want is for your car to roll back or lurch forward all of a sudden!
Next!
Is your parking brake on? Good! Now try gently moving the ignition key back and forth. Gently now; you don’t want to have your stuck key problem compounded by suddenly needing broken key extraction AND transponder key duplication services! If this gentle turning motion did the trick; great! If not, check to see if you are in the right gear. You need to be in PARK. Not in-between gears or in DRIVE or NEUTRAL. Your vehicle has a safety feature that will not release the key if you are not in gear. Can you imagine how you would feel if you were driving along and you accidentally bumped your ignition key so that it came out while you were going 75 mph on the freeway!
Steering wheel
At any time you can try moving your car’s steering wheel back and forth a few times. Usually this will unlock your ignition key and release it back to you. While doing this, be sure to check to see if your battery is still working and not drained. You can do this be trying your windshield wipers, car radio, or headlights. Here in Dunwoody, GA we use our heaters in winter and sometimes this can drain our batteries when combined with headlights, radio and other items that run off of battery power. If your vehicle’s battery is run down your car’s computer will not be able to recognize the signal sent from your transponder chip and this can make your ignition key stop working.
Wrong key!
Yes, it’s possible! People sometimes stick the wrong key in the ignition cylinder; not on purpose of course, but it’s easy to do when you are distracted, rushed or trying to multi-task. Just because the key goes in easily, it’s not guaranteed to come right out without a struggle. If this happens to you, try using a hammer or other flat surface to lightly tap on the top of the key. This can loosen the key to the point of withdrawal but once in a while it drives it in further so be careful!
Wear and tear
Both ignition keys and ignition switches have life cycles and don’t last forever. Over time and with enough use, they will wear down and sometimes key sticking is a result. You can delay this by ONLY using your ignition key for starting your engine or opening your car door and not for other things like ripping open boxes, popping open cans or puncturing surfaces.
Lock cleaning
Sometimes you can lubricate and clean the ignition lock by spraying some electrical contact cleaner on it. Follow this action by spraying some silicone lock lubricant on it. The combination of the two sprays will act as both a cleaner and a lubricant and may just be enough to allow your key to now come out.
Get professional help
Still no key? It may be time to call in the experts. Dunwoody, GA is home to many automotive locksmith shops (including ours!) so don’t hesitate to call for professional help. A full service, mobile locksmith can be soon be on his way to your location to expertly and safely extract your stuck ignition key with a minimum of expense and time spent.