For most motorists, the idea of starting their vehicle with the use of a key requires little in the way of additional thought. We expect to place our key in our vehicle’s ignition, when starting our vehicle, only to retrieve it upon reaching our destination. This is an elementary concept, which hardly warrants discussion. Unless, of course, an unanticipated issue arises.
This basic concept becomes far more noteworthy if ever this process goes awry. This is perhaps best illustrated when forced to contemplate your next move, after coming to the realization that your key has become stuck in your vehicle’s ignition cylinder.
As far-fetched as this scenario might seem, issues of this type plague an untold number of motorists on an annual basis, creating quite the conundrum.
No vehicle using a standard key-style ignition is immune to such problems, though some manufacturers, such as Honda, Chevy, Dodge, and Subaru seem to experience a higher rate of such failures. The “key” to handling an issue of this nature, involves understanding its root cause and acting accordingly.
Read on to learn more about the potential reasons that your key is stuck in your vehicle’s ignition, as well as how to overcome a problem of this type.
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A vehicle’s key can become stuck in the ignition cylinder for a number of reasons, some of which tend to be more complex than others. By recognizing these potential causes, one can often rectify the situation in short order.
The following are several of the most common reasons that a key gets stuck in a vehicle’s ignition cylinder.
Most modern vehicles will not allow you to remove your key from the ignition if the transmission is not placed in park. This is used as a safety procedure to prevent vehicle roll-away.
The steering wheel of many vehicles will lock in place if turned too far in one direction while the ignition is in the “off” position. Unfortunately, this also locks the ignition cylinder.
A vehicle’s ignition cylinder is prone to a build-up of dirt and grime over the course of time. This can stick an ignition cylinder’s tumblers, making it difficult to remove your key.
A damaged key can also jam an ignition cylinder’s tumblers, thereby turning key extraction into a chore. This is especially true if a particular tooth on a key becomes bent or broken.
Like any mechanical component, a vehicle’s ignition cylinder is prone to failure with age and wear. The individual tumblers of an ignition cylinder can actually collapse, lodging a key in place.
There are several different ways to go about getting a key Unstuck from your vehicle’s ignition. Success often comes down to a matter of selecting the best of these methods, for your particular situation.
The following are several of the easiest ways to free a stuck key from a vehicle’s ignition cylinder.
A worn ignition cylinder cam often binds a key, thereby keeping it from being pulled outward. In many instances, a simple jiggle of your key is all that is required to free it. This should be done lightly to prevent breaking the key off in the ignition.
In certain cases, a key can become stuck in a vehicle’s ignition cylinder due to a build-up of grime and debris. This build-up can often be freed with a light squirt of penetrating oil or spray of compressed air.
The trick to this involves fishing the small straw attached to a can of such substances into the tumbler of the ignition cylinder, before making the intended application.
The steering wheel of many vehicles locks in place if turned too far in a certain direction after being turned off. This also locks the vehicle’s key in the ignition cylinder. This is remedied by turning a vehicle’s ignition back to the “On” position, in order to free the steering wheel.
Some vehicles will not allow you to retrieve a key if the transmission is not firmly in park. For this reason, it might be necessary to slightly shake a vehicle’s gear selector, in order to extract a key from the ignition.
If this does not work, try turning the ignition to the “On” position, while depressing the brake pedal, before shuffling the vehicle’s gear selector back and forth between drive and park.
First and foremost, do not jerk haphazardly on any key that is stuck in a vehicle’s ignition. This can cause your vehicle’s key to break off at the neck, leaving you in a far worse situation than you were initially faced with.
Remember, in most cases, you will still be able to start your vehicle, even if you cannot remove the key itself. Therefore, the situation is not as dire as it could be.
If you do not feel comfortable attempting the key removal steps listed above, contact a trusted automotive service center or locksmith for further assistance.
The cost of obtaining such help likely pales in comparison to that which will be incurred, should you inadvertently create more damage, due to the obvious frustration that accompanies such situations.
Once a key has been broken off in a vehicle’s ignition, the matter of removal becomes far more complicated. In reality, you are only left with two viable options. Depending upon the circumstances at hand the first of these two options might not be available to you.
This is the case when a key is broken off flush, with the face of its lock cylinder. The options for the retrieval of a broken key are as follows.
In a limited number of cases, it might be possible to remove a broken key with the use of pliers, or alternatively, with a pair of vice-grips. This can only be attempted if enough of the key’s neck is protruding from the ignition cylinder to allow you to obtain a solid grip.
Once a firm grip has been achieved, you can again attempt many of the same removal tips as described above.
While other methods for broken key removal are often suggested, such as those pertaining to the use of hot glue, efforts of this type seldom prove effective.
If your key is broken off flush with the face of its ignition cylinder, or the use of pliers has proven ineffective, a call to a locksmith will be required.
An individual with this background will likely be able to remove your vehicle’s broken key with the use of specialty tools, and can often make a new key for your vehicle on the spot. In many cases, a locksmith will also be able to diagnose the issue plaguing your vehicle’s ignition cylinder as well.
Steve is the owner of Auto Trends Magazine and a former ASE Certified Technician who holds a degree in automotive service technology from Weber State. When he's not searching for a 10mm socket in his garage, he enjoys a good BBQ with family and friends.
Maybe they should just make ignition cylinders that don’t ridiculously entrap the key. It’s funny how much stuff automakers have to deliberately build-in faultily just so some groups of people have jobs Reply
Gary PizerI have a 2018 Chevy Colorado and every once in a while the key would get “stuck” and I would have to move the steering wheel around to get it out. It got quite annoying at times until I tried something different. I found if I stepped on the brake pedal and kept it down the key would come out with no issues. It has been couple of weeks now and so far so good….no issues. When it did act up holding the brake down took care of it. Reply
Dave ZarcoI tried all of these attempts to “free the key” from the evil clutches of the big bad ignition to no avail. Then, when I was about to give up, a thought came to mind I hadn’t considered after a frustrating, yet hilarious hour of jerking around with all the solutions presented: I reached under the steering column and raised the tilt of the steering wheel. HALLELUJAH. A MIRACLE, I TELL YA. I knew how King Arthur felt freeing Excalibur from its granite grasp! And I didn’t have to disconnect the battery, pop some mythical tab off the top of the console I never was able to find, jimmy the wheel ever so slightly whilst trying to gently pull the off ignition key, or (as the Enterprise Rent-a-Car Roadside Assistance agent suggested) I take my left index finger and press down on the tiny key release button while twisting/turning/jimmying up and down the key! That last suggestion was more contorted for me than the Handstand Scorpion yoga pose and truly must’ve provided minutes of unmitigated gufffaws from the shoppers exiting Publix with their carts full of the day’s spoils from their weekly hunt for familial sustenance. I think the rest of the RAAs eavesdropping in on my pleas for help must have been moistening their undergarments from having to valiantly stifle their desires to let loose their uncontrollable bursts of laughter at their visualization of me taking each of Shirley’s directions at how to remove the rental Camry’s key without breaking it off in the keyhole. Hell, this would make a hilarious 5-minute skit in a movie, but it would pale in comparison to the actual real-life struggles I endured for over an hour in a brand-new, 2023 black Toyota Camry I’d just picked up from Enterprise while waiting for Godzilla to be revived back to life after hydroplaning into the retaining wall on the Florida Turnpike at 70 miles an hour. Reply
Haha! Congratulations. ReplyI am having this problem now!! Midas broke my key fob for my 2005 Honda Pilot EXL and told me it was broken when I gave them the key .. okay 👌 I drove here!!
Ordered a new fob on Amazon 5 starts on almost every review .. did not fit but we did some rigging and made it usable,
Has lasted for about six months the other day the key fell out of the fob. I carry duct tape with me in case this problem happens. I was at my friends house. I’m hour away from home when they key fell out. I took it in her house, and I put some duct tape on it to hold the key next to the trip and went heavily. On my way. When I get home an hour later, I was not able to get the key out of the ignition. It was midnight, and I sat in my truck for a good 45 minutes trying to get the key out. I didn’t know what else to do And my battery would’ve been dead if I would’ve left it in because it will turn backwards, but not all the way backward. A friend of mine was able to get the key out yesterday by wiggling and giggling and pulling on the key. He got it out like five times in a row. I am nervous to do all of that. I did not want to break the key off! I also don’t want to go to Honda and pay crazy money when it’s just a key fob and now I’m looking on Amazon again my ex is a mechanic and told me to just order a new key fob on Amazon, and now I’m reading some of these need to be cut. They need to be programmed. I just need to drive my truck. 😢 Reply
